Chapter 11
	It was almost three o’clock when Peter Stewart awakened and realized he still had his hand on Jan’s breast.  He lay in bed without moving as he reflected on the last few weeks.  He couldn’t believe his good fortune: He had come out to Hawaii for a rest and was going home with a wife.  The girl whose head was still resting on his shoulder was lovely beyond his wildest dreams.  Then he moved his head to be able to see her more easily.  Even that slight movement was enough:  Jan’s eyes opened and she looked at him.  The look she gave melted him.
	As she turned her head, she smiled lovingly and whispered, “Hello, my husband.”  She rolled over so her body was on top of his, then folded her arms across his chest and rested her chin on the back of her hands.  As she did she lifted her chest slightly so that her breasts were barely in contact with his chest.  She started to rotate her chest and smiled as her nipples almost instantly became erect.
	He felt her movement as tiny pebbles moving around his chest.  “What are you doing?” he asked softly.
	“I’m torturing you.  I’m digging up your chest.  Pretty soon it will be bloody from all my digging.  Do you mind terribly?  The wounds will be mostly superficial, though.”
	She pulled herself up and softly kissed him on the lips.  Pete wrapped his arms around her back and squeezed tight, mashing her breasts against his chest.  As she did, she made soft noises deep in her throat and then frowned.
	“What’s wrong?”
	“Darling, how much larger would you like my tits to be?  I’m going to start to work to develop my chest so it’ll be the way you want it.”
	He lifted her up from his chest, spun around and sat up on the edge of the bed with his feet on the floor.  Jan’s eyes widened for a moment as she feared he was going to spank her again.  Instead he picked her up and sat her on his lap with her back against his chest.  His arms were around her and her head was again resting against his shoulder.  He held out his hand and asked, “What do you think of my hand?”
	Jan was puzzled by the question.  She took it in both of hers and held it.  She turned her head to look at his face and replied with a quizzical look, “It’s a nice hand.  In fact, it’s a perfect man’s hand.  It’s big and strong and... and it’s very hard when it contacts my backside.”
	“How about the fingers?”
	“They’re long and strong.”  She smiled at him and said, “I love your hand... even when you use it to spank me.”  Her eyebrows furrowed as she added, “But what does your hand have to do with anything?”
	Pete was holding her in his right arm.  It was his right hand that had been cupping her breast while she slept.  He placed his hand over her breast and cupped it.  Then he gave her breast a slight squeeze.  “What do you see and feel?” he asked.
	Jan had closed her eyes to savor the feeling.  She opened them again and said, “I feel a strong hand around my boob, squeezing it.  I see a beautifully tanned hand over my boob.”  She was bewildered.
	“Darling, how big is my hand?”
	“It’s huge!  It’s at least twice as big as mine.  Your fingers are long and strong and feel wonderful when they stroke my body.”  She smiled and added, “Pete, you’re magnificent when you do that, too.  I think about your being a virgin when we met.  Your knowledge of women should be illegal!”
	Pete smiled warmly at his beautiful bride.  “Honey, you still don’t get it, do you?  Look at my hand on your breast.  What do you see?”
	“I already told you,” she protested.
	His smile got broader.  “Honey, I can’t get my hand fully around your tit.  There’s more of it than there is of my hand.  Yet you said I have a big hand with long fingers.  Darling, your breasts are perfect exactly the way they are.  I really don’t like cows.  I love a woman whose breasts are lovely firm hemispheres tipped with tiny pink nipples; breasts that are larger than my large hand can completely get around.  I love a woman whose breasts are perfect and who would be taking a big risk if she tried to change them.  Darling, please leave perfection alone.”  As he said it, he gently squeezed her breast.
	Jan leaned her head back against his shoulder, then turned to look up at his face.  She said, “Husband, would you do me a favor?  Could we go down to our beach for a while?”
	Pete immediately agreed and a short time later they had their towels spread on what they now considered to be their personal spot on the beach.  Again, they went through the ritual of putting lotion on each other’s body.  Jan was lying on her back with her eyes closed.  Pete rested his head on his hand and looked at her as he reclined on his side.  He was lightly running his fingertips over the part of her body that was within easy reach.
	As he watched her, he saw tears coming from under her closed eyelids.  “What’s wrong, honey?” he asked, concerned.  “Why are you crying?”
	She opened her eyes and he could see the tears glistening in them.  “I’m so damned happy, Pete, I can’t stand it!  I was thinking about what’s happened and I can’t believe it.”  She pulled herself up and rolled on her side.
	She rested her head on her hand and looked at him.  “You can’t know what it’s like to feel your fingertips on my body.  Darling, no one ever did that before.  I was a slut and a whore.  Men and women used my body like it was a piece of meat... and I guess it was.  I had a whole range of imitation emotions I turned on and off.  Now I have you.  Pete, I wouldn’t even let myself dream of getting out of the business before I met you.  The idea of ever getting married — let alone to someone as wonderful as you — never occurred to me.  Darling, I’m in Heaven... and I don’t think I’ve even died.”
	Pete continued to idly run his fingertips over her body.  “Pete, what are you doing?” she asked, amused.  “You look like a little boy playing in the sand.”
	He grinned and said, “You’re right.  That’s exactly how I feel.  I remember going to the beach when I was just a little boy when my parents were still alive.  This is much more fun, though.  I’m thinking about how lucky I am.  I get to fondle the most beautiful woman alive!  I get to run my fingers over her lovely body and enjoy the feel of her warm satiny skin.  But it’s more.  I can feel your muscles move under your skin.  They respond to my touch.”
	He looked at her with a small smile on his face.  He asked, “Do you realize how important this beach is to us?  Jan, if you hadn’t allowed me to come with you that first day — and if I hadn’t screwed up every ounce of courage I could muster to come down with you — this would never have happened.  Darling, you’ve been so preoccupied with feeling unworthy, it never occurred to you to think of my side: I’m here in Hawaii alone... and having a miserable time.  Then I’m in the pro shop and I’m asked if I want to play in a foursome... and meet you.  Honey, I don’t know if you remember, but I sure do.  You turned to look at me and I almost fell over.  I know my jaw dropped.”
	He grinned and said, “Now I remember!  You had to notice!  You slid over to drive the cart.  That was the first indication of how smart you are.  You knew damned well I’d go straight into a tree or off a cliff or something.  Remember?”
	Jan’s eyes were glistening and she had a small, warm smile on her face.  She leaned over towards him and kissed him softly.  Again they felt the electricity.  “I remember, darling.  I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings.”
	“Hurt my feelings?” he exclaimed.  “That’s impossible.  I was dazzled by a blonde apparition!  Jan, I’ve never seen a girl as beautiful as you are in my life.  Then we came on the beach and I saw you the way you are now.  I can’t tell you what that did.  Except you saw what it did.  I got hard and stayed hard!  Jan, if I hadn’t seen you here and if you hadn’t insisted on putting that lotion on me, I never in a million years would have had the nerve even to speak to you again.  Wife, you are awesome!  And I mean that in the truest sense of the word: inspiring awe in a viewer.  You have been so focused on your... background, you never think of the way you look to others.  Honey, I could lay here forever just running my fingers over your body.  Your skin is like satin, but so much more!  It’s warm and smooth and I can feel your muscles ripple under your skin.  You’re responding to my touch, aren’t you?”
	Jan’s eyes began to glow with her love as she listened to Pete.  She replied, “Of course, darling!  What I’m feeling is a sensation I never knew existed.  I feel your fingers and I don’t want you ever to stop — except now I want you to put your enormous cock into my cunt in the worst possible way.”  She glanced down the length of her body and said, “Look at it.  What do you see?”
	He was startled as he saw moisture on her nether lips.  “Do you mean to say that’s for me?”
	She smiled broadly and lay on her back.  She spread her thighs wide and opened her vaginal lips with her fingertips.  “Now look.  What do you see?”
	Pete moved over to her towel and knelt between her legs.  “I see your clit exposed.  It’s erect, isn’t it?”
	“Of course, darling.  Will you take me again?  Please?”
	He moved forward and she took his weapon and placed it at the mouth of her vagina.  He started to move in.  This time he entered her easier than he had earlier in their bed.  When he was fully inside he leaned over to kiss her on the lips.  Her kiss was warm, sensuous and loving.  When he took his mouth away he asked, “Jan, why was it so hard to get all the way inside you this morning?  It was never quite that difficult out here on the beach.”
	Again she smiled warmly and pulled his lips down to hers for another kiss.  “Darling, I guess when I’m on the beach I’m soaking up the sun and I’m relaxed.  Then I’ve already been running my hands over your body and you’ve been caressing mine so I couldn’t get any wetter inside.  Did you mind this morning?  Would you like me to stretch my cunt to make your entry easier?  I can, you know, and will in an instant if you want me to.”
	Pete just smiled and shook his head.  He was starting to move slowly in and out with his usual long strokes.  He said, “Darling, you have to be kidding!  You feel so glorious as you squeeze my cock with your muscles.  Please don’t change a thing!”
	He kept up his movements and watched as Jan’s head started to toss and her body became sweat-coated.  Her arms were flailing.  She would hold him, drop her arms to the sand and then hold him again.  He watched as she began to convulse with her orgasms.  He just continued to pump into her with long strokes.  He found Jan crying out in tempo with his strokes, letting out an involuntary scream each time he struck her firm bottom with his balls.  His tempo increased.  Now Jan was in an almost continuous orgasm, going higher and higher each time.  He could feel her about to explode.  It triggered an explosion of his own that carried her over the brink.  With a scream, she lost consciousness as he collapsed on top of her steaming body.
	He could feel her chest rise and fall as her body struggled to regain oxygen.  Pete propped himself up on his hands and then pulled his beach towel closer to hers.  He lifted her head and rested it on his shoulder and held her close.  After a few moments, her eyes fluttered open again.
	Jan turned her head and looked up at his face.  “Darling, thank you!  That was the very best yet.”  She took a deep breath and lifted her head to look down the length of her body.  She made a face and exclaimed, “Pete, how can you stand to look at me?  I’m an absolute wreck!”  She ran her hand through her hair and said, “Yuck!  It’s in strings, there’s sand in it...  Pete, what was I doing, for God’s sake?”
	Pete leaned over and kissed her softly.  He withdrew his lips and said, “You were enjoying yourself.  I was enjoying you.  You look even more beautiful than you did before.  Your skin is shining, your muscles are still throbbing, your hair is tousled and looks cute...  And all this without a drop of makeup.  Darling, I love you very much.”  He grinned at her and said, “How about some swimming?”
	“I would love to but there’s no way I could move the few feet to get to the water.”
	“That’s easy enough to fix,” he said picking her up in his arms and cradling her to his chest.
	“Peter!  Put me down!  I’m not a baby to be thrown around and carried under your arm.”
	“That’s a great idea!  Why didn’t I think of that?” he mused.  He let go of Jan with his right arm and swung her under his left and carried her with his hand holding her under her waist.  Her head was hanging down by his knee.  She kept on struggling as Pete waded out into the water and finally heaved her in where the water was deep enough.  He knew Jan was a very strong swimmer and moved in the water with the ease and grace of a porpoise.
	Jan jack-knifed and went under.  Pete could see her golden body move through the clear water as he dove in after her.  They had gone out far enough that the water was now about twenty feet deep.  She came back to the surface, took a breath, and again went under.  The next thing Pete knew, a hand had grabbed him by the balls.  He jack-knifed under and found his bride who he could see grinning even under water.  He took her in his arms and hauled her back to the surface.
	“Wife, I thought we had covered obedience earlier this afternoon?”  He reached under water and gave one of her buns a light pinch.
	Jill formed her lips into an “O” said, “Ouch!”, and rubbed her bottom, but all the time her eyes were twinkling.
	She moved closer and went into his arms.  She kissed him and whispered, “I’m sorry, my husband, but I just couldn’t resist!”
	They swam around for a while and then went back to the beach.  It was getting late, so they gathered their belongings and headed back for the hotel.  When they returned to their suite, they took a shower together and delighted in soaping each other’s body.  Pete left Jan in the shower washing her hair.  When she finished and returned to the bedroom she found him in bed, so she climbed in with him and lay back against his shoulder.  In no time they were both asleep.
	Later they dressed and went down to the dining room for dinner.  The maître d’hotel gave them a lovely table overlooking the beach and the neighboring island.  As they watched the last of the sunset, Jan put her hand in his and looked at him.  He could see the love glowing in her eyes as she said, “Darling, today you have made me the happiest woman alive.  Thank you so much!”
	They ate, danced some more and finally returned to their room.  As they walked hand-in-hand, she turned to look at him and said softly, “Pete, would you do me a great favor?”
	He smiled warmly at her and said, “Of course!  How could I refuse my bride on her wedding day?  Anything.”
	“Darling, you’ve heard of exorcism, haven’t you?”
	“You mean driving out devils or something like that?”
	“That’s it exactly!  Darling, I need you to exorcize me.  You know I’ve done all sorts of things that disgusted me?  The only way I can possibly rid myself of the sense of shame I feel is if you will do them to me or let me do them to you.  Will you please?  For example, tonight would you please take me in the ass?  Your cock is gigantic but I really have to do it.  Will you let me?”
	He looked at her skeptically and shook his head.  “Jan, you can’t!  I’ll kill you.  You’ll be ripped in half.”
	“Darling, of course it will hurt.  It usually does.  And you’re right.  I have never taken anyone as big as you.  But Pete, I love you desperately.  All the others were customers.  I not only didn’t love them, I disliked most of them.  It makes a difference.  Honest.”
	By this time they were back in the suite.  Jan took Pete’s hand and led him into their bedroom.  She looked at him and kissed him softly on the lips.  Meanwhile, she was starting to undress him.  Moments later Pete was standing before her naked.  She rocked back on her heels and looked up at him.  “Darling, how did I ever get to be so lucky?  You’re an Adonis, do you know that?  You stand before me like a Greek god, but I don’t even think the statues in the museums are built as well as you!”
	She leaned forward and took his sex organs in her hands.  By this time he had a monstrous erection; his cock was slanted upward towards her face with its red tip glowing.  She put her hands together and gently lifted his balls, appearing to weigh them in her hands.
	Looking up at him she grinned and said, “Pete, they are awfully full for a newlywed on his honeymoon.  Doesn’t your wife like sex?”
	Leaning forward she took the tip of his cock in her mouth, sucked and then licked it trying to get as much of her moisture on it as she could.  She jumped up, went to the night stand and returned with a condom.  Quickly opening it, she unrolled it along the length of his cock.  Again she took it in her mouth to moisten the tip.
	Stripping off her dress and then kicking off her bikini, she hopped on the bed.  She held a pillow in her arms and pulled her knees up under her, raising her ass high in the air.  Then she spread her ass cheeks exposing her small pink anus to him.  She turned her head and whispered, “Darling, your wife is ready.  I only wish it was virginal for you!”
	Pete had been watching with amusement that changed to amazement as he realized what Jan was doing.  My God!  he thought.  She is going to take me dry!  I’ll kill her!  Aloud he said, “Darling, I’m going to see if I can find some Vaseline.  There is no way you can take me dry.”
	“Do it now, Pete!  I moistened your tip with my spit.  That’s more than most of my customers ever allowed me to do.  They like to feel their tool ripping me.  Please!  I really am ready!”
	Shaking his head he knelt on the bed behind her.  He really did not know what to do other than to put the tip of his cock against her tiny ring.  Just as he did, relaxing her anal ring as much as she could, Jan pushed backward against him.  He heard her give an involuntary gasp of pain, but he was in her!
	She turned her head to look back at him and gasped, “That was the worst of it, darling!  It’s easy from here on.  Just do what you normally do and I think you’ll like it.”
	He eased forward and could feel his rod start to penetrate.  He picked up a rocking motion while Jan rotated her hips and concentrated on receiving his full length.  The pressure of the ring around his cock was strange.  Soon he had penetrated to his full length.  Jan could feel his balls bounce against her cunt and could feel her buns in contact with his body.
	“Darling, it feels so good!” she whispered.  “Like everything else, it has never been like this before.  Please keep going!  I want to feel you spend inside me.  Please!”
	Pete began to move in and out.  The pressure of the ring around his cock was indescribable.  He kept going back and forth.  Meanwhile, he could see sweat breaking out from Jan’s skin.  Soon her body was covered with her moisture; he could feel her body becoming slippery.  He continued to move.  He decided to use his long arms to reach a hand around to her cunt.  As one of his fingers entered her slit and contacted and then fondled her clit, he heard another involuntary gasp.  
	Jan’s sexual excitement was mounting and her movements were now timed to his.  With his finger on her clit all sensation was now concentrated in her lower body.  Suddenly, her hips started to shake as she experienced the first orgasm she had ever felt with a man in her ass.  It took her completely by surprise.  Now he kept moving in and out, increasing the tempo of his strokes.  She could feel herself start to vibrate as another orgasm overtook her.  His rod in her ass now felt so good.  She could hear herself making involuntary sounds as her excitement continued to mount.
	Pete could feel himself reaching his release point.  It was harder and harder to restrain himself and finally he lost control.  He buried his shaft in her bottom just as he felt himself release in a flood.  The sensation triggered a massive orgasm for Jan as well, as she felt his shaft vibrate inside her.  The flood seemed never-ending, but finally the spurts slowed and then stopped.  Pete waited a few moments and withdrew as gently as he could.  He went to the bathroom to dispose of the condom while Jan straightened out her legs and collapsed face-down on the bed.
	When Pete got into bed, Jan rolled on her side to face him.  She leaned towards him and kissed him softly, then with increasing hunger.  “Thank you, my husband!  You’ve made your wife very happy!  There’s only one thing wrong with it.  I can’t kiss you while you are in me, and I love kissing you so much!”  She looked at him speculatively and then her hand went down to his balls.  Remarkably, they still seemed full!  Her face took on a woeful look and she whispered, “Darling, I’m a failure!  It is almost the end of our wedding day and your gorgeous balls are still almost full!  What am I doing wrong?”
	Pete leaned over and kissed her again.  “It comes of marrying a virginal husband,” he whispered with a grin.  “I’ve been saving up for years.  Can my darling wife take any more?”
	For answer she rolled on her back and spread her legs wide.  “Of course, darling!  But you have to promise to kiss me this time.”
	He moved between her thighs and entered her soaking wet cunt.  Soon they were moving back and forth in tempo.  Again, her sexual excitement mounted.  She had an orgasm, then another, and a third.  Soon it became nearly continuous as they moved together on the bed.  Pete reached his release and began to flood her cunt with his fluids.  Jan felt the flow for a few moments as she, too, released in a massive orgasm.  She was gasping for breath and then fainted with the sensory overload.
	When he recovered his breath, Pete smiled to himself looking at the beautiful girl sprawled on the bed beside him.  He felt her pulse which was slow but very strong.  Going to the closet he removed clean bed sheets he had arranged to have stored there.  Gently he lifted Jan off the bed and placed her, still unconscious, on a lounge chair and then quickly changed the bed which was now soaking wet from their sweat and sexual fluids.
	Since Jan was still showing no signs of recovering consciousness, he smiled to himself and went into the bathroom.  He filled the tub and then gently placed her in it.  He carefully washed her, enjoying again the sensation of running his hands over her gorgeous body.  As he lifted her up in the tub, her head just lolled from side to side.  Nevertheless, he took her comb and brush and carefully fixed her hair.  Lifting her from the tub, he dried her off and carefully carried her back to the bed.  Returning to the bathroom, Pete took a quick shower.
	As he returned to the bedroom, Jan was showing the first signs of regaining consciousness.  He jumped into the bed and put his arm around her shoulders and under her head.  Then he put his hand on her right breast and gave a small squeeze.  When Jan’s eyes opened they focused quickly on his face.  She smiled warmly and then looked confused as her hand moved over the bed.  Rather than the wetness she expected, the sheets were clean, crisp, and dry.
	Her brow furrowed as she continued to look at him.  “What happened?” she whispered.
	“What happened what?” he asked, appearing to be puzzled.  “I guess it was a long day for you and you fell asleep in bed after dinner.  What’s the problem?”
	Jan quickly sat up in bed, alarmed.  “You mean, you didn’t...”  Then she felt the soreness in her ass and remembered what happened.  She tried to glare at him but he could see her blue eyes dancing.  Then she felt her hair which was still damp even though it was combed.  “Peter Stewart, do you mean to say that I was out so long you changed the bed — and even had time to give me a bath!  Oh, Pete!  Was I that bad!?”
	He leaned over and softly kissed her.  Again he could taste the sweetness of her lips and feel the electricity.  God, I love this woman!  he thought.  “No, darling, you weren’t bad at all.  In fact, I guess you enjoyed it.  Didn’t you?”
	Jan lay back on his arm and carefully placed his hand back over her breast.  “Darling, you are a dream!  Thank you!”
	Pete reached out with his other hand and turned out the light.  In moments they were both asleep.

Chapter 12
	Peter Stewart was awakened by the Hawaiian sunlight flooding into the room.  He looked down and found Jan still asleep with her head on his shoulder.  Her hair was spread like a golden fan beneath her while his hand was still cupped over the golden globe of her breast.  She had formed her body to his during the night; their bodies were in contact for almost her entire length.  He marveled again at his good fortune.  Girls like Janice ignored him; they most assuredly did not fall in love with him.  Yet she said she had and he was now convinced it was true.
	A small motion of his hand on her breast awakened her.  Instantly he found himself looking into her glorious blue eyes.  He winked and glanced out the window.  It was true.  Her eyes were the color of the ocean he could see out the window and he told her so.  He noticed Jan was instantly awake with her eyes clear.  She reached out her arm and rolled over on top of him so her head was on his chest.  Then she reached out both arms and stretched causing her nipples to chafe against the hair on his chest.
	She folded her arms under her chin and looked into his eyes.  “Good morning, darling husband,” she whispered.  “What can I do to give you pleasure this morning?”
	Pete felt a wetness on his chest.  He looked down and saw tears flowing from Janice’s eyes.  “Darling, what’s wrong?  Why are you crying?”
	“Because I’m so damned happy I can’t stand it, darling.  You have given me happiness I never dreamed existed, let alone happiness I could ever have!”
	He put his arms around her and squeezed hard.  She could feel his heavy muscles bunch as he crushed her to his chest, flattening her breasts.  “Mm, that feels so good!  Darling, you can’t know how wonderful that makes me feel!  It makes me feel small and cuddly and warm.  And loved!”  As she said it she could feel his cock engorging beneath her.  She lifted her hips, positioned his rod, and eased herself down on it.  With a series of hip movements she finally got it in to its full length.
	Pete relaxed his hold but continued to caress her body.  She began to stroke his shoulders and upper arms with her finger tips while she rested her head on his chest.  Breathing in deeply she smelled the man-smell of him.  She looked up and whispered, “Peter Stewart, I love you!”
	He smiled warmly and replied, “Janice Stewart, not half as much as I love you!  You can’t imagine how great it feels to have my cock trapped by your cunt.  It’s warm and wet and it moves.  It’s delicious!”
	He pulled the covers up over them and moments later they were asleep — or nearly so.  First one and then the other would move hips or work internal muscles to maintain the erection.  Jan started to work her muscles — muscles she did not know she had nor had ever used — to squeeze and then relax pressure on his cock.  Without moving an external muscle she reached an orgasm and felt her hips and loins shake.  She smiled and kept it up.  Pete opened his eyes and looked at her lying with her cheek on his chest with her eyes still closed.
	He could feel himself being taken higher and higher.  Finally he couldn’t take it any longer and released.  Then her cunt with a life of its own continued to milk the last drop of fluid from his balls.  Still without moving, they fell asleep.
	When Pete awakened again, even without opening his eyes he knew something was different.  Janice was gone!  He opened his eyes, startled, and saw her sitting at a chair in front of the computer.  Moving as quietly as possible he got out of bed and padded over behind her and put his hands over her breasts.  Instantly her hands came off the keyboard and covered his.  She swung her head around and up towards him for a good morning kiss.
	“What is my wife doing on the morning after her wedding?” he teased.
	“Your wife is taking responsibility for the business her husband is trying to run.  Are you awake enough to look at some material I’ve put together?”
	Initially Pete was amused.  He thought it was some kind of joke.  After all, Jan didn’t look particularly businesslike sitting naked at the computer keyboard.  His attitude quickly changed as she began to go run through a set of computer graphics on the screen.  They showed conclusively that Illinois Technology was headed for serious trouble.  A diminishing number of products were pulling their own weight.  It was only the absence of good cost information coupled with rising unit sales that had hidden the facts.  Moreover, it was Hugo Bingham’s Argus Corporation that was eating IT’s lunch.
	At the end of the presentation there was a list of suggestions for immediate changes to restore growth and profitability.  They included dropping a large number of products, price increases on others, and concentration on a single product, a 40-megabyte hard drive.  Most important, though, was the need for new products.
	When the presentation finished, Jan turned to him.  By now he was down on one knee beside her to have a better view of the screen.  He turned and took her in his arms, squeezed tightly, and then crushed her lips with his.  He could feel her arms around him trying to flatten her breasts against his chest.  Finally, he pulled back to take a breath.
	“Bob Gordon was absolutely right, darling.  You do have all of the answers.  I guess I really don’t know what to do.  I married you because of your beauty and charm.  I also got an incredible business brain as an extra added attraction.  God, I love you!”  He kissed her again.
	“Thank you, darling,” she replied softly.  “I’m so glad I could help — at least a little bit.  Pete, I don’t think I ever told you this, but I became a prostitute in order to earn the money for my graduate education.  I obtained the education but almost at the cost of my life and my soul.  Honey, I still don’t see what it is you see in me.  Why in the world did you ever marry me?  You could have so many girls who’d be so much better for you.”  She grinned weakly and added, “There is one thing, though.  I not only paid for my graduate education, but I actually saved some money.  Darling, it’s all yours.  It’s all I can present to you as a dowry.”
	Pete just slowly shook his head.  “Jan, I am starting to worry about you.  You seem like such a bright, intelligent girl.  Why do you have a problem with such a simple thing?  You’re utterly exquisite and I’m such a bumpkin!  Janice Stewart, you glow!  You’re radiant!”  He reached out a hand and put it on her stomach.  He just ran his fingertips over her skin very lightly.  He could feel her muscles rippling as he did.  Then he leaned forward and kissed her softly.  “Janice Stewart, you are my love and my life!”
	Her arms went around his neck and she pulled him close, burying her lips in his.
* * *
	They had just returned to their suite after lunch when there was a knock on the door.  Jan opened it and found it was Bob and Jill returning.
	“Hi, hon!” Jill exclaimed taking Jan in her arms.  “My God!  You look exquisite!  Married life certainly agrees with you... at least the first twenty-four hours of it!”
	After an exchange of greetings they decided to return to the nude beach for their afternoon swim.  Jan noticed the difference right away.  Pete was no longer nervous putting on her suntan lotion.  She was no longer nervous either, now that her background was out in the open and Pete had insisted on marrying her.  This time Pete and Jan initiated the “love in the afternoon.”  They finished the afternoon in the water with Pete noticing again how much like twins Jan and Jill appeared, both moving as smoothly and effortlessly as playful dolphins in the water.
	That evening Bob insisted on taking them all out to dinner at an excellent restaurant nearby.  It was the most perfect evening they could remember.  Finally they returned to the hotel and went to their rooms.  This time Pete made love to Jan slowly and gently.  Again, though, she ultimately lost control as he made her orgasms virtually continuous until he came and she lost consciousness.  They were in each other’s arms just necking when they heard the sounds of Jill reaching her crest.
	Suddenly, Jan sat up.  “Pete, remember the exorcism?  There is one more thing.  I have to go to them.  Do you mind?”
	Without waiting for an answer she bounded out of bed and went into the bedroom next door.  As she expected, Jill was sprawled on the bed, unconscious.  She winked at Bob and jumped on the bed, spreading Jill’s legs wide.  Carefully she used her tongue to lick up her juices and Bob’s from the girl’s cunt.  She ran her slim fingers over the girl’s body noticing how smooth and slick it was.
	Meanwhile Pete had followed her into the room and saw her lovely ass in the air.  He knelt behind her and entered her from behind.  Jan gave a little wiggle to her ass as she welcomed him inside her.  She continued her licking of Jill’s sweet cunt.  Her tongue was like a snake as it went up her canal in search of more of the succulent fluids.  Jill regained consciousness and looked down expecting to see Bob but seeing Jan’s golden head instead.  Her hips began to move involuntarily as Jan took her back up towards her crest.  Finally, just as Pete was about to explode in Jan, Jill lost control and came in Jan’s mouth.  The girl licked and sucked the sweetness until it was gone.  At this point Jan collapsed face down on the bed.
	“Thank you dear Jan, but what was that all about?” Jill asked softly.
	“That was about the last of my exorcism,” Jan replied, lifting her head.  “I’m sure you remember the first time we met?  I was licking the cunts of some rather unattractive women.  You said later that they were the ones who appeared obscene?  At any rate I decided that the only way I can fully recover from my days as a prostitute is to repeat the things I was forced to do for money with people for whom I do them for love.”
	She looked at Jill solemnly and added, “Jill, I do love you and Bob very much.  Your cunt is so sweet and clean and beautiful.  And you taste wonderful!  I hope you didn’t mind?” she asked with a small frown.
	Jill looked over at Bob and then back at Jan.  “Darling, it was absolutely delicious!  Thank you so much!”
	As she lay on her back Bob moved between her legs.  Jill gave him a glorious smile and raised her hips to welcome him inside her again.  “Robert Gordon, are you showing off for our friends?” she asked softly.
	Meanwhile Pete rolled Janice over on her back.  She, too, spread her legs and felt his still-rigid cock slowly enter her cavity.  She wiggled her hips to make his entry easier.  As he entered her, she turned her head to look at Jill.  She reached out her hand and the girl took it in her own.  The girls clutched each other while their men pumped inside them.  They soon lost interest in each other as all of their sensation concentrated in their loins.  The two golden heads started thrashing from side to side as the two men worked inside their bodies.  They reached orgasm simultaneously, but their men didn’t stop.
	They were in tempo as they continued to thrust in and out with long, smooth strokes.  Each time the men’s balls struck the girls’ bottoms, they let out involuntary cries of joy.  Soon they were both continuously cuming.  Jan could feel her syrup forced past the huge vibrating plug in her cunt and stream down the inside of her thighs.  With simultaneous loud cries, the girls reached their ultimate orgasm as their men released inside them.  They both fainted.
	Pete looked over at Bob as they rested on the still bodies of their loves.  When he caught his breath he said, “Bob, do you want to try something?  I did it to Jan earlier.”
	“What’s that?”
	“We’ll change the bed and see what happens.”
	The two men gently released the girls’ hands from each other, lifted them out of the bed, and carried them in to the Stewarts’ bed.  They quickly changed the sheets, brought the girls back to the Gordons’ bed and lay them down after combing their hair.  Finally, they put the two girls’ hands back together.  Pete spread Jan’s legs and knelt between them.  He carefully licked out her cunt, lapping up her juices and his own.  Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bob doing the same thing with Jill.
	As the girls started to show the first signs of recovering consciousness, the men both got in the bed and put his girl’s head on his shoulder while they each cupped a round tanned breast.  The girls were still holding hands.  Simultaneously, two pairs of eyes opened, one set of emerald green and the other of sapphire blue.  The men bent over and kissed their women.  It was only then that the girls realized they were still holding hands.
	Jan ran her free hand over the crisp sheets and glared at Pete.  “Peter Stewart, did you do it to me again?  Was I out so cold you changed the bed on me?”
	Pete just bent over and kissed her softly on the lips.  Her tongue probed into his mouth and Jan tasted the mixture of his spend and her love juices in his mouth.  She glanced over at Jill and saw she was enfolded in Bob’s arms.  “Pete, this shit has got to stop!  Do you mean to tell me you and Bob had enough time to get us out of bed, change it, and lick out our cunts all in the time we were unconscious!?”
	“Darling, I’m not telling you anything.  You were telling me.”
	“Pete, have you ever seen a more glorious body than Jill’s?  She is absolutely exquisite.  And God, is she in love!”
	“She is almost as pretty as the cute little girl I have in my arms.  You get so slippery and beautiful when you are in my arms.  I love you desperately, Janice Stewart.  You’re my life and my love.  But I guess I already told you that.”  He bent over and kissed her again softly.
	Jan finally released Jill’s hand and rolled over on top of Pete.  She decided it was one of her favorite positions.  With her cheek on his chest she gently ran her fingertips over his chest and shoulders, making soft little sounds as he squeezed her tightly.  “Mmm, that feels so good,” she whispered as she could feel his heavy muscles bunch up as he squeezed her.
	He relaxed his grip and she looked over to Jill and Bob who were doing the same thing.  “Jill Peters, do you realize Bob Gordon is just using you as a sex object?  You want to be respected for your brain!  Keep that up and I’ll have to report you to the National Organization for Women!”
	Jill’s cheek was mashed against Bob’s chest.  She just murmured softly and said, “Jan, whatever he wants he will have.  I absolutely adore the man!  I finally decided he really does like me.  He even likes my large size!  He claims this way he doesn’t lose me in the covers.  Of course at this rate the poor man will be utterly destroyed within a month.  But what a way to go!”
	Bob looked over at Pete and said, “Stewart, I think we do have it all!  Isn’t it wonderful to have two tiny women who are soft and cuddly and warm and wet...”
	“Tiny!  Of all the nerve!” Jill exclaimed as she started to beat on his chest with her fists.
	Bob just held her tighter and easily lifted her up so that her lips were above his.  Then he kissed her soundly.  Jan and Pete were watching and Pete said, “Hey, that’s a great idea!”  He lifted Jan up and repeated what Bob was doing to Jill.
	Finally Bob released her.  Jill’s eyes, glazed with passion, finally refocused.  “I give up!  Okay, I’m tiny and warm and cuddly.”
	Bob ran a finger lightly through her cunt and licked it.  “You forgot wet.”
	Pete shook his head, got out of bed and with no apparent effort lifted Jan out of bed and held her in his arms.  “Say goodnight, Jan.  It’s time for you to go nighty-night.”
	Jan grimaced, kissed him lightly on the cheek, and waved to the other two on the bed.  “Nighty-night!  Sleep tight.  It’s my bed time now,” she said in a high-pitched little-girl voice.  Then she kissed Pete again and whispered, “You bully!  Always picking on defenseless little girls!”
	Returning to their bedroom with Jan in his arms, Pete deposited her back on their bed and made love to her again.

Chapter 13
	Jan and Peter Stewart were in a rental car they had picked up at O’Hare International Airport.  It was mid-November, their honeymoon was over, and they were on their way to the small town of Deerfield, Illinois, about twenty-five miles north of O’Hare.  When they saw the first sign for Deerfield, Pete heard a little gasp from Jan.  He glanced over at her and could see an expression of dismay verging on fright.  “What’s wrong, darling?” he asked softly, reaching out his hand to take hers.  Fortunately, they were on the Tollway and he did not need both hands on the wheel.
	“I’m the trouble,” she said.  “Darling, I never should have let you talk me into marrying you!  There are nice apartments all around here.  I should just rent one to be close to you and be available to you when you want me.  Agreeing to marry you was stupid of me.  Darling, I am a whore!”
	He glanced over and then took his hand away as they approached a toll booth.  When he accelerated out after paying the toll, he glanced over again and said, softly but firmly, “Janice Carson Stewart, that is just about enough of that!  You are the best thing that ever happened to me.  The only thing I worry about is what my friends are going to think of your eyesight or judgment when they learn you married me!  Darling, you are a vision!
	But even that’s not all!  Darling, you positively glow!  You are a vision in gold.  Your tan is glorious, your hair is like a golden cap on your head...  You know what?  I was thinking of joining a nudist group so we could maintain our tans.  I gave up on the idea when I realized what the sight of your nude body would do to them!  The men would want to rape you and the women would want to kill you!”
	Jan grinned and squeezed his hand.  “No, darling.  The women would be lined up to have you service them!  You are unbelievable!  And you are all mine!”
	He glanced over and grinned back.  “I’m glad we finally got that one settled.  I certainly am all yours!”
	They drove up to a large house set back from the end of a quiet road on a large wooded lot.  He drove up the driveway and shut off the engine.  Getting out of the car, he went around to open Jan’s door.  When she got out, he easily picked her up in his arms and carried her up the front walk.  He had the house key in his hand and quickly opened the door in spite of her weight in his arms.  Carrying her across the threshold, he kicked the door closed and carried her upstairs to the master bedroom.  Meanwhile, Jan just rested her head against his shoulder as she delighted in the feeling of being carried in his strong arms.
	Depositing her on the bed, he had her stripped in no time and was soon entering her warm loins.  When he reached full penetration he stopped, leaned over and gently kissed her lips.  As usual he received a jolt of electricity that was like a small electric shock.  “Welcome home, my darling,” he whispered.  “I hope you aren’t disappointed in your new home.”
	Jan just enjoyed the feeling of Pete inside her.  She reached out and holding the back of his head pulled his lips down to crush hers.  When she finally released him she said, “Darling, I would cheerfully live with the pigs in a wallow as long as I could be with you!  I didn’t get to see much, but what little I did see is lovely!  My darling, you can’t believe what this means to me.  A home of my own?  A husband I adore?  In my most optimistic dreams I never dreamed I could have any of it.  Darling, you married a prostitute — a filthy dirty pig!  Darling, I love you and I love it.  Now please fuck me?  Please?”
	Soon Jan was writhing on the bed in ecstasy.  This time with an effort of will she retained consciousness as she reached her peak.  Pete rolled off her body and held her tightly to him as she slowly regained control.  She looked up at him with a look of unadulterated joy on her face.  “Darling, I didn’t pass out!  I stayed conscious!  Honey, it could not have been better.  It just couldn’t!  Thank you, my darling.”
	After taking a nap, he helped her out of bed and into the bathroom.  She reveled again at sharing a shower with her husband and grinned when he went to his knees to lick out her cunt that was still flooded with their juices.  Jan grabbed a bottle of shampoo and started to wash his hair while he was on his knees in front of her.
	“What are you doing?” he exclaimed, looking up at her from under a head full of suds.
	“Washing your hair while you do my cunt.  Darling, I’m now a housewife with all sorts of things to do.  We don’t have the time to only do one thing at a time anymore,” she said with a big grin.  She went back to washing his hair.
	When they were out of the shower, Pete insisted on drying her off.  “I can’t get enough of your body, woman!  It is absolutely exquisite!”  He took the opportunity to bite her nipple lightly as she stretched high to dry his head.
	She gave him a quick kiss as she finished.  “Thank you, dear.  That little bite means you’re still interested in me!”
* * *
	The next day Jan was alone in the house, cleaning.  She loved her new home and was impressed with Pete as a housekeeper.  Everything was neat as a pin.  There was only the dust that had collected during his four-week absence.  She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a chambray shirt with her hair tied up in a red kerchief as she cleaned and put things away from their trip.
	Jan was surprised when the doorbell rang.  An attractive dark-haired girl was standing on the doorstep when she opened the door.  “Mrs. Stewart?  I’m Anita Collins, society editor of The Deerfield Times, the local weekly here in town.  May I come in?”
	Jan smiled warmly and stepped back from the door.  “Of course, Miss Collins, but I’m scarcely dressed to receive company.  I hope you aren’t offended.”
	The girl came in and was seated in the living room while Jan went for coffee.  In the kitchen she removed her kerchief and shook out her hair, then smoothed it with her hand.  Returning to the living room she sat down and looked at the young woman attentively.  “What brings you over here this morning?  What can I do for you?”
	The girl studied Jan and just slowly shook her head.  “Wow!  They certainly got that right!”
	“Who got what right?” Jan asked, looking puzzled.
	The girl grinned at Jan and said, “The word’s all over town.  Peter Stewart went on vacation to Hawaii and brought back an angel as his wife.  Mrs. Stewart, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on!  At any rate, I said I was society editor.  That’s true.  In all honesty though, there are only two of us full-time on the paper.  He — my husband, Bill — is editor-in-chief and I guess I am editor of everything else.
	"Anyway, I guess you and Pete went shopping yesterday and the word spread like wildfire.  Since Pete’s president and owner of Illinois Technologies, you are the big story in this week’s issue.  Do you mind if I interview you?”
	Jan agreed even though she could feel a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.  Here it comes!  she thought.
	“First, where are you from originally?  Could you give me some background about yourself?  Where did you grow up?  Go to school?  Things like that.”  Jan told her that she grew up in Iowa, went to school at Yale and received her MBA from Columbia’s Graduate School of Business in June.  “I guess you met Pete in Hawaii.  What were you doing out there?  Vacationing?”
	“I was working, Anita.  I guess there’s something you should know about me:  You see, when Pete met me, I was a working prostitute.  That’s how I put myself through graduate school.  It paid well and did pay for my education.  It also destroyed me.  I was out in Hawaii with a couple of wonderful people who befriended me.  They had recently met and wanted to hire a prostitute to give them pointers on their lovemaking.  That’s what I was out there for.  Then I met Pete and he forced me to marry him.”
	“What do you mean, forced?  How did he do that?”
	Jan smiled ruefully and said, “He did to me what women have been doing to men for centuries.  I wanted to be his mistress.  He had made love to me and it was the most exquisite experience of my life.  He refused.  He said the only way he would sleep with me was if we were married.  So we are.  I can’t live without him.”
	Anita blushed as a thought ran through her mind.  She blurted out, “Could I see you bare?”
	Jan looked at the girl strangely, stood up, and quickly shrugged off her clothes.  She stood in front of the girl naked with a questioning look in her eyes.
	“My God!  I didn’t know the half of it!  Pete took an awful chance, didn’t he?  He could have lost you!  You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!  And you look so happy and... and fulfilled!  That’s it!  Fulfilled...  You have a great love life with Pete, don’t you?”
	Jan quickly dressed and sat down again.  She smiled warmly and said, “I couldn’t imagine anything better.  As it is, whenever he takes me I feel I’m dreaming.  I think it couldn’t possibly as good as I remember, but it always turns out to be even better.
	“Anita, he’s kind, considerate and gentle.  At the same time he’s so big and strong and muscular he makes me feel like a little girl.  Believe it or not, when he took me the first time I felt like a virgin doing it for the very first time.  He stretched me.  He has such control over himself and such a feel for me that I swear my orgasms last at least fifteen minutes.
	“The first day here in our bedroom was the very first time he took me without me losing consciousness from a sensory overload.  Once I was out so cold Pete carried me from the bed, gave me a bath, changed the bed, ate out my cunt and was holding me in his arms when I finally came to.  If that meets your definition of a great love life, I guess we have one.”
	Anita Collins had been making notes as Jan had been talking.  Without commenting on Jan’s reply she said, “Jan...  Do you mind if I call you Jan?”
	“Not at all, if I may call you Anita.”
	The girl grinned, nodded, and continued.  “The story I have in mind will read like this: ‘Mr. and Mrs. Peter J. Stewart returned home to Deerfield after their wedding and honeymoon on Maui, Hawaii.  Mr. Stewart is the founder, chairman and president of Illinois Technologies of Deerfield.  The bride, the former Janice Carson of New York City, grew up in Davenport, Iowa.  After graduating from Davenport High School she attended Yale University where she graduated with highest honors with a major in economics.  She was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year.
	“‘Mrs. Stewart pursued a professional career in New York City while she was a student at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.  She graduated with highest honors in June with a combined degree in finance and marketing.
	“‘Mrs. Stewart will be serving as vice president, finance and marketing, at Illinois Technologies.  She is also planning to be active in the Junior League’s Northbrook Chapter, in addition to maintaining their home in Deerfield.
	“‘Mr. Stewart is a graduate of New Trier Township High School.  He received his bachelors degree, summa cum laude, from Harvard University with a major in history where he was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  Subsequently, he received his masters and doctoral degrees in computer science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  After receiving his degrees he founded Illinois Technologies here in town.
	“‘The Deerfield Times joins all of the people of the town in welcoming such a beautiful person into our midst.  Congratulations, Jan and Pete!’
	“It requires a little work, but that’s the gist of the story we’ll run in this week’s issue.  Now if you’d stand over against the wall, I’ll take a picture to accompany it.  Actually, I am a lot better photographer than I am a writer, so your picture should look pretty good.”
	Jan allowed herself to be led to the wall and smiled as the shutter clicked.  The girl took two more and then put the camera away.  Jan was still shaking her head.  “Anita, what were you thinking about with that story?  I don’t know who you are talking about!”
	“Since you are the only one around, it must be you.  Now what’s wrong with the story?  You are from Davenport, aren’t you?”
	“Yes, but...”
	“I did some fast checking before I came over.  That’s how I know about Yale, Phi Bete, Columbia, and so forth.  Jan, I would be old and gray before I ever found it out from you.  It is true, isn’t it?”
	“Yes, but...”
	“I’ll bet you didn’t even know about Pete with his degrees from Harvard and MIT, did you?  I think two Phi Bete keys with neither knowing the other had one is a riot!  We all tease him about being a professional bumpkin!  He’s the smartest person I ever met — or was until I met you.”  Anita stopped and regarded Jan thoughtfully.  “You know, it really isn’t fair.  I just realized for the first time how big and powerful Pete really is.  Although he hides it pretty well, he really is a hunk, isn’t he?”
	At this point Jan smiled warmly.  “You certainly have that right!”  She then proceeded to tell about the first day they met and how they put sun tan lotion on each other.  “So you see, after I had only known him for a couple of hours I saw what he is really like.  Anita, he’s a dream!”
	She frowned at the girl and continued, “But that’s not what I mean.  You said I pursued a professional career!  Some career!”
	The girl smiled softly and said, “I have always heard prostitutes and whores referred to as pros.  So I guess they must be professionals, right?”
	Jan let that remark pass but asked, “What’s this Junior League nonsense?  Where did that come from?”
	“From right here.  I’m nominating you for membership in the professional section.  You’ll make a big hit.  They’re always talking about ‘displaced homemakers’ and similar shit.  With a Phi Beta Kappa key, a graduate degree and a business vice presidency, you’ll fit right in.  By the way, you and Pete do have separate bedrooms, don’t you?  After all, that is the way to go these days.”
	She tried to look unhappy as she continued, “Bill and I can’t afford a second bedroom.  In fact, we can’t even afford a second bed.  In fact, our bed is so small I have to snuggle close to Bill or we both can’t fit.  I’m afraid they’re going to throw me out if I don’t do something about it pretty soon!”
	Jan looked at the girl carefully.  She realized that she was like a pixie.  She was about five feet two but had a beautifully trim figure.  She decided she liked this small girl very much.  “Anita, could I pass on one tip?  Maybe you and Bill have already discovered it.  I picked it up from my friends in Hawaii.  Regardless of what else happens, when we are about to go to sleep I have my head on Pete’s shoulder.  His arm is around me and his hand is cupping my boob.  Usually I have one hand on his prick and balls and always have the other on top of his, keeping it in position over my tit.  We go to sleep that way.  The next morning, if I awaken first I squeeze his hand.  If he awakens first he squeezes my tit.  Then he takes me.  It’s always so slow and gentle and wet and wonderful!  What a marvelous way to start the day!”
	Anita started to laugh quietly while she shook her head.  “Jan, thank you so much for the tip.  I think I’ll try it with Bill tonight.  The reason I’m laughing has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the Junior Leaguers!  I don’t think there is one of them in ten who would have the first clue what you’re talking about.  What you’re talking about is worshiping the ground your husband walks on, isn’t it?”
	“You are so right!”
	The girl got up to go and held out her hand.  Jan took it in a firm grip.  Just then Anita took Jan in her arms, stood up on tiptoe and kissed her.  “I love you, Janice Stewart!  You are a wonderful person.”  With that she fled out the door.
	Janice just stood rubbing her cheek.
* * *
	That night when Pete got home, he received a surprise.  He closed the door and called to Jan when he realized she was standing behind the door wearing only the white shorty peignoir that scarcely reached her crotch.  She went into his arms and melted him with a kiss.  Then she led him into the living room where she sat him in his favorite chair and then sat on his lap.
	“You’ll ruin the crease in my pants!” he protested with his eyes sparkling.  “And it’s my very best suit, too!”
	She kissed him softly and whispered, “Tough shit!”  Then she reached for two martinis she had made and passed him one.  “And how is my beloved husband this evening?  Did he have a good day at the office?”
	“As a matter of fact, it was awful!  I couldn’t concentrate on a thing.  All I could think of was this small golden girl with skin like velvet, a mouth like liquid fire, and a cunt...  Well, words fail me.  Everyone said I was just walking around in a daze with this silly shit-eating grin on my face.”  He looked at her quizzically, “Do you think I have a shit-eating grin?”
	“No, dear, it’s a cunt-licking grin.”  She gave a little wiggle of her hips on his lap.  “And darling, you are too good to be true!  I get wet just thinking about it.  But then I get wet whenever I think about you.”
	With her arms around his neck she told Pete about her visit with Anita Collins and what had transpired.  She ended by glaring at him — or trying to.  “Peter Stewart, you held out on me!  You never mentioned Harvard, MIT, or Phi Beta Kappa.  What gives?”
	He kissed the tip of her nose.  She wiggled it and he kissed it again.  “And you never mentioned Yale!  Or Phi Beta Kappa!  Or highest honors at Columbia!”
	“How did you know that?” she asked shyly.
	“A small dark-haired bird told me this afternoon.  The same bird who said I married an absolute dream.  A small bird who thinks you’re the best thing to happen to me, to Deerfield and to Illinois Technologies in living memory.  That little bird!”
	“Did she tell you I told her all about my background?  Did she tell you she’s sponsoring me for the Junior League?”
	He kissed her again and said, “No, but I’m not surprised.  Incidentally, I invited Bill and her over for dinner and bridge on Friday night.  Can my child bride cope?”
	Jan jumped off his lap and ran out to the kitchen.  She returned with a plate of gorgeous canapés she had made that afternoon.  Each was a tiny work of art and Pete just whistled.  “Darling, they don’t sell things like this at the store.”
	“I know,” she said without comment.
	The dinner she served that night was magnificent.  It featured tournedos Rossini, soufléed fried potatoes and a glorious salad.  She made crèpes Suzette for dessert.  She finished with coffee and cognac which she served along with cigars.  Peter just stretched in his chair and looked at his wife with his eyes glowing with love.  “Janice Stewart, I just don’t know about you.  Is there anything you can’t do?  I’m astounded!  This was the finest meal I’ve ever eaten in my life!  Darling, what can I do for you?”
	She reached her arms out and said in a husky voice, “I thought you’d never ask!  You can take me to our bedroom and thank me there.”
	He picked her up from the chair and carried her off to bed.  She gloried in having his arms around her with his muscles bulging while he held her tight.  Again, she lost consciousness when she came.
* * *
	The next morning, though, she awakened first, squeezed his hand that was cupping her boob and then reveled in the slow and quiet lovemaking that followed.  After their lovemaking Jan took a shower while Pete shaved and then ran downstairs to make breakfast.  It was on the table when he came down.
	He leaned over, kissed her softly, and asked, “Isn’t there anything my darling wife can’t do?  Jan, this is becoming embarrassing!”  She just grinned, finished her breakfast and ran up to get dressed.  He was waiting to kiss her goodbye when she ran downstairs.  His jaw dropped when he realized she was wearing a business suit.
	“Where are you going?” he asked.
	“To work, of course.  Since we only have one car, you’ll have to give me a ride.  Remember me?  Vice president of finance and marketing?”
	They went to the office and Pete took great pride in introducing her to the office staff.  Then he had an idea.  He asked everyone in the office to come out to the plant where he was going to introduce his wife.  They walked through the shop to a platform in the corner used for plant-wide announcements.  Jan could hear the sounds of machinery shutting down and soon the workers were crowded around the platform.  She estimated there were over 100 people.
	Pete said, “Good morning!  I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to my bride, Janice.  You’ll be reading about her this week in the local paper but I wanted to tell you about her personally.
	“We met on the island of Maui in Hawaii just a few weeks ago.  What followed have been the happiest weeks of my life!  Not only is she the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, she’s also an MBA from Columbia University in New York with degrees in marketing and finance.  And you all know how short this company is on marketing and finance!  She received her degree with highest honors, incidentally.  Previously, she graduated summa cum laude from Yale University with a degree in economics.
	“Then last night I found out she is one of the finest cooks alive!  Please welcome the love of my life and our new vice president of marketing and finance, Janice Stewart!”
	There were cheers from the crowd as they looked at the beautiful girl standing with their boss.  She waved at them and then went to the microphone.  “Thank you so much for your welcome.  I’m going to take a risk with my husband, Peter.  You see, he doesn’t love me more than a tiny fraction as much as I love him.  But there’s something I must tell you all.
	“For those of you who read the local paper there will be an article about us in this week’s issue.  Anita Collins who’s writing the story will say something to the effect that I pursued a professional career in New York City while I was in graduate school.  What she won’t say is what the profession was.  You see, I was a prostitute when I met Pete.  I didn’t want to marry him.  In fact, I refused.”
	Tears were flowing from her eyes as she spoke but she held her head up straight and tried to look into the eyes of the workers in front of her in spite of being unable to see anything through her tears.  Her voice cracked as she tried to make a joke: “You see, Pete did to me what women have been doing to men for millennia — until we were liberated.  He had made love to me on the beach.  It was the most thrilling experience of my life.  I desperately wanted to be his mistress and be available to him as long as he wanted me.  But that wasn’t good enough.  He insisted I become his wife.  He wouldn’t sleep with me unless I married him.  I was finished.  You see, I can live without food or water or air easier than I can live without him.  He forced me to marry him.
	“At any rate, you may hear about me from our biggest competitor, Argus Corporation.  They may say that I worked for their chairman, Hugo Bingham.  I was his favorite prostitute.  He loved to beat me in public.  It’s all true.  I allowed myself to be humiliated by performing the most obscene acts imaginable in public and allowing them to be performed on me.  It was in the interest of money.  After all, I had to pay for my graduate education with both of my parents dead.
	“Thinking about it, I guess I’m glad they are dead.  I cringe thinking what they would think of me now — about what I did to myself in the interest of money.  I made the money but I destroyed myself in the process.  Just a few weeks before I met Pete I guess I didn’t care if I lived or died.  I was just a piece of unfeeling meat.  Then I met two people — Jill Peters and Bob Gordon — who saved my life.  Believe it or not, they hired me to come to Hawaii with them to give them pointers on lovemaking.  They’ll be married soon.  I’ve never seen two people more deeply in love nor two people more deserving of every happiness.
	“They saved my life and through them I met Peter Stewart.  Now Peter has honored me above all women by making me his wife.  I don’t deserve him.  I insisted that he needed a woman who was fresh and clean and lovely, not a whore!  I’m a whore!  Or I was.”
	She stood up straight in front of the group with tears still streaming from her eyes.  She had made no effort to hide them or wipe them away.  Finally she said, “I’m going to try to help the company with its marketing and finance.  I hope you all will be willing to work with me in spite of what I am.  Please!  It’s not for me.  It’s for Pete, who deserves all your support, and for yourselves.  Please?”
	Pete took her in his arms and held her tight.  Now her back was to the audience as he continued to hold her.  There was silence for a few moments, then there was applause that just increased in volume.  There were no yells nor cheers.  It was a tribute to a woman who had won their respect and admiration.
	He said, “Thank you all, very much.  I didn’t know what Jan was going to say to you.  But knowing her — and knowing her better every day — I’m not surprised.  She told you the chance I took with her.  It really wasn’t much of a chance, though.  She’s the most honest person I have ever met.  So when she said she couldn’t live without me, I wasn’t taking much of a chance by threatening not to sleep with her until she married me.  Her own honesty did her in.”  Pete could feel her shoulders shaking and he looked down at her face.  With her tears he was becoming concerned.  He realized she was laughing.  He turned her around to face the crowd and gently lifted her chin.  She was beaming as he held her close.
	“You see, she’s so honest, she sees the humor in what she did.  One more thing.  She’s fully dressed so you will have to take my word for the fact that she has the most exquisite body God has ever created.  You don’t have to take my word for something else, though.  You see the tear tracks on her face?  Have you ever seen a more beautiful face, tears and all?  Jan never wears any makeup.  She doesn’t need any.”  He looked down at her and said, “Do you want to add anything, hon?”
	Jan spoke while still being held tightly to Pete’s chest.  “There’s just one thing.  I guess you’ll see my body at the next company picnic.  Of course, with any luck by then I’ll be bulging with Pete’s child growing inside me.  My breasts will be swollen, my abdomen will be out a mile, my ankles will be puffy and I’ll be a mess!  If it happens, though, I’ll be the happiest mess on the face of the earth!  Thank you so much for your understanding.”
	When they climbed down from the platform, Pete was amazed to see the workers lining up to greet Jan individually.  One after the other they came up, shook hands, and wished her well.  All indicated she had their full support.
	Finally, it was over and Pete looked down at her.  “Wow!  I knew they would like you, darling, but this surprised even me!  I think they love you.”
* * *
	On Friday evening, Bill and Anita Collins were coming over for dinner.  The Deerfield Times was delivered that morning.  When they returned home from the office, Pete grinned as he showed Jan the front page with a two-column picture of her on it.  The story read very much like the one Anita had outlined when she visited on Monday.  The published story elaborated significantly on her accomplishments and Pete’s.  It also had details of the wedding on Maui.
	It was five-thirty when they returned home and the Collins were expected at six-thirty.  Jan had said nothing about them and Pete had forgotten.  Seeing the paper reminded him.  Jan asked him if he wanted to take a shower and change while she got a few things underway in the kitchen.  Then she kissed him lightly and shooed him out.  When she came into the bedroom at ten after six, Pete was just finishing dressing.  Then she asked him to get the liquor out and she would be down in a couple of minutes.
	Janice was downstairs ten minutes later wearing a beautiful hostess gown.  Even though he thought he knew her well, Pete’s jaw dropped.  She looked as if she had spent the previous three hours on her grooming.  She just grinned and gave him a light kiss that quickly turned passionate.  They were still locked in an embrace when the doorbell rang.
	Anita introduced her husband, Bill, who was sandy haired and about five feet ten.  His face had a very friendly smile as he held out his hand.  He was surprised at the firmness of Jan’s grip.  Anita apologized for not bringing any food: “I called you today but then I remembered you were working, so I guess we’ll have to take pot luck.”
	Pete and Bill went to the kitchen to make drinks and Anita presented Jan with a gaily wrapped package.  She opened it and found a studio print of her picture from the paper’s front page.  It was exquisite and Jan said so.  She claimed the camera even caught the love-light in her eyes.
	She was about to run to the kitchen to show Pete when Anita stopped her.  “Jan, this is a welcome-home gift, but it’s also a thank-you gift.  I tried your suggestion the other night.  Bill had just taken me and we were going to sleep.  I put my head on his shoulder, put his hand over my boob and put my hand over his to keep it there.  Then we went to sleep.  The next morning I awakened first and squeezed his hand.  Jan, he just rolled over between my legs and took me again!  It was as delicious as you said it would be.  And besides...  Now we even fit in our small bed!”  Jan grinned and ran into the kitchen to show Pete her picture.
	They sat down in the living room.  While Pete served drinks, Jan brought out a platter of hors d’oeuvres she had prepared.  When she saw them, Anita’s mouth opened in surprise.  “Jan, where on earth did these come from?  I’ve never seen anything like them in any store.”
	“My wife prepared them when she got home from work.  I saw a few of the remains still in the kitchen.  Why do you ask?” Peter replied, somewhat surprised by the question.
	“Do you mean to say Jan made these?  Just now?”
	“Yes.  Why?”
	“My God, I couldn’t have made them if you had given me a week!  When did you get home from work, anyway?”
	Pete looked increasingly puzzled.  “About an hour ago.  Why?”  Anita just rolled her eyes and whistled softly.
	After chatting and getting acquainted, Jan announced that dinner was ready.  She served a magnificent feast, beginning with a fresh lobster cocktail, followed by a roast filet of beef, and concluded with peach Melba.  Coffee and cognac ended the meal.
	Anita looked at Jan with an expression of utter amazement.  “Jan, I’m going to have to tell your husband some facts of life.  This was the most marvelous dinner I’ve eaten in years... anywhere!  Peter Stewart, your wife may be the finest cook alive in the world today.  And you say she prepared it all in less than one hour!  I’m utterly crushed!  I don’t think I’ve ever felt so inadequate in my life!  At our house, using my work as an excuse, Bill is lucky if I open a can.”  She grinned at Jan and added, “I’m not sure I dare play bridge against you.  You’ll kill me at that, too!”
	Jan smiled back and said, “That’s easy to fix.  We’ll play the boys against the girls.”
	The bridge game was very hard-fought.  Pete, with his mathematical mind, was a whiz.  Jan accused him of playing like he had a computer in his head.  However, she was nearly as mathematically skillful but coupled it with unerring instincts and card sense.  When it was over, the girls had edged the guys.
	Jan excused herself to get coffee and Bill Collins spoke up for the first time.  “Wow!  I don’t think you know this, Pete, but I was writing the bridge column for the Tribune before I bought the paper.  I still do, in fact.  I thought I was pretty good until I encountered you two!  Incidentally, I married Anita because of her skill at bridge, but if we had been playing together tonight you and Jan would have utterly destroyed us.  Where did you find this person, anyway?  And what could she possibly see in you?”
	Pete grinned and replied, “The answer to the first question is I found her in Hawaii.  You’ll have to ask her the second question.  I’ve never been able to come up with a decent answer to that one, either.”
	“What question is that?” Jan asked as she returned with a tray of cups and a pot of coffee.
	“I asked Pete what you could possible see in him.  He didn’t know.  What did you see?”
	Looking at Pete with love glowing in her eyes, she replied softly, “I saw a gentle giant.  I saw a man who makes me feel like a little girl.  A man who’s so powerful he could break me in half but at the same time is so gentle and delicate that when he strokes my body I could almost scream from the indescribable pleasure he creates with his fingertips.  I saw a man who’s so good with me in bed that my orgasms last at least fifteen minutes.  I saw a man who even makes me forget I was a prostitute.  I saw a man who I love more than life itself.”
	She leaned across the table and kissed Pete softly.  Anita and Bill could see the electricity flow between them.  Jan sat down and concluded, “I see a man whose kisses cause my bones to turn to rubber, cause my eyes to glaze over, and cause me to want to get him into bed before my love juices run all over our nice clean carpet.  Is that enough of an answer?”
	Bill grinned and said, “Stewart, you have to be the luckiest man alive.  I used to think Anita loved me, but seeing Jan with you causes me to think ours is just a light infatuation by comparison.  Could I thank you both, but particularly you, Jan, for the nicest evening we’ve spent in years?  The dinner was utterly spectacular and the caliber of bridge was better than anything I’ve seen outside a masters’ tournament.  Thank you so much!”
	After the Collins left, Pete took Jan in his arms and kissed her passionately.  As he did, he smelled a glorious fragrance and inquired about it.
	“Darling, that’s the musk oil I poured in my slit.  When you kiss me, my cunt heats up.  When my cunt heats up, the musk oil heats up increasing its odor intensity, too.  What you smell, my darling, is your wife’s hot cunt that desperately needs her husband’s gigantic cock inside it.  And just think!  Tomorrow is Saturday.  We don’t even have to get up early!”

Chapter 14
	Jan had been going over the books and the customer records.  The changes she had recommended had already been made; the product line had been cut by almost 90 percent in terms of number of items.  It was clear that their best-selling item was the 40-mg. hard drive.  Although it was very good and very reliable, there was nothing to distinguish it from several others on the market.  Their biggest competition was from Argus Corporation which had virtually locked up the original-equipment market.  She looked at all of the OEM companies and couldn’t figure out how they could break in.  What IT desperately needed was a superior new product but there was no sign of one so she had to make do with what they had.  Finally she identified a single company, San Diego Computing, as a possible OEM customer.  She asked Pete about it.
	“San Diego?  It’s really a screwball company.  It’s owned by a woman in her sixties or seventies.  She’s a real character.  She appears at the big computer shows, but no one I’ve ever met knows her.  Her name is Jennie Carlson.  At any rate, she makes all the decisions at San Diego.  Darling, all I can say is, good luck!  I don’t have the foggiest idea how we could sell them.  But I do agree it’s probably our only shot.”
	Jan swallowed hard and looked in the manufacturers directory.  After finding the phone number she placed a call to Mrs. Carlson at San Diego Computing.  A woman answered, identifying herself as Mrs. Carlson’s secretary.  “I am Janice Stewart, vice president of Illinois Technologies.  I would like to make an appointment to see Mrs. Carlson at her convenience.  We’re prepared to offer her very attractive performance guarantees on our hard drive and offer an excellent price structure.  When would it be convenient for her to see me?”
	“Miss Stewart, Mrs. Carlson does not see salespeople.  Perhaps you might care to talk with her son, Mr. John Carlson?  He looks after things like this.”
	“That would be fine.  Today is Tuesday.  Would it be possible to see him on Thursday morning?  Say, at ten o’clock?”
	“That would be fine, Miss Stewart.  Mr. Carlson will expect you at ten.”
	Jan hung up the phone.  She was discouraged and afraid she was wasting a lot of money on air fare to go out to San Diego but she went off to find Pete.  Finding him on the shop floor she took him to the cafeteria and made a point of buying the coffee.  Ignoring the employees sitting at the tables he leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips.  Jan reached over and put her hand behind his head to hold him in position while she enjoyed the electric sensation she always got from his kisses.  She looked up and grinned because of the applause and cheering from the workers who had been watching them.  She waved and then stood to take an impromptu bow.  When she was seated again, she explained to Peter what had happened.
	“Honey, I agree completely with your analysis.  If we can’t sell to San Diego, we can’t sell OEM.  Why don’t you give it a shot?  I’m afraid your old friend, Hugo Bingham, has the rest of the major manufacturers tied up and I guess he’s probably in at San Diego Computing, too.”  The discussion continued and Jan agreed to make the trip.
* * *
	It was a beautiful afternoon when Jan cleared the airport in San Diego.  She smiled to herself thinking of the small car she rented and the inexpensive hotel near the airport at which she had booked a room.  It was quite a comedown from her days as a prostitute working the very best hotels and lounges.  After checking in at the small hotel she called San Diego Computing to confirm her appointment with John Carlson for the next morning.  Then she went out to a small inexpensive restaurant, had dinner and returned to her room.
	It was eight o’clock Pacific time, ten o’clock in Deerfield.  She called home and Peter answered almost immediately.  “Hi, darling, I’m here.  My date’s confirmed for tomorrow morning.  Do you miss me?”
	Pete proceeded to tell her in explicit detail how and how much he missed her.  She was nude and she just lay back on the bed.  She ran her finger up her slit and licked it.  “Darling, I’m wet just talking to you.  Do you realize this is the first night we’ve been apart since we got married?  Honey, I am thinking about turning in my resignation.  Except that would mean you would have to make the damned trips so the result would be the same.  I love you so desperately!”  She smiled softly and hung up.  Jan had a hard time falling asleep that night.  It just didn’t feel normal not to be sleeping on Pete’s strong shoulder with his hand cupping her breast.
	Arriving at San Diego Computing at ten, Jan was pleased when she was shown right in to John Carlson’s office.  He introduced himself deprecatingly as the president of the company and added that his mother really ran things.  He looked at Janice and was impressed.  She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and he said so.
	“Thank you, sir.  That’s very nice of you to say.  However, I’m here this morning to talk about hard drives.  I want to ask you for all of your 40-megabyte business.  I believe you buy your drives from Argus now.  We believe our drives are better... and independent rating services support our claim.  I’m prepared to offer them to you at a lower price than Argus is giving you, provided we can have all of your business.”
	Carlson’s eyes widened and he let out a silent whistle.  “Miss Stewart, you don’t beat around the bush, do you?  All I can say is, wow!”  He looked at her speculatively and then his eyes widened.  “It is miss, isn’t it?”
	“No, sir,” Jan replied with an apologetic smile.  “It’s Mrs. Stewart, but I don’t like to correct a prospective customer on such a small point.”
	He looked at her quizzically.  “Isn’t Peter Stewart the owner of Illinois Technology?  Are you related?”
	He saw a glorious sunshine smile as she said, “He’s my husband.”
	“And obviously he’s a very lucky man!  Mrs. Stewart, I am impressed.  I’ll tell you what: I handle marketing and administration here.  My mother handles the technical side, most particularly including the kind of hard drives we use in our units.  I don’t know one from another, I’m sorry to say.  Would you excuse me a minute?  I hope you don’t mind waiting for a few minutes in the reception area?”
	Jan went back to the reception room and started thumbing through a magazine.  A few minutes later, John Carlson came out to see her.  “Mrs. Stewart, I should have asked: Do you have any other appointments today?”
	“No, I don’t.  I came out specifically to see you people.”
	“Then I guess you wouldn’t mind visiting my mother at home.  Could you drive out to see her?”
	Jan agreed instantly and John gave her detailed directions to find the house.  She drove out and found herself at the gate of a fenced estate.  There was a closed-circuit TV camera with a squawk box mounted on a post.  After she stopped and identified herself, the gates opened smoothly and closed quickly behind her as she went up the driveway to the entryway.  The house was a massive Spanish colonial that was obviously worth a fortune.  As she got out of her car the door to the house was opened by a beautiful young woman about her own age.  Jan was amused to see she was wearing her own favorite casual attire: skin-tight Levi’s and a blue chambray work shirt.  Her feet were bare.
	The girl held out her hand and Jan took it in a very firm grip.  She decided she liked this young woman very much.  “Hi!  You must be Janice Stewart.  I’m Jess Collins, Mrs. Carlson’s private secretary.  I’m terribly sorry, but Mrs. Carlson became ill just after speaking to her son.  Since we couldn’t reach you and you drove all the way out here, she asked me to see you.  Would you mind coming out to the pool?”
	Jan was impressed as they walked through the house to the back.  Although it was new, it was authentic Spanish colonial.  Even the furnishings were sparse giving a feeling of spaciousness to what were already large rooms.  The decor was impeccable.  She followed Jess as she padded out to the pool area.  They sat down at a pool-side table with an umbrella shading it and found the table set for two luncheons.
	Jess turned to Jan and said, “Mr. Carlson doesn’t pay attention to the clock.  Since it’s after twelve, I took the liberty of having lunch served.  I hope you haven’t already eaten?”
	“No, I haven’t, and thank you so much.”
	The meal was a Mexican salad served in a large tostada shell with iced tea.  The girls chatted and when they finished eating, the subject turned to computers.  Jan noticed that Jess had no paper nor did she need any notes.  Nevertheless, it was obvious that she was very knowledgeable about both Illinois Technology and Argus and their respective products.
	As they talked Jan studied the young woman.  She felt she was a kindred spirit.  Her hair was more brown than Jan’s but still golden.  Her eyes were also a deep blue — almost the identical shade as her own.  She was deeply tanned and wore no makeup.  As the conversation continued, an idea developed in Jan’s mind.
	Finally, she was convinced her idea was correct, so she acted on it.  Jess had just stopped speaking and Jan took advantage of the pause to say, “You’re Jennie Carlson, aren’t you?  John’s your husband, not your son.”
	The girl’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to protest, then she closed it.  She just looked at Jan closely.  Without acknowledging the statement she said, “Jan, I’ll make a deal with you.  We’ll have a little competition regarding the order.  Do you swim?”  When Jan said she did, the girl grinned and said, “Let’s do it!  Eight laps in the pool for openers.”
	Jess/Jennie stripped off her shirt and jeans and slipped off her bikini.  It was all she was wearing.  She was standing nude waiting for Jan.  Jan grinned and began to undress.  When she, too, was bare, Jennie gave a soft whistle and said, “Janice Stewart, you’re too much!”
	They went to the end of the 25-meter pool and Jennie gave the starting count.  At “Go!” they both entered the pool in flat racing dives.
	Jennie was an excellent swimmer, but Jan was better.  She slipped through the water and did beautiful racing turns at each end.  At the end of the eight laps she had Jennie by nearly half the length of the pool.  She was sitting on the pool edge when Jennie touched.  The girl flipped her hair out of her eyes and looked up at Jan.  “You really are good, aren’t you?  Now it’s time for tennis.”
	Jan was nonplused.  She had nothing with her other than her business suit and said so.  Jennie grinned and said that was okay, they wouldn’t wear any clothes.  She found a tennis racket for Jan and, still dripping, went over to the tennis courts.  Fortunately for their feet, the courts were made of Hartru, a soft, clay-like material.
	Hitting the tennis ball gave Jan an even better look at Jennie.  Her body was exquisite.  Like her own, there was not an apparent ounce of fat, only well-toned muscles and tanned skin.  Her figure was perfect.  They warmed up and began the match.  It was remarkably even, but Jan started to pull away.  She hadn’t realized until that moment the extent to which her tennis game had improved as a result of playing with Pete on Maui.  She finally won the set 6-4.
	Jennie hurdled the net to congratulate her.  Jan had her hand extended to shake hands but Jennie ignored it.  Instead, she took her in her arms and kissed her cheek.  The two sweat-slickened bodies came in contact and Jan decided it was very pleasant.  She hugged the girl back.
	As they walked off the court Jennie looked back ruefully and saw where their footprints — quite deep in places — had dug up the previously perfect court surface.  “Carlos is really going to be pissed at me!” she said.  “He always gives me fourteen kinds of hell for playing barefoot.  Come on!  Let’s cool off.”
	She led the way back to the pool and dove in.  This time she leisurely stroked up and back.  Jan had a thought and caught Jennie just as she was about to get out.  She grabbed the back of her head and shoved it under water while she lifted herself out of the pool.
	Jennie came up sputtering and coughing but with a big grin on her face.  “Stewart, you have one hell of a nerve!  Not only do you beat me in my own pool and on my own court, then you try to drown me, for chrissakes!  I thought you were trying to sell me something?  Where in hell did you learn salesmanship?”
	Jan was laughing as she extended her hands to Jennie.  Jennie tried to jerk Jan in but she was prepared for it and yanked Jennie out instead.  Then the girl pertly stuck out her tongue.  The girls padded back to the table and sat down.  Jennie threw a towel over to Jan and started drying herself with another.  Then she disappeared into the house and came back with two bottles of beer.
	She gave one to Jan, sat down, and leaned back and poured a little into her mouth.  Then she put out her hand and said, “How do you do, Janice Stewart?  I am Jessica Carlson.  I am chairman of San Diego Computing.  And you’re a girl after my own heart.  I thought I was in good shape but compared to you, I’m a failure.  How tall are you, anyway?”  When Jan said she was five feet nine, Jess shook her head and said, “That’s it!  I’m giving away two inches in height which you certainly know how to use in the water and on the court.”  She looked at Jan speculatively and then shook her head.  “Out of curiosity, what’s your golf handicap?”
	When Jan told her it was eleven, the girl just shook her head in disgust.  “Okay, damn it.  You get the order.  All of it!”  Then she smiled and said, “Jan, would you do me a great favor?  Am I correct in assuming you are headed back to Chicago tomorrow morning?”  Jan said she was.  “Would you mind joining Jack and me for dinner tonight and be our guest overnight?  As you can see, we really do have plenty of room.”
	Jan quickly agreed and Jess grinned, grabbed two mats and dragged them over to the pool deck.  “Since I can’t beat you at anything, Stewart, I might as well work on my tan.  And I can’t even beat you on that.  Janice Stewart, I have never seen a more perfect body in my life!  All I can say is Peter Stewart is a very lucky man!”
	It was a glorious November day in San Diego with the temperature in the eighties.  When she finished her beer, Jan rolled over on her side, propped her head on her hand and asked, “Jess, why the charade?  What are you hiding?  Incidentally, there’s something I need to tell you before you sign anything, and before I bring my things over.  You may wish to cancel the order and withdraw the invitation.  You see, before I met Pete I was a prostitute.  That’s how I earned my way through graduate school.  To make it worse, my best customer was Hugo Bingham.  I guess that’s because there was nothing — no matter how degrading — I wouldn’t do if the money was right.  Since Hugo enjoyed humiliating me, he paid the money.”  She looked at Jess with tears starting to roll down her cheeks as she concluded, “So you’re free to withdraw the order and order me out of your home!”
	Jan was astonished by the girl’s reaction.  Her eyes had widened as she started to tell her story.  Then as Jan finished, Jess jumped to a kneeling position facing Jan with her arms outstretched.  Jan put out her hand but again the girl threw her arms around Jan and hugged.  Jan didn’t hesitate.  She put her arms around the other girl and hugged back, suddenly realizing that her breasts were being mashed by another pair as firm and shapely as her own.  Jess held her tightly and Jan could hear her whisper, “You poor thing!  And I thought I had it bad!”
	They separated and they sat back on their heels facing each other.  “What did you mean by that, Jess?”
	The girl smiled wryly and replied, “Because I put myself through Cal Tech by stripping out on Sunset.  That’s where this whole charade came from.  I guess I’ve been terrified of being seen by an old customer, so Jack and I created this dual identity thing.  Actually, there are very few people even in our own company who know the truth.  Yet you worked as a prostitute and your biggest competitor was formerly your biggest customer.  Aren’t you afraid he’ll blow the story?”
	Jan’s face was impassive as she answered, “I’m not afraid he will, Jess, I know he will.  As a result, I make no effort to keep it a secret.  On the first day in Deerfield I told the newspaper.  On my first day at the office I told the whole staff.  I can’t be blackmailed if everyone who counts already knows the truth.”
	“What did Pete say when you told him?” Jess asked.  “Was it after you were married?”
	Jan shook her head and grinned wryly.  “I guess you could say Pete extorted me into marrying him.”  She then told Jess about his refusal to sleep with her until they were married and ended by saying, “I couldn’t have the milk unless I bought the cow, so I had to.  To say that I can’t live without him is the simple truth.”
	Jessica just shook her head with a smile.  “Jan, thank you!  I’ve only known you for a few hours, yet I would like to count you as one of my best friends.  I guess I’ll give up this ridiculous charade I’ve been playing for the last few years.”
	Jan looked at her new friend quizzically.  “I guess I see how it started, but how did you hook up with John — although you refer to him as Jack, don’t you?”
	With a smile she replied, “I guess I’m the only one who does.  As for the rest, I guess he’s like Pete.  He wouldn’t take no for an answer.  I was working in one of those places where the girls are expected to sit with the customers between shows.  I used to look for guys who looked kind of embarrassed.  I figured they’d leave me alone while at the same time I was keeping the management happy by doing my job.
	“At any rate I saw Jack sitting alone one night and asked if I could join him.  Then I got a series of surprises.  First of all, he started to talk to me about my act.  It turned out he’d been at the club a number of times and had a whole series of suggestions about improving it.  Anyway, when we closed up that night, he was waiting for me and bought me coffee.  I asked him where the ideas came from and he blushed.  He said it was for a project at USC business school.  He was majoring in marketing in the MBA program and I was his thesis!  It seems that they often take some product or service and write their thesis on how its marketing could be improved.  Anyway, he was taking me as his marketing challenge.
	“I played along.  I put a couple of his ideas in my act, and then put in the rest when the first ones worked pretty well.  Pretty soon I was the headliner.  Anyway, we continued to talk at the club.  He still didn’t know my real name or anything about me.  Then one night he asked me to marry him!  I was shocked!  We had never even gone out on a date.  It turned out he had followed me home one night and then played detective over the next few weeks.  He knew I was a computer-science student at Cal Tech.  That night he kissed me for the first time and it was all over!  Anyway, I came up with this cockamamie idea, and we’ve been going along like this ever since!”
	Just then they heard a voice from the doorway.  The girls were still sitting nude, but Jess jumped up and ran to the door to greet Jack, giving him a very warm kiss.  Jan could see the electricity flow between them.  She was tempted to grab some clothes but decided not to.  The couple came back to the table hand in hand.
	“Darling, you said you thought I’d like Janice Stewart.  You were wrong.  I love her!  You said she was very attractive.  Look at her!  You didn’t know the half of it!  She is absolutely exquisite.”
	Jan gracefully rose to her feet and shook hands with Jack Carlson.  He grinned and then looked at the two girls.  “Wow!  Honey, you’re right.  How was your afternoon?”
	Jess smiled warmly and held his hand.  “It was okay.  On the bright side we now have a new supplier for hard drives, Illinois Technologies.  I can’t wait to tell that bastard, Hugo Bingham, where to head in!  On the dark side this girl beats me in my own swimming pool, massacres me on my own tennis court, and then nearly drowns me!  I thought about getting some revenge on the golf course, but she’d kill me there, too.”
	Her face turned serious and Jan could see her gripping her husband’s hand harder.  “Honey, I’m going to give up this ridiculous charade I have been playing.  I learned today that Jan was formerly a prostitute.  In fact, Hugo Bingham was her biggest customer.  While I’ve been hiding for fear a former club patron might recognize me as a stripper, Jan has been telling everyone that she was a prostitute.  She is the bravest person I have ever met.  If she can do it, I guess I can, too.”  She smiled warmly and added, “Incidentally, even though we have only known each other for a few hours, she’s already my closest friend!  Thank you so much for calling.”
	Jan went over to where she had left her clothes and checked her watch.  It was nearly six o’clock — eight o’clock in Chicago.  Jess came over and led her to a guest room so she could shower and dress.  A few minutes later she was back downstairs and found Jess in an office which was obviously where she worked.  She used her phone to call Pete and tell him the good news, then went to the hotel, checked out and returned to the Carlson’s.  Over drinks and dinner they talked about the computer business in general and finally focused on mass storage devices.  The three agreed that the need for large hard drives for personal computers was increasing.  Then they talked about desirable performance characteristics of such units.  Jan called it her market research.
	The next morning Jess rode with her to the airport with Jack following in his car.  Jess said today was the day she was going to tell the people at San Diego Computing about herself and bury Jennie Carlson once and for all.  When they said goodbye at the security gate, Jess took her in her arms and kissed her warmly.  “Jan, this has been a wonderful twenty-four hours.  Thank you so much for everything!”
	Jan held her new friend and looked at her with astonishment showing.  “Thank me?  For what?  All I did was eat your food, sleep in your bed, and clean your clock in the pool and on your court.  Oh!  And almost drown you — I nearly forgot.  Jess, thank you!  You’re my first friend in the industry and you’ve just given me an order that may save our company.  I’ve learned a great deal about your design requirements.  Darling, I can’t thank you enough!”
	As she finished, Jess could see tears forming in Jan’s eyes.  She hugged her tight and said, “Thanks for getting me out of my dumb shell!  Jan, I really do love you!  Have a great trip back.  You can think of sleeping with Pete tonight!”  The girl winked and scampered off.
* * *
	Pete was waiting at the security gate when Jan came through.  He took her in his arms, lifted her off the ground, and kissed her soundly.  As usual, it quickly became passionate.  When he put her back on the ground she continued to hold on to him.  He could see tears in her eyes as she said, “Peter Stewart, you know damned well whenever you do that to me my bones turn to water and my eyes glaze over.  Darling, I really missed you!”
	The next day at the office they went over the order from San Diego.  It far more than covered the volume they had given up by eliminating products and would be far more profitable because they now had decent production runs.  Then they reviewed the discussion she’d had with the Carlsons on new products.  Pete agreed that they needed to do something with large hard drives but they hadn’t had any particular success.
	“Honey,” he said, “I think it may take a miracle.”

Chapter 15
	Jill Peters and Bob Gordon drove up a dirt driveway leading to a farm house.  It was near a small town in the Texas panhandle close to Amarillo and it was her home.  She clutched Bob’s arm and whispered, “Darling, I’m scared!  It’s been years since I have been home.  And I don’t think my parents like me very much.”
	Two people had emerged from the house and were standing on the porch waiting for them.  When he saw them, Bob was surprised.  He’d not known what to expect because Jill had never said much about her parents.  He thought of them as an elderly couple in their sixties.  What he saw came as a surprise.  The man was very tall — possibly six feet four or taller — and looked to be in his forties.  The woman, also tall but not quite as tall as Jill, was beautiful and appeared to be in her thirties.
	When he stopped the car, Jill jumped out and ran up the steps into her mother’s arms.  She was surprised to feel tears flowing from her eyes as she hugged her mother tightly.  “Mom, I’ve missed you so much!  It wasn’t until this minute I realized how much.  You’re looking beautiful!”
	In the meantime Bob had introduced himself to Mark Peters, Jill’s father.  Mark looked Bob over carefully and nodded.  “Young man, you just might do.  I’m very pleased to meet you.”
	Jill came over and went into her father’s arms.  Bob smiled to himself as he saw Mark envelop his daughter as if she were tiny.  He held her close and then eased her away to get a better look at her.  “Daughter, you’re beautiful!  I’ve never seen you look better.  Now what brings our wayward child to this part of the world?”
	By this time they had gone inside the comfortable farmhouse and were sitting around the kitchen table.  Jill’s mother, Martha, was serving iced tea.  Jill said, “Mom and Dad, I wanted you to meet my future husband, Bob Gordon.  I’m sure you’ll like him because he is really everything you wanted me to be.  He is smart, hardworking, and most important — unlike some other people you know — has his head screwed on straight.”
	Jill smiled at Bob and reached out her hand to take his.  “Bob, my parents really don’t think much of me or my former attitudes.”  She looked at her parents and said, “Mom and Dad, all I can say is I have really changed.  Honest!”  She held her head up and said, “I’m Bob Gordon’s mistress.  I will do absolutely anything for, to, or with this man.  If he wanted one of my tits for breakfast I would cheerfully cut it off and cook it for him!  I guess I never knew the meaning of love until I met him.  Mom and Dad, I came home to get married.  I hope you will approve.”
	Mark looked at Martha, leaned over, and kissed her softly.  Bob saw Martha’s arms go around her husband and hold him close while their passion flowed between them.  Martha said, “Mark Peters, I thought I took care of you just a couple of hours ago!  You know damned well that my cunt starts to gush when you kiss me like that!”  She ignored the presence of the young people as she said it.  Mark ignored them too as he unbuttoned her dress and put his large hand over one of his wife’s full breasts.
	She got out of her chair and sat on his lap with his hand again caressing her boob.  She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the sensation.  When she opened them again they were glazed with passion.  With an effort she brought her eyes into focus and asked, “Jill, what were you saying?  Something about love?”  With a grin she added, “We’re delighted you’re settling down and now seem to know what love is all about.”
	Jill just grinned, got up from her chair, and quickly kissed both her parents.  “You two are too much!  I guess the problem was I never understood it before.  There won’t be any problem with Bob and me sleeping together will there?  We really would rather not have to get a hotel room.”
	Her parents just smiled.  They talked about wedding arrangements and Martha called the church to see how soon the wedding could be scheduled.  They arranged it for a Saturday three weeks later, between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  After talking with them for awhile, Bob decided that he liked Jill’s parents very much.
	Finally the conversation swung around to him.  Jill told how he had founded GorTech, built it up and finally sold out to American Computer.  Mark Peters perked up when he found that Bob had been in the computer business.  He smiled and said, “There is something I have been playing with you might be interested in.  Could I show it to you?” he asked with some diffidence.
	Bob agreed and Mark took him down to his workshop in the basement.  Jill and Martha followed.  Bob was astonished when he saw the large collection of very sophisticated tools and electronic test equipment neatly arranged around the workshop.  Mark picked up an object with wires and an electrical connector on the end and passed it to Bob.  It looked like a personal computer hard disk.  “Is this what it appears to be?” Bob asked.  “It looks like a standard hard disk for a PC.  Is it?”
	“Well, it’s a hard disk but I don’t know how standard it is.  What you are holding in your hand is 200 megabytes.  It has an access time of under 5 microseconds.  What do you think?”
	“Under 5 microseconds!?  You’ve got to be kidding!  No disk is that fast.”
	Mark looked embarrassed.  “It is under that.  I really don’t know by how much, though.  That’s as fast as my equipment can measure.”
	“My God, this is incredible!  How much does it cost?  Can it be made for less than $3,000?”
	Mark laughed.  “Under $3,000?  It can be made for under $300 and possibly under $200.  Do you think there might be a market for it?”
	Bob looked at Jill and together they exclaimed, “Illinois Technologies!”
	“What is Illinois Technologies?” Mark asked.  Meanwhile, Martha had just been watching the exchange saying nothing.
	They went back up to the kitchen with Mark carrying the drive.  They sat around the table and Bob and Jill brought them up to date on Jan and Peter Stewart, including how they met and what happened in Hawaii.  Bob concluded by saying, “I know Pete produces fine drives.  I also know he’s desperate for new products.  He would give his right arm for this unit, Dad.  What kind of a deal do you want?”  They talked about it but Mark never really answered the question.
	Later Mark set up a little demonstration.  He brought up an IBM personal computer and set it up on the kitchen table.  Then he asked Jill to try it.  She sat down, called up a familiar word processing program and then, following her father’s instructions, did some exercises.  The computer worked just fine.  She looked at him with a quizzical expression on her face.  Her father just smiled.  Shutting off the computer, he opened it up and in moments replaced the hard disk with his own.  He closed up the box and started it up again.  Jill repeated the same steps with Bob and Martha watching.  While previously the machine was fast but with some noticeable pauses, now it was instantaneous.
	“Wow!  It really works!  What did you do?”
	“The first drive was a standard 40-megabyte hard disk that comes with a lot of IBM equipment.  The second was my 200-megabyte unit.  Incidentally, the 40 had only 15 megabytes in use; the 200 has 160 in use — over ten times as much.  I guess you could see it was faster.”
	Bob just shook his head in amazement.  “Dad, this is going to be a winner!”
	Meanwhile, Jill called Jan in Deerfield and told her about the upcoming wedding.  “Darling, I need you to be my matron of honor and I know Bob would like Pete to be his best man.  Can you come down?  We miss you.”
	They continued to talk and Jan told about her trip to San Diego and the new contract.  Finally she said, “The one thing we must have, though, is a big new product and we don’t have the first clue where to get one!  Our research has come up dry.  We don’t even have any good ideas about places to look!”  Jill chuckled and said she might be able to help them out on that, too.
	Jan asked Jill to hold and left the phone.  Moments later she was back.  “Jill, Pete and I would love to come down to Texas!”  Then her voice changed.  “Jill, I want you to know that I owe you my life and Peter insists he owes you the love of his life.  We can’t wait!  Just tell us where you want us to be and when and we will be there!”  They chatted a bit more about arrangements and timing, then hung up.
	Jill returned to the kitchen and found her father and Bob poring over blueprints for his disk drive.  There was an expression of utter amazement on Bob’s face.  Finally he said, “Dad, I don’t want to be insulting but how did you do this?  This represents not just state-of-the-art design, but a breakthrough that the best brains in the business thought was utterly impossible.  How did you do it?”
	Martha, standing at the sink turned and said, “Bob, it’s what happens when you don’t associate with the best brains.  Here we are stuck up in the Texas panhandle, so Dad has never met a computer scientist, let alone talked with one.  I guess he just never knew it couldn’t be done.”
	Bob was shaking his head.  “With all due respect, this is not a sophisticated mousetrap!  It requires an incredible knowledge of metallurgy, ultra-high-end electronics, and I don’t know what else.  Mark, what do you do for a living, anyway?”
	Mark had been looking at Bob with an expression of amusement on his face.  “Bob, I’m just a dirt farmer.  Of course it can get pretty rugged up here in the winter sometimes.  So I guess I took a couple of extension courses at schools and started to play around.  It comes of having a wife who is wearing out a bit, of course.  She claims her cunt is getting entirely too much wear and tear so she thought I should have a hobby of my own so she could have some free time.”  He winked at his wife as he said it.
	Martha pretended to glare at him but Jill and Bob could see the love in her eyes.  She marched over to the table, took her husband’s hand and led him out of the room.  Moments later they could hear passionate sounds coming from the master bedroom.  Jill grinned and took Bob’s hand and led him into the parlor.  She went to her knees and started to undress him.  When he was naked and lying on the floor, Jill stood above him nude.  “Darling,” she asked, “are you sure you want to marry me?”
	Jill was exquisite.  Her entire body was now deeply tanned by the Hawaiian sun.  Her hair had been bleached even lighter and her eyes were a brilliant emerald green.  Even her pubic hair was a patch of white gold against the golden tan of her body.  “I couldn’t be more certain.  Woman, you’re a man’s dream.  Now that you got me undressed are you just going to stand there and look or are you going to do something productive?”
	Jill looked down and saw the love in Bob’s eyes.  While he was admiring her, she was admiring him.  His hair was also bleached from its former sandy shade to gold and his blue eyes now shone from a deeply tanned face.  She looked down at his powerful muscles and his cock that was standing at attention.  Even it was tanned.  She went down on her knees straddled him and positioned his rod at the entrance to her now-soaking-wet cavity.  Easing herself down, she could feel him enter and sighed with joy as he did.
	She leaned over to kiss him and he held her tight, crushing her body to his, hearing again those wonderfully happy sounds coming from deep in her throat.  He held her and then rolled over so she was under him.  She smiled and quickly swung her legs up over his shoulders.  She smiled to herself because she had never been in such great physical condition in her life.  Placing her legs to give Bob maximum penetration had become a way of life.  She did not even think of the lower-body control her quick movement required.  As he started to move in and out in long smooth strokes, she could feel his balls hit her firm ass when he reached full penetration and could hear herself involuntarily gasp every time he did.  Soon she had reached her first crest.  She saw Bob smile warmly as he continued to move inside her.  They were now so well attuned to each other that he just took her higher and higher.  Her orgasms were now almost continuous; sweat was pouring from her body and her head was flopping from side to side.
	Jill was determined that this time she would not lose consciousness.  When she reached her ultimate peak, Bob let go.  She could feel the muscles in her cunt contracting in an effort to drain him dry.  He was lying on top of her body now and she held him tight, raking his back with her fingernails as all of her sensations were concentrated in the joy in her cunt.  Her eyes glazed with passion but this time she did retain consciousness.  She could feel her heart and Bob’s racing with sexual excitement and then their beats slowed towards normal.  He leaned over and kissed her while the contractions in her vagina were still draining the last drops of his semen.
	“Darling, that was heavenly!” she gasped.  “And I didn’t even faint!  Aren’t you proud of me?”
	He grinned, withdrew, and went down on her.  She delighted in the wonderful feeling of his tongue probing her cunt and his teeth gently nibbling on her still-sensitized clit.  She let her breathing slow as she just enjoyed the feeling.  When Bob had licked out their love juices, he lay on top of her and kissed her again.  She loved the taste of their cuming in his mouth.
	“Are you finished yet?” Martha asked quietly.
	Bob lifted his head and Jill strained around to see.  Her parents were standing at the end of the room with their arms around each other, just watching.  Jill rolled over on her stomach, looked up at her parents and grinned.  “I guess so,” she replied airily.  “At least enough to get through dinner.”
	Mark grinned and said, “Jill, you’re beautiful.  In fact, I guess you both are.  Of course you take a lot longer than Martha and I do, but I guess we’re more practiced.”
	The older couple went into the kitchen while Jill and Bob went up to her room to shower.  Later they were back in the kitchen which clearly was the social center of the house and Bob brought the conversation back to the hard disk.  “Mark, I still don’t understand how you did it, but beyond that, why?  Why a disk drive?  Why not a better plow or something?”
	“It’s your mother-in-law’s fault.  She was complaining about slow access times and running out of disk space and asked me to do something about it, so I did.”
	“‘Slow access times?’” Jill asked, puzzled.  “Accessing what?”
	Mark grinned and asked, “Have you ever heard of Karen Fletcher?”
	“The novelist?  Of course!  Who hasn’t?” Jill replied.  “She has at least one book a year on top of the best-seller list — and I guess that would be in a slow year.  Why?”
	“Karen Fletcher is your mother.  She figured if you could write, she could, too.  Of course she always thought it was a waste of time and money to be in New York so we just stayed here.”  He grinned at his wife and added, “The worst part of it is ‘test-driving’ the sex scenes.  It’s absolutely awful!  Your mother will be gasping for breath, I’ll be inside her, but she’ll still roll over to make some notes on a pad.  She’ll be the death of me yet.  Besides, she says my working on the drive gave her more time to write.”
	Bob and Jill just looked at each other in amazement.  Jill said, “I think I must have read all the Fletcher books.  Do you mean to say you two have tried... everything!”
	Martha smiled wryly but her eyes were sparkling.  “Did you think you and Bob invented something?  You didn’t.  In fact maybe we might give you some lessons.”  She looked at Mark lovingly and said, “Do you think we could get back to normal before too long?”
	Again Bob and Jill looked at one another, puzzled.
	Mark said, “Your mother and I rarely wear clothes around the house.  Do you think you are the only ones who are fully tanned?  Honey, why don’t you show your daughter?  Then she’ll see why I call you honey.”
	Martha just slipped off the shirtwaist dress she was wearing.  She slid down her bikini and stood like a model.  Jill gasped and Bob whistled softly.  Martha Peters looked almost exactly like her daughter with the same emerald-green eyes and the same golden hair.  Her body was that of a girl in her twenties.  Her breasts were almost exactly like Jill’s with high up-thrusting nipples.  The only difference was that her small nipples were brown while Jill’s were pink.  Her skin was the all-over color of golden honey.  She looked down at herself and said, “The brown nipples are a result of you, darling.  Yours will darken, too, after your first child.  What do you think?”
	“Mom, I think you’re exquisite!” Bob interjected.  “But how in the name of God did you give birth at the age of four?  You don’t look like you are thirty years old yet, and I’m looking at you without clothes!”
	“Bob, it’s my husband’s fault.  He gives me lots of exercise... along the lines of your exercise with Jill.  Honey, how do you feel?  You certainly look pretty good... at least for a city girl.”
	Jill had been watching her mother in mounting amazement.  “Mom, I think I am going to ask for my money back!  I thought I looked pretty good until you took your dress off.  I’m sure you did it just to make me feel bad!”  The frown on her face was belied by her dancing eyes.
* * *
	Over the next couple of weeks Jill and Bob developed a deep appreciation for her parents and their life together.  It turned out that Mark made a very good living as a tester and troubleshooter for a number of computer companies.  It was all done by computer link, facsimile, and so forth.  He had never met anyone for whom he worked.  In spite of the teasing, Martha was delighted with her newly-rediscovered daughter.  She and Jill spent a lot of time together on the trousseau and on the wedding arrangements.
	Jill was reminded of how successful her mother was when Martha insisted she buy a magnificent wedding dress.  Jill was concerned because she didn’t know if she could afford it.  When she took out her checkbook to check her balance, her mother saw her do it.  “What’s that for, dear?” the woman asked.
	“I’m not sure I can afford such an expensive dress, Mom.  That’s the problem.”
	“In that case it’s a good thing you’re not paying for it, isn’t it?  Jill, the parents pay the bridal expenses, or did you forget everything I tried to teach you?”
	“Mom, you are too much!” Jill exclaimed and gave her mother a hug.
	Martha put her arms around her daughter and hugged her tightly.  “You forget, sweetheart, you’re the only child we have.  Dad and I want your wedding to be lovely.”
* * *
	Jan and Pete arrived late on the Thursday evening before the wedding, and Jill and Bob were at the airport in Amarillo to meet them and drive them to the Peters home.  Neither Bob nor Jill said a thing about her parents.  On the way back from the airport they talked about Illinois Technologies and Jan was still bubbling about her order from San Diego Computing.
	When they walked into the house, Jill presented her parents to Jan and Pete.  Jan’s jaw dropped as she was introduced to Jill’s mother.  “But... you can’t possibly be Jill’s mother...”
	Martha winked at Bob and slipped off her dress.  She was only wearing her bikini and heels.  “I am, too.  You can still see the stretch marks,” she said as she indicated a couple of tiny lines on her flat abdomen.
	Jan played along and went up to Martha.  She ran her fingers lightly over the older woman’s smooth abdomen and could just feel the tiny lines.  She looked up and grinned.  “Okay, you are her mother.  But I didn’t think stretch marks would last if you give birth at the age of five.  Don’t you outgrow them or something?”
	Martha took Jan in her arms and hugged her.  “Welcome, Jan!  I’ve heard so much about you.  We used to say that any friend of our daughter’s was no friend of ours, but in your case we definitely make an exception.  You are simply exquisite.  Married life agrees with you.”
	They sat around the kitchen table talking and then went to bed.  The next morning Jan went downstairs early, leaving Pete asleep in bed.  She stopped short when she saw Martha moving around the kitchen nude.  Jan was about to slip back upstairs when Martha looked up and saw her.  “Good morning!  Are you ready for coffee?”  She was totally unconcerned about her nudity.
	“I would love some!  Is it ready?”  Then she made a little face and said, “Men!  They just can’t take it!”
	“Of course they can’t, but why do you say so this morning?”
	“It’s Pete.  That jerk!  He has his hand over my boob all night and I’m all snugly and warm.  He squeezed my tit and woke me up.  I kissed him and he moved between my thighs and took me.  Then he has the nerve to say that the bed is so great he’s going back to sleep.  And he did!”
	There was a question in her eyes as she asked, “Would you mind if I joined you?  May I undress?  You look so comfortable, and it’s the way Pete and I always are at home, too.”
	“Don’t be silly!  Of course not.  Actually, I was hoping you would so I could see you.  I’ve heard so much about you.”
	Jan slipped off her robe which was all she was wearing.  She stood with her back straight and waited.  Martha’s eyes ran up and down her slim body and said, “You have the most perfect figure I’ve ever seen, Janice Stewart.  You are a vision!”
	“Coming from you, I take that as high praise indeed!”
	They sat down to coffee.  Jan admired the other woman’s breasts which were beautiful and firm.  She liked Jill’s mother very much.  Martha’s face grew pensive and she looked at Jan thoughtfully.  Finally she said, “Jan, I have a great favor to ask.”
	Jan said, “The answer is yes.  What is the favor?”
	Martha looked down at her coffee cup and stirred it.  With her eyes still down she said, “Jan, Jill told me you were a prostitute.  Is that true?”
	Jan stiffened and then started to get up from the table.  As she did she said, “Yes, Mrs. Peters, it is.  I thought you knew before you invited us.  Pete and I can be out of here in just a few minutes.  I’m terribly sorry.”
	Martha jumped up from the table and caught Jan in her arms.  She gave the girl a hug and then a soft kiss.  “Darling, of course we knew!  I’m sorry you think so little of us that you thought we would be bothered.  Incidentally, I love just holding you.  Your skin is so smooth and you smell so clean and fresh!  You’re a delight.  Peter Stewart is a very lucky man!”
	She eased away and looked in Jan’s eyes.  “I am sorry.  Could I start again?  Remember, I asked for a favor and you said you would grant it.  I still haven’t had a chance to tell you what it is, though.”
	The two sat down again with Jan looking sheepish.  She looked up with a grin.  “Okay, I give up.  Let’s start over.  What’s the favor?”
	Martha looked back in her coffee cup.  “Have you ever heard of Karen Fletcher?”
	“Of course!” Jan replied, “Who hasn’t?  She’s probably the most successful writer alive.  I absolutely adore her books.”  She grinned and put her forefinger to her lips, “Please don’t tell Pete!  He thinks all I read are business books.  But what about her?”
	Martha looked up directly at Jan.  “Thank you.  I’m glad you like them.  You see, I’m Karen Fletcher.”
	Again, Jan’s jaw dropped.  “You!  But...  My God!”
	Martha smiled wryly.  “It’s true...  And I have a problem.  You see, Mark and I test-drive all of the sex scenes, so they’re pretty accurate.”  She grinned and added, “He can — and probably will — keep you in stitches about what goes on between us sometimes.  He asks why I can’t just cum like a normal woman without having to pick up a pencil and paper to record the sensation while my pelvis is still going crazy.”  Jan laughed at the mental picture.  “Anyway, the problem is in my new book the heroine is a prostitute — a New York one, at that.  I finished the book and now I’m scared.  Mark asked how do I know a girl would act like that... and I have no clue!”  She smiled wryly and said, “Jan, would you mind critiquing it?”
	Jan smiled broadly and said, “Would that make me a technical advisor or something?  Oh, Martha, I’d love to!  What do you want me to do?”
	Martha went to a corner of the kitchen and came back with a manuscript.  Jan thumbed it and found it was over five-hundred pages.  “Martha, do you get paid by the pound?  By the word?  What?”
	“The nerve of some people’s children!” Martha retorted sticking out her tongue.  Her eyes were dancing as she said it, though.
	Jan poured herself another cup of coffee and started to read.  When Jill appeared, she raised a hand and waved but kept on reading.  Martha started to make breakfast for the three of them, but kept nervously glancing over her shoulder at Jan who was continuing to turn the pages.  Still with her head down, she started groping around on the table.  Martha produced a pencil and Jan took it.  Periodically she would underscore some words and put a check in the margin.  The three women started to eat with Jan continuing to read while eating with her left hand.  Martha thought the girl was skimming until she looked at Jan’s eyes and saw them flying over the pages.  Bob came down and kissed Jill and Martha — all the women were now nude.  Jan only waved at him.  She continued to read.  She didn’t lift up her head for two hours.  In that time Mark and Pete had also appeared.  Martha smiled to herself as Pete received the only peck on the lips he’d ever had from Jan.  She just continued to turn the pages.
	At long last, she turned over the final page.  By now she and Martha were again alone in the kitchen.  “Martha, it’s absolutely marvelous!  I love it!  There are only a few things that we ought to discuss.  What you said isn’t really wrong...  It just isn’t quite as accurate as the rest of your work.  Would you like me to write out my comments?”
	Martha clapped her hands in glee.  “You liked it?  You really did?  Honest?”
	Jan got up and took the older woman in her arms and kissed her.  She was again reminded of the strangeness of the sensation of hugging a woman with skin as smooth and breasts as firm as her own.  “Martha, I love it!  Have you let Jill read it?  She’s the writer.”
	Martha looked aghast.  “My daughter?  You’ve got to be kidding!  Why... Do you think she would?”
	Jan started to laugh.  “The next thing you will be telling me that you are proving something to your daughter...  You are, aren’t you?  Confess!  That’s why you became a writer, isn’t it?”
	“Sure it is.  Why in hell else would I do it?  That girl used to make me so damned mad...”  Martha grinned and asked again, “Do you think she would?”
	“I’m sure!  But why don’t you ask her?  Here she is.”
	Jill had just come back in the kitchen, this time dressed to go out.  Martha started to speak when Jill said, “Ask her what?”
	Martha’s head was down so Jan said, “Jill, would you be willing to read Karen Fletcher’s latest novel?”
	“Mom!  Could I?  Would you let me?  God, I would be so proud!”
	Martha looked up quickly with skepticism obvious in her eyes.  “You don’t really want to, do you?”
	“Mom, you’re possibly the most famous female author alive!  I’d love it!  Will you let me?”
	Jan said, “Martha, how about if we go over the comments I made and then you can give it to Jill.  It might enable her to relax a little by taking her mind off the wedding.”  As she said the last words, Jan comically rolled her eyes around in her head.  The other women laughed as she added, “Bob is finally making an honest woman of her.  And it’s about time!”
	The two women spent the next couple of hours going over Jan’s comments.  Jan was impressed by the knowledge Martha had.  Finally she asked if the Peters traveled a great deal.  Martha said they seldom went anywhere.  “This is our home, our workshop, and our playpen.  I guess you could say that Mark and I are best friends.”
	“But how can you possibly know as much as you do about — New York City, say — if you haven’t spent any time there?”
	Martha grinned and said, “Maybe that’s why I like Mark to take me in the ass.  I have my rear up in the air and I read while he amuses himself.”
	“You don’t!”
	“Of course I don’t...  But I like the idea.  I may use it a book sometime.”  She smiled softly and stretched.  Jan could see that Martha, like herself, was beautifully muscled with no fat at all.  She stretched like a great sleek cat.  “I guess we both do read a lot, though.  Did I get the atmosphere of the city right?”
	“Martha, I can see it, smell it and fear it.  It’s as if I were back.  You’re amazing!”
	They continued through the comments and then the two women padded off to a room Jan had not seen but which was obviously where Martha did her writing.  She booted up her computer and a few minutes later her fingers were flying over the keyboard making the manuscript changes they had just discussed.  There was a whir from a laser printer and revised pages started to pour out.  Martha was much too fast on the keyboard for Jan to be able to follow the changes she had been making on the monitor.
	She started to read the first changed pages and said, “Wow!  It is perfect!  Absolutely perfect.”  Then she grinned at Martha and added, “There is one problem, though.”
	Martha stopped typing and looked up with concern showing on her face.
	“It’s so perfect, I’m afraid only high-end prostitutes in New York will appreciate how accurate it really is.”
	Martha grinned, stuck out her tongue, and went back to work.

Chapter 16
	The wedding was a very small one.  There were just the Peters, with Jan and Peter as matron of honor and best man, along with a few family friends.  In spite of its small size, the wedding mass was beautiful.  After the ceremony, they all went back to the Peters where Martha had prepared the reception herself.  The food was magnificent and after the cake was cut and the bride threw her bouquet, the other guests left the house.
	After taking off her bridal gown Jill came back downstairs wearing skin-tight Levi’s and kissed her parents.  Martha could feel tears as her daughter hugged her and thanked her for the beautiful wedding and reception.  They went out to the kitchen again where Jan and the men were finishing the cleanup.  Martha looked around and laughed.  “This has to be a first!  Just look!  Here we find the matron of honor, the best man, the groom, for chrissakes, and the father of the bride doing the dishes.  By the way, where are you two going on your honeymoon and when are you leaving?  Your father and I forgot to ask.
	Jill looked up sheepishly.  “Mom, would it be all right if we honeymooned here?  Bob and I...  Well, he’s an orphan and...  Could we stay for Christmas?  We sort of had our honeymoon on Maui before we got married.”
	Martha exclaimed in delight.  Then she looked at Mark and said, “Darling, I think it’s time to give the kids their wedding gifts, don’t you?”
	“Golly, after springing for an expensive wedding and all...   You mean we have to give them gifts, too?”  But his eyes were dancing as he said it.  He and Martha went into another room and came back with two envelopes which the young people looked at, puzzled.  The containers were sized and shaped like no wedding gifts any of them had ever seen or heard of.  Bob was sitting at the table with Jill sitting on his lap.  He had unbuttoned her shirt and was caressing her breasts while she just made soft happy sounds.
	Martha said, “Could you kindly quit handling the merchandise and open your presents?”
	“But it’s such beautiful merchandise,” Bob protested.  Nevertheless, he withdrew his hand.
	Jill opened the smaller package and found it was a business envelope.  Opening it, she found it contained a legal document.  She scanned it and just shook her head.  She wasn’t sure exactly what it was and passed it to Bob who studied it more closely.
	After reading it carefully, he looked up, startled.  “Martha, is this what I think it is?  It’s the assignment of a copyright, isn’t it?”
	Martha smiled warmly and said, “Kids, it’s pot luck.  It’s the copyright on the new book you and Jan have read.  It’s yours.  Let’s hope it makes a lot of money.”  She smiled softly and added, “Bob, we know you made a ton of money when you sold GorTech.  We don’t even know where you’re going to live so we couldn’t buy anything for your home.  So we thought you might like a different sort of wedding present.”
	Jan jumped off Bob’s lap and hugged her mother and father.  “Thank you so much!  But Mom, you’re giving up income.  You need it!”
	Martha smiled wryly and went to a kitchen drawer.  She took out a fistful of envelopes and dumped them on the table.  It was obvious they were all checks.  “This is a couple of weeks’ worth of royalty checks.  Dad and I haven’t had a chance to get to the bank since you two arrived so they just piled up.  Darling, we really aren’t hurting for money.”
	Jill just shook her head and went back to Bob’s lap.  He opened the larger of the packages and found a packet of drawings and another legal document.  This was more familiar.  He scanned through it and looked up in dismay.  “You can’t do this!  This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.  Jill, your parents are giving us the new disk drive.  It’s ours!  Honey, there’s no way we can accept it!  It’s value makes the money I got for GorTech look like petty cash.”
	Mark had his arm around his wife’s waist and turned to kiss her.  The others could see the electricity flowing between them.  “I told you he could figure it out.  See?  Our new son is smart.”
	He looked at Bob and said, “Bob, Martha and I have a favor to ask.  Could we think of you as our son, not our son-in-law?  We want you to know we love you as much as our daughter.  In fact — and I guess it’s largely due to you and Jan — we love you far more than we did her up until a few weeks ago.  We had just about given up hope.  You’ve restored our daughter to us and we hope you will be our son.  Will you?”
	Jill looked at Bob and saw tears in his eyes.  She got off his lap to allow him to stand.  He went to Mark, gripped his hand and then hugged him.  The others heard him say with a hitch in his voice, “Thanks, Dad!  That’s the finest present I could possibly have.  And it’s all we can accept.”
	He then hugged Martha, picked her up the way he did Jill, swung her around, put her back on her feet and then kissed her soundly.  When he released her, her eyes were glazed.  She said softly, “Wow!  I didn’t know sons ever kissed their mothers like that!”  Turning to Mark she said, “It’s a shame we had to wait so long to get a son.  I didn’t know what I was missing.”  Turning to Jill, she said firmly but with her eyes gleaming, “You better take care of this young man.  If you don’t, I’ll ask him to move in with us.  Your father could use the help,” she added with a wink towards Mark.
	Bob had been gathering up the papers and was going to give them back.  Mark said, “Son, they’re yours.  Your mother tried to tell you that we are well fixed.  The fact is our net worth is embarrassing.  It may not be quite as high as yours, Bob, but it’s remarkably close.  What in hell do we need more assets for?  It’s all going to end up with you two anyway.  Right now those plans aren’t worth much so we have no gift-tax problem.  Please take it off our hands?  Please?”
	Jan and Pete had been watching events with increasing amazement.  They really didn’t know what the discussion was all about.  Finally the newlyweds kissed the parents and sat down at the table.  Bob looked at Jill and nodded.  She turned to Jan and said, “When we were talking on the phone you said you were looking for new products.  Are you still?”  As she spoke, Bob and Mark left the room for the cellar workshop.
	“New products?”  Jan pulled up her sleeve above her elbow and indicated a point midway between her elbow and shoulder.  “Not really.  You can have my right arm to about here for one that we could sell 100 units of.  That’s all.  Unless you would like something else?  Both legs, maybe?”
	The two men returned with the computer.  Mark had the new drive in his hand.  Bob took it from him and set it up for Jan.  It was loaded with a very large spreadsheet incorporating data from five others in its mass storage.  He gave her instructions with respect to a particular set of calculations to be run.  She looked at him strangely but did as he asked.  At some points where the program needed to import data from other sheets on the hard disk there were pauses while it worked.  She ran through the full set and then looked up.  “It’s a very nice computer.  It gets the job done.  What’s the problem?”
	While she was talking, Mark had disconnected the computer, opened it up and replaced the hard drive.  Jan was looking at Bob and missed seeing it but Pete saw the exchange of drives.  Mark closed it up and put it back on the table.  Again Jan ran through the analyses.  This time the data import was virtually instantaneous.
	When she finished she looked up and asked, “What did you do?  I’ve never seen or heard of anything this fast.  Did you change the processor or something?”  Then she looked puzzled.  “No, that can’t be it.  The delays were retrieval delays, not processing delays.  What did you do?”
	“My bride and I are now the proud owners of a drive you and Pete might be interested in.  The first one you used was a standard 40-megabyte hard drive with about 15 megabytes in use.  The second was a 200-megabyte unit with over 160 megabytes in use.  What did you think of it?”  Bob asked with a impassive expression on his face.
	Pete had been watching the exercise with amusement that quickly changed to amazement.  When Jan ran the new tests he was on his feet watching carefully.  When she finished and the machine was shut down, Mark opened it up and showed Pete the disk.  When he was told the operating speed and capacity he let out a whistle.  He turned to Jan, kissed her warmly and said, “Darling, we have to have this hard drive!”
	Jan quickly stripped and went on her knees in front of Jill and Bob.  “I guess I’ll have to be your slave, then.  What would you like me to do?”
	Jill immediately entered into the game.  “Kneel up straight, slave.  Let me look at you.”  She walked around Jan holding her chin and looking at the girl thoughtfully.  Finally she said, “Bob, have you noticed how the quality of available slaves has been going down lately?  Just look at this woman.  Have you ever seen a more abused body in your life?  Of course the muscle tone is okay, so maybe she might make it as a field slave.  What do you think?”
	Bob just lifted Jan to her feet and kissed her.  “Jan, the drive is for you and Pete with our love.  I hope it works out for you.  Now quit showing off and get some clothes on!”
	Jan pertly stuck out her tongue but quickly dressed.  They sat around the table while Mark explained the drive and how it was made.  Finally he said it could be sold at a profit for $300 and possibly as low as $200.  They went over the drawings and finally Jan and Pete looked at each other and then at Bob and Jill.
	Jan said, “As chief financial officer, I guess I have to negotiate our deal.  ‘Negotiate’!  That’s a laugh.  I’ll sign anything you want me to sign including signing away our firstborn.  What do you two want?”
	Jill replied, “Would a $10-a-unit royalty be too much?  How does that sound?”
	“Ridiculously cheap!” Jan replied.  “How about $100?”
	Pete and Bob winked at each other and sat back chuckling.  Martha was on Mark’s lap necking and giggling at the strange negotiation.  The buyer was fighting for a higher price while the seller was holding out for the lowest.  Finally they compromised on $20 per unit.  Jan looked at Pete and said, “Darling, that was the toughest negotiation of my life!  It’s not much, but she won’t go a cent higher.  Can you live with it?”
	They laughed and Mark opened another bottle of champagne.  They all drank to the success of the Peters Drive.

Chapter 17
	It was a snowy January day in Deerfield when Jan’s phone rang.  It was Anita Collins calling.  They had spent a delightful Christmas with the Collins — their first Christmas together.  Now Pete was busy arranging for the production tooling for the new Peters Drive and there wasn’t much for Jan to do.  “Hi, Doll!  What can I do for you?  Are you still avoiding pregnancy?  And how are you coming on your campaign for a bedroom of your own?”
	She heard a soft chuckle on the phone.  Anita said, “Stewart, you’re a witch!  I’ve never been happier!  On the other hand I’ve never been so exhausted.  I just constantly ache.  I have a question.  How in hell did you ever handle men professionally?  Bill absolutely wears me out.  We’re not in your class yet, but Bill can keep me in orgasm for nearly five minutes!  I’ve never had such an experience.  All of my sensation is in my cunt.  I just want it to go on and on!  Meantime, my arms are thrashing, my head is flopping, my pelvis is in convulsion, I’m making the wildest sounds, and I’m sweating like a pig.  How did you do it?  I’m serious!”
	“It’s simple.  Anita, I never had an orgasm until I met Pete.  That’s how he got me to marry him.  As a prostitute, I was a piece of meat.  I allowed men to use me but didn’t feel a thing.  Anyway, I meant to compliment you at Christmas.  You looked absolutely exquisite,” Jan replied.  “But I don’t think that’s what you called about.”
	“No, it isn’t.  Jan, I’m the chairman of the Junior League’s big winter meeting scheduled for next month.  It’s become one of those ‘can you top this’ sorts of things.  Each chairman tries to outdo her predecessors.  Anyway, I have to send out the announcements the end of this week, and I still don’t have the first clue about a program!  Can you possibly help?”
	“Nita, how would Jill Peters be?  Any interest?”
	“Jill Peters, the writer?  Are you serious?  How could I possibly get her?”
	“Honey, she’s my very best friend.  I was her matron of honor last month.  Interested?”  Then Jan had an idea.  “I know I can get Jill.  How about a full panel?  I could also get Jessica Carlson, chairman of the board of San Diego Computing.  And a big one?  How about Karen Fletcher?”
	“The novelist?  You’ve got to be kidding!  She’s the greatest mystery in the publishing world.  She’s utterly invisible.  My God, if Karen Fletcher were willing to appear, she would be featured on The Today Show tomorrow morning!”
	“I think I can get her.  Anyone else?”
	“Since you asked, yes.  You!  You are Yale, Columbia, Phi Beta Kappa, and the co-owner of a computer company right here.”  There was silence on the line for a few moments and then Anita added, “If you get me any one of them, plus yourself, I’ll scrub your kitchen floor with my tongue!  Can you?”
	“Let me make a couple of phone calls.  I’ll get back to you.  When is the luncheon, by the way?”
	Anita told her the date and Jan called Jill at her parents’ home.  She said that they were having a marvelous time in Texas.  “Jan, you won’t believe it!  Remember when the boys took us side by side in Hawaii?  Now Mom and I hold hands while Dad and Bob do us.  Dad’s weapon may even be bigger than Bob’s!  My parents are too much!  We just love them dearly!  Thank you, dear Jan.  That’s all your fault, too.”
	“Honey, blame it on Bob.  He did it, I didn’t.  But back to the question.  Can you come up?  Would you be willing?”
	“Just a moment.  Let me ask Mom.”  There was silence on the phone for a few minutes.  Then Jill was back and very excited.  “It’s a go!  Mom has decided it’s time for Karen Fletcher to put in an appearance.  We’ll be there!  We decided to go on and travel through Europe.  My parents have never been and Bob and I can’t wait to show them around.  We’ll arrange for a Chicago departure.  Okay?”
	Jan instantly agreed and then called Jess Carlson.  Jess answered the phone immediately.  “Hi, Doll.  How would you like to get away from that dull San Diego sameness and come out to where there’s real weather?  Like Chicago, next month?”
	Jessica chuckled and said the offer was almost as good as having some impacted wisdom teeth removed.  “On the other hand, Jack says I’m a masochist, so what the hell!  What’s the occasion?”
	Jan explained the big Junior League meeting and who had already agreed to be there.  When Jess heard Karen Fletcher, she let out a low whistle and agreed instantly.  “I have copies of every book she’s ever written.  She’s my favorite writer!”  She chuckled and added, “But don’t you dare tell Jack!  Every time a new book of hers is published I go into my office and close the door.  I’m supposed to be thinking important strategic-type thoughts.  Actually, I can’t put her book down until I finish it.  The answer is yes.  In fact, it’s hell, yes!
	“Jan, I have an idea for another guest.  There is a friend of mine — a fellow stripper, if you will.  Actually, she had the finest exotic act in the country for a short time and then quit to get married.  Her name is Jennifer Clifford Chapman.  She’s the daughter of the fourth richest man in the country and married to the son of the ninth or tenth richest man.  They live in Chicago.  Jen is a Phi Beta Kappa in history from Princeton and has her doctorate in political science from UCLA.  She’s also one of the nicest, most beautiful girls it has ever been my good fortune to meet.  Interested?”
	Jan replied that of course she was interested.  Jess put her on hold while she made a call.  A few minutes later she came back on the line to say that Jen would be delighted to appear.  She gave Jan the phone number and then paused.  “Jan, to show you the kind of person she is, she asked if you would please call her.  You see, as much as she’d love to appear, she doesn’t think she belongs on such a program and could not believe you would want her.  Would you mind talking to her?  If there’s an opposite to spoiled, Jen Chapman is it.”  They talked awhile longer and made tentative arrangements.
	Jan hung up and then called the Chicago number she had been given.  She knew from Jess it was an apartment on the Lakefront on the North Side.  When the phone was answered by a woman with a very musical voice, Jan asked to speak with Jennifer Chapman.
	“This is Jen.”
	“Jen, this is Janice Stewart.  I guess you were talking to Jessica Carlson a few minutes ago.  I’m calling as a result of that conversation.”
	Jen quickly said she would be delighted to appear but couldn’t see why anyone would possibly want to have her on a program.  “Jan, I’m really not a nice person.  Or I guess I wasn’t.  When I met my mother — she was my stepmother then — the first thing I did was try to break up her marriage.  How do you like that?  I then find out that she’s perhaps the nicest person on earth.”
	Jan could hear the girl’s voice crack as she continued, “She nearly destroyed herself and my father because she refused to come between father and daughter.  It was perfectly all right for her daughter to be an obnoxious bitch, of course.  Anyway, the situation was salvaged by my mother’s law partners.  Then I find that she loves me!”  Now the tears were audible.  “She really does.  Would you believe what she did?  She actually pulled out my pubic hair for me?  I needed it done for my act.  Can you imagine a more vile thing to have to do?  She did it.  Then she gave me a bath and a massage and tucked me into bed.  And it just goes on and on.
	“If it sounds like I worship the ground my mother walks on, it’s only because I do.  Incidentally, she’s the one you should really have on your panel.  She’s Allison McGrath Clifford.  You may remember the name Ali McGrath?  She was a movie star in the seventies.  She is also Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Kansas, tops in both business school and then law school getting an MBA and then a law degree from UCLA.  She’s the senior partner of the most successful law firm in Southern California.  It’s all women, by the way.  Would you be interested?  If she’s free, I know she would come.”
	Jan said that would be spectacular.  Jen said she would call her mother and call right back.  A few minutes later she called.  “Mom sends her regrets.  She and Dad are playing in a mixed doubles golf tournament that week on Maui.  She’s very sorry.”  There was a quiet chuckle on the phone and Jen continued, “Jan, if I said it was important to me she will come anyway.  I assumed that it doesn’t make that much difference to you.  Am I right?  If not, I’ll call her back and she will be here.”
	Jan just shook her head in amazement, but said, “Of course not!  My God!  She would give up Maui for a dumb Junior League speech?”
	“Honest, she would.  She just lives to make others happy.  Starting with my father, of course.  The poor dear is in a perpetual sexual daze.  Mom feels she’s failed unless she keeps Dad’s balls drained dry.”  There was a giggle on the phone and she added, “Whoops, I’m sorry!  I shouldn’t have said that, I’m afraid.  What will you think of me?”
	“Jen, before you go on, there are two things you should know that might cause you to change your mind.  First, I used to be a prostitute.  I intend to tell the bright young ladies at the Junior League, so you will know it then, anyway.  You probably won’t want to be in the same town with me.”
	“Jan, I heard all about you from Jess.  She tells me you’re the finest person she’s ever met and she loves you dearly.  That is plenty good enough for me.  Now what’s the second thing?”
	“Actually, Jen, it’s much more serious.  You see, I graduated from Yale.  All I remember were the jerks from Princeton wearing their orange-and-black checked blazers and ‘Hate Yale’ buttons.”
	There was silence on the phone for a few moments.  Then she could hear Jen trying to maintain an even tone of voice without giggling.  “Yale?  Oh!  Which one of the three or four lesbian organizations did you belong to?  I guess now I see why the League asked you to speak.  A lezzie would fit right in.  By the way, how is Gay Awareness Week going these days?”  Jennifer could no longer control herself and started laughing out loud.  Finally, she said, “‘Hate Yale’ buttons, indeed!”
	“Okay, Chapman, I know when I’m licked.  I’m looking forward to meeting you.  I really am!”  Jan hung up and then called Anita to tell her the news.  The girl was bubbling over with excitement and said she would get out the announcements as soon as possible.  Then she asked Jan when she wanted her kitchen floor scrubbed.
* * *
	It was February and the day before the Junior League luncheon.  As Anita predicted, it was already a runaway success.  The facility had been changed to increase capacity three times.  Now it was in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort.  In spite of being held in the largest room in the area, reservations were being turned away.  Anita told Jan that, thanks to her, she was going to retire the ‘Can You Top This’ trophy.
	Jan was at the door to the penthouse apartment in the most luxurious apartment house in Chicago.  She rang the bell, not knowing what to expect.  It was opened by a beautiful blonde girl wearing skin-tight Levi’s and a chambray shirt, her own favorite apparel.
	The barefoot girl put out her hand and said, “You have to be Jan!  I’m Jennifer Chapman and I’m truly delighted to meet you.  Please come in.”
	Jan took the girl’s hand and was impressed with the firmness of her grip.  They walked into a magnificently decorated apartment.  One wall was floor-to-ceiling glass looking out over Lake Michigan.  It was snowing and the snow was blowing by the window.  The apartment was delightful.  There was even a cheery fire in the fireplace.
	Jen stopped and looked at a spot on the carpet.  “Jan, maybe you can help.  Do you know how to get cum out of a carpet?  You know that line beloved of so many of our sisters, ‘women as depositories of men’s sexual fluids?’  Well, I guess I’m a lousy depository.  I can’t keep all of the damned stuff inside.  Even with Steve stuffing my cunt like a gigantic plug, it still forces its way out and on the rug.  And that’s after he does me, too.”
	Jan was laughing and gave the girl a hug.  “I don’t have the first clue.  Why don’t you use a hard floor covering?  Marble, perhaps?  It doesn’t absorb liquids.”
	Jen looked sorrowful and replied, “Because it’s too hard and too cold.  And I don’t have nearly enough padding as it is.”
	Jan looked at her thoughtfully but with her eyes dancing.  “Why don’t your put on some weight, then?  You know, I think there’s something to be said for broad hips and a well-padded ass.  It makes a much better shock absorber.”
	“Janice Stewart, I love you!  You’re too much.”
	They sat and got acquainted.  A few minutes later Jessica Carlson arrived from O’Hare.  She looked exquisite.  The two friends hugged and then Jennifer held her friend at arm’s length.  “Jessica Carlson, you’ve never looked so good in your life!”
	“Blame it on your new friend here.  She gave me a tip and Jack and I haven’t been the same since.”
	“What tip is that?”
	“Now, when we’re ready to go to sleep I put my head on his shoulder, snuggle as close to him as I can and cup his hand over my boob.  If I wake up first, I squeeze his hand.  If he awakens first, he squeezes my boob.  In either event then he takes me.  It’s so slow and gentle...  What a way to wake up in the morning!”
	“You’re kidding!  That’s what my Mom told me to do!  I thought it was a family secret.  Steve and I have been doing it from the beginning.  It’s like heaven.  Welcome to the club!”  The girls started to talk and Jen went off to get drinks.  When she returned, Jan complimented her on the apartment and asked how many servants she had.
	Jen grinned and held out her hands which were beautiful.  She was trying to imply they were work-worn.  “Can you look at these rough, red hands and ask that question?  For heaven’s sake, if I try to caress poor Steve, he thinks I’m using sandpaper!  Besides, we tried it but they were always embarrassed finding Steve and me naked on the floor making love.”  She looked quizzically at her friends and asked, “Why does it bother them, I wonder?”
	The two girls laughed just as the doorbell rang.  Jen went and welcomed Jill and her mother.  They were seated in the living room and Jen went off, coming back moments later with a platter of canapés.  They were miniature works of art that Jan immediately knew the girl had made herself.  Drinks were served and Jan looked around the room at her friends.  She decided that they were all very much alike.  She commented that poor Jessica at only five feet seven was the shortest girl present.  Jill at five feet ten was the tallest.
	Jennifer’s eyes kept darting between Jill and Martha.  Finally she said, “Are you two sisters?”
	Jill laughed and squeezed her mother’s hand.  “No.  Karen Fletcher is my mother, Martha Peters!”
	Jennifer’s eyes widened.  “You have to be kidding!  People tease me about my mom who is actually my stepmother.  But you...  Martha, you’re Jill’s natural mother?”
	“What’s the big deal?” Jan interjected, “Aside from giving birth at the age of five?  I mean...  Really!”
	They all laughed and exclaimed over Martha’s appearance.  The talk shifted to the reason for the get-together — the luncheon the next day.  Jan quickly confirmed what she already suspected.  All of the girls were as contrary to the conventional women’s lib mentality as it was possible to be.  Jan made notes and prepared her introductions.
	As they were getting ready to leave, the door opened and a tall, very good looking young man came in.  Jen ran to him and he took her in his arms and kissed her.  Jan recognized the signs as the girl’s arms went around her husband’s neck to keep from falling as her knees weakened.  Jan heard the man whisper, “Hi, Stick.  Did you miss me?”
	“Of course, Sailor.  Come and meet my friends.”
	Steve Chapman was introduced to each of them.  He let out a low whistle when he learned that Martha and Jill were mother and daughter.  When he was introduced to Jan he winked and gave her a kiss.  “I feel I know you.  You’re all my wife has been able to talk about for the last couple of weeks.”
	“I have a question, Steve.  I thought I heard you call your wife, Stick.  Was I hearing things?  If you think she looks like a stick, there’s no hope for us mere mortals!”
	The Chapmans were standing side by side with their arms around each other’s waist.  He leaned down and kissed his wife as she tilted her head up to his.  Jen leaned back against his shoulder and said with a grin, “You heard him right.”
	She then explained that she and Steve had spent the better part of fifteen years avoiding each other like the plague.  Their fathers were friends from graduate school but their first date was only after Steve saw Jen perform as an exotic dancer.  “Anyway,” she said, “Steve used to claim that in the picture he saw of me I had all the female curves of a straight stick.  He was right, too!  On the other hand, his picture showed a pompous kid wearing a sailor’s blazer in front of some yachts here in Lake Michigan.  So anyway, I’m Stick and he’s Sailor.”
	“Some stick!” Jan said with a grin.
	Steve cupped his hand under one of his wife’s full breasts and grinned.  “Well, maybe there’s a little something here.”  He bent over and kissed her softly and then with increasing passion.
	Jen frowned up at him but her eyes were dancing.  “Would you kindly knock off that shit?  If you don’t you’ll have to take me right here in front of my guests!  Come to think of it, I certainly wouldn’t mind, and I don’t think they would, either.”
* * *
	The next afternoon Janice was sitting next to Anita Collins at the speakers’ table.  They had been discussing the fact that the turnout was the biggest crowd of women either had ever seen.  Anita looked at Jan and asked, “Do you think you can handle it?  I don’t know what’s going to happen.  I do know that at least half the people have never been to a Junior League function in living memory!”
	Her face took on a puzzled look although her eyes were sparkling.  She added, “By the way, I hope I don’t have to use cleanser when I scrub your kitchen with my tongue?  I tried it and it really doesn’t work very well at all.”  Her face turned serious and she said, “Janice Stewart, I just want you to know that I really owe you!  Again!”
	The banquet staff was withdrawing after pouring additional coffee.  Chairs were being turned for a better view of the podium when Anita rose and went to the microphone.  “Good afternoon, ladies!  Welcome to the seventeenth annual winter luncheon of the Junior League of Northbrook.  I’m sure it’s obvious to you all that this is the biggest turnout in our history.  Thank you all for coming.
	“It is now my great pleasure to introduce my best friend — in spite of everything — Janice Carson Stewart.  Janice is now a Provisional in the League and is acting as Program Chairman this afternoon.  I should explain my comment, ‘in spite of everything.’  Very briefly, Janice received her BA from Yale University in economics.  She was also elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year.  She obtained her MBA from Columbia University with a combined major in finance and marketing, graduating number one in her class.  She’s now vice president, finance & marketing, of Illinois Technologies and recently closed the biggest order in the company’s history.  Clearly, she’s our kind of gal!
	“So why ‘in spite of everything?’  No one — and I mean no one — can make a woman feel more inadequate faster than Jan Stewart.  Less than a week after returning from her honeymoon and just a couple of days after meeting her, my husband and I were guests for dinner and bridge on Friday night at the Stewart’s.  As my husband, Bill, and I were driving over, I was feeling very badly.  I wanted to help by bringing some food over but had been unable to reach Jan.  She got home at five-thirty and Bill and I arrived an hour later.  I had been working on Bill to get him to realize that regardless of how little there might be to eat, not to worry.  We could always stop at Chèz McDonald on the way home.
	“We ring the bell and are greeted by our hostess, a vision of loveliness who had obviously spent at least four hours on her grooming to look the way she did.  A little later I found out it was not quite ten minutes!  (Are you starting to get a picture?) We sit down and canapés are served with drinks.  All I’ll say about them is if she had a catering service the canapés would go for at least five dollars — apiece!  At seven thirty we sit down to a typical Junior League potluck supper: lobster cocktail, roast filet of beef, sauce Périgord; peach Melba — you know, the usual stuff we serve when we get home less than an hour ahead of our guests?  Sure we do!  But Jan does and did.
	“Does it end there?  I should be so lucky!  You remember I said, ‘dinner and bridge?’  Well, my husband, Bill, is a Life Master; he still writes the bridge column for the Tribune.  I’m close to getting my Master rating.  I won’t bore you any longer.  I will only say if Jan and Pete had been playing together, Bill and I would have been utterly destroyed!  As it was, Jan was my partner and we edged the guys.  I had the good sense to follow her bidding leads, always arranged to be the dummy, and watched her imitate a Grand Master!  Now you get some idea.
	“At any rate, it was through Janice that we have our guests today.  It’s a great pleasure for me to introduce my very best friend in the whole world and my inspiration, Janice Carson Stewart!”
	Janice rose, winked at Anita and stood behind the rostrum waiting for the applause to die down.  She noticed that a number — a small minority, to be sure — of the women appeared to be glaring at her.  What the hell, she thought, those gals are never going to be my best friends, anyway.  Jan allowed the applause to die down and then began her talk.
	“Good afternoon, ladies!  While Anita Collins was running off at the mouth, or addressing the group, or whatever, I was thinking about the speakers today.  We have an interesting collection.  First, we have ten degrees among the five of us.  There are three Phi Beta Kappa keys and one from Sigma Xi, the scientific honorary fraternity.  I guess we have done fairly well in academia.
	“As far as professions, we have a Board Chairman of a computer company, two world-class authors, and me.  Then there’s Jennifer Chapman.  She’s a little hard to pin down.  You see, I found out she’s an associate professor of history and political science at Northwestern.  On the other hand it seems her principal occupation is trying to spend the money that keeps pouring on her head.  Her father ranks number four on the Forbes’ list and her father-in-law is number nine or ten or something.
	“There are a few other things about us, though.  We also have two strippers — although one insists she was an exotic dancer.  The difference, apparently, is she started her act completely nude and stayed that way.  Then we have two world-class writers.  Finally, we have a former prostitute.  Me!”  As she said it, Jan looked up from her notes and just looked around the room for a few moments.  The room, as big as it was, was totally silent.
	“That is what I want to talk about.  A biography Anita Collins wrote about me says I pursued a professional career while in graduate school.  She points out that whores and prostitutes are referred to as ‘pros’, so she felt it was true.
	“Ladies, I’m sure I entertained at least a few of your husbands between my thighs when they visited New York on business.  Why, do you suppose, that is?  You might say it’s because he was horny and you weren’t there.  You could say men are always like that.  You might say he was enticed.  Any of those statements could be true.  Unfortunately, none of them is.  The reason your man came to me is you!  I gave him something he wanted that he could not get at home.  I hasten to add that what I gave him was as phony as a three-dollar bill!  You know what?  Not only was I faking my emotions, the customer knew it, too!  Why would he bother, then?  Because he thought I at least cared enough to go through the motions of faking it!  You just give him a hard time.”
	Jan’s expression changed to one of great warmth.  “I am no longer a prostitute.  I met a man, Peter Stewart, through a friend you will meet today, Jill Peters.  Jill is now Jill Gordon.  She and her husband, Bob, literally saved my life.  To this day I don’t know why they bothered because I was utterly worthless.  As I said to Bob Gordon one evening, I became a prostitute as an easy way of making money to pay for my graduate education.  I earned the money.  I also destroyed myself.  I told him I was now a degreed slut!  I had fewer morals than an alley cat.  There was nothing I did not allow to be done to me or force myself to do, no matter how degrading, as long as the money was right.  It generally was.
	“Then I met Pete.  He did to me what women have been doing to men for millennia.  You see, he made love to me.  I achieved the first orgasm of my life.  I loved him desperately and wanted to be his mistress, but he refused to sleep with me unless I married him first.  Since I had to be with him, I had no choice so we were married a few months ago.  I dedicated myself to making my husband as happy as I possibly could.  There is nothing I won’t do for Peter Stewart!  Absolutely nothing!  The only question in my mind is will it give my husband pleasure?  If the answer is yes, I do it, regardless of what it may be.
	“The result?  I cannot be happier.  I use the term advisedly.  The reason is Pete has me in continuous orgasm for at least fifteen minutes at a time.  Then my circuit breakers trip out — I can’t take it any more and I faint.  Faint?  Out cold is more like it!  One time it was so bad that Pete lifted me out of bed, gave me a bath, ate out my cunt, fixed my hair, changed the damned bed, if you please, and puts me back into it — all while I’m unconscious.  Look at the speakers’ table: The common denominator of all of the women you see — the thing we all have in common — is the same dedication to our husbands’ happiness.  And you know something else?  We could not possibly be any happier.  In front of you today you have the happiest collection of women in the country!
	“It is now my great pleasure to introduce our first featured speaker today, Jill Peters Gordon.  As many of you know, Jill Peters is an internationally acclaimed writer and author.  She has her BA in English from the University of Texas at Austin.  She graduated summa cum laude and also received a Phi Beta Kappa key in her junior year.  She also graduated first in her class from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.  Please welcome my best friend in the world, the maid of honor in my wedding, Jill Peters.”
	There was silence for a few moments.  Then the applause began.  Jill, expecting the reaction to Jan’s speech, remained seated.  The applause grew in volume.  Moments later, women began to stand; it soon seemed like all the women in the great hall were on their feet.  Anita returned to the rostrum and said, “Jan, please rise!  What you’re hearing is a tribute to you.”
	Janice rose at her seat and stood for a few moments.  She did not smile or wave.  The applause reached a crescendo and then tapered down.  Jan smiled and resumed her seat.
	Jill went to the microphone.  “Good afternoon, ladies!  Thank you so much for inviting me to be here today.  I want to personally thank you for that tribute to my best friend, Janice Stewart.  It seems I’ve spent a good part of the last six months or so telling Jan she’s the loveliest person I know.  I use the term in its most literal sense: deserving of love; inspiring love and affection.  That defines the Janice Carson Stewart I know.
	“I’m not sure why Jan invited me, though.  You see I stole one of her customers.  I met my husband, Bob, while masquerading as a call girl.  Bob had just closed the sale of his company, GorTech, and was registered at a New York hotel.  Jill Peters, girl reporter, was out to get a story on the business genius of the computer world, Bob Gordon.  I followed him to the hotel and watched as he checked in.  When the bellman returned to the lobby I went up to him and he looked at me with interest.  It seems Bob had given the guy fifty dollars and asked if he knew any tall blondes.  Being five feet ten, I qualified.
	“Later I found out that Janice Carson was on the bellman’s list.  It cost me fifty dollars to take her place.  At any rate, I learned the meaning of love that weekend.  I haven’t been the same since.  You see, I had no experience with men, and it turned out Bob had nearly none with women.  I’m here to tell you, though, he does not need to read any books!  Janice says she loses consciousness?  I do, too.  She told you about being unconscious?  Once we were together when our husbands took us.  We were both out like lights.  The guys changed the bed, fixed our hair, ate us out and still had their arms around us when we revived.  My career?  I guess I don’t give a damn.  My career now is trying to become pregnant before Stewart!  I’m bound and determined to beat her at something.
	“My advice?  Do what Janice said.  She is totally right!  Thank you.”
	Janice returned to the rostrum and introduced Jessica Carlson.  “Our next speaker is Jessica Carlson.  Jess has three degrees from California Institute of Technology.  I’m afraid the poor thing is in a rut.  They are all in computer science, culminating in her Ph.D.  She is considered the most brilliant computer scientist and computer designer in the industry.  In addition, she has to be the most beautiful!  I’ll add just one thing.  If you want to find out how to really live in Southern California, just watch Jess Carlson.  Her house is a senior-grade palace overlooking the Pacific from the heights.  She has her private twenty-five-meter swimming pool and a pair of tennis courts.  This woman started from nothing just three years ago and built one of the most successful computer companies in the country.  Scientist, engineer, technical genius, chief executive officer, and very rich: ladies, please welcome Jessica Carlson who flew out from San Diego yesterday just to join us here today!”
	Jess Carlson looked fantastic, Jan thought, as she made her way to the rostrum.  She was wearing a hand-tailored suit in a shade of blue that exactly matched her eyes.  It was tailored to her perfect figure.  Coupled with her copper tan and her golden hair, she was gorgeous.  At the same time she looked every inch the very successful senior executive that she was.  She stood at the rostrum and acknowledged the welcoming applause.
	“Thank you so much!  I would like to say I’m delighted to be here.  Unfortunately, I can’t.  Jan called me and offered me a change from the tiresome San Diego weather.   You know: every day is sunny with the temperature in the low eighties?  ‘Why don’t you come out to where we have real weather?’ she asked.  Yesterday when I got off the plane at O’Hare, it took me almost a full second to remember why the hell I bailed out of the Midwest and swore I would never come back — particularly in the winter!  On the other hand, Janice Stewart wanted me to come, so I’m here.  Just a brief note on Jan:  She never asks anything for herself.  It’s always for others.  Of course, at the top of the list — indeed in a class by himself — is her husband, Pete.  For him, anything!  And I do mean anything.  Other people — her friends — scale below him.  Jan?  She doesn’t even make the list at all!
	“There is another reason, though.  This is my ‘coming out’ party and what could be a more appropriate place than the Junior League?  I guess I should tell you something about myself.  You see, until two months ago, I was invisible.  The owner of San Diego Computing was ostensibly an old battle-ax named Jennie Carlson.  She’s in her seventies, you see.  She was well known at computer trade shows and conventions.  In fact, they were the only places she was ever seen.  I was her secretary.  Jack Carlson, the president, was her ineffectual son keeping the president’s chair warm.  You see, I was Jennie Carlson.
	“Why this weird charade?  Why, in hell, would any woman in her right mind dress up as a seventy-year-old several times a year?  Why would she hide behind high fences around her home?  The answer is simple.  She was scared to death!  She was frightened someone who knew her before would see her and remember.  You see, I was a stripper for a long time out on Sunset in Los Angeles.  It’s the way I put myself through school.  I started off as a cocktail waitress with forged ID.  Then I waited topless — it paid more.  Then I went on stage.
	“Curiously, through my husband, Jack, I became the headliner.  He was an MBA candidate and I was his marketing project.  How do you sell a female body?  To make a long story short, he blackmailed me into marrying him.  Like Pete Stewart with Jan, he wouldn’t sleep with me until I married him!  Well, in spite of all the obstacles, we started San Diego Computing and built it up.  Things were going along fine until one day late last year Mrs. Stewart comes out on a sales call.  She sees Jack and he calls me.  We then played a little game we used from time to time whenever there was a visitor for Jennie we couldn’t duck.  Jan came out and I met her, explaining that Mrs. Carlson had become ill but asked me to see her.  We had lunch and talked for maybe half an hour when, out of the blue, she says, ‘You’re Jennie Carlson, aren’t you?’
	“Well, there wasn’t much to say, so I challenged her to race me in my pool.  Let me emphasize, my pool!  What does she do?  She cleans my clock!  I thought I had her at an insurmountable psychological disadvantage, too.  We were nude.  Little did I know that she’s even more comfortable without clothes than I am.  And you should know that occasionally weeks go by without me putting on a stitch.  Then we play tennis, barefoot.  I had her there!  Have you ever tried playing tennis barefoot?  Try it sometime: it’s a different game.  She killed me at that, too.  Then we go back in the pool to cool off.  I’m about to get out when she shoves my head under water and uses the leverage — on my head for chrissakes — to vault out of the pool.  Then she extends her hands to me.  I’m going to yank her in the pool.  Wrong!  She yanks me out!  My pool!
	“After all of that, there was nothing else to do but give Jan our business.  We are soaking up the sun and drinking beer.  I’m looking at her and then at myself.  I used to feel pretty smug about my body until I met Janice Stewart.  She has the perfect female body.  Fat?  Not an ounce!  I think the real reason she killed me on the tennis court was I was too busy watching her move to watch the damn ball!  All you see is skin like honey-colored satin and muscles moving beneath.  In the water she moves with the ease and grace of a porpoise.  On a tennis court, she moves like a ballet dancer.  After she left I decided it was worth every cent just to have had the joy of watching her move!
	“I digress.  We were drinking our beer and she probed and found out all about me.  I told her I had been a stripper, in a defiant tone of voice.  I might as well have said the sun was shining for all the reaction I got.  That is when she told me she had been a prostitute.  Moreover, her best customer was the chairman of the company whose business she had just taken away.  She said he would tell me if she didn’t, so she did.  Then she told how Pete had forced her to marry him — the story she told earlier.  I looked in her eyes and saw beauty and incredible love!  If Jan could package her love for Pete and sell it, she would make billions!
	“Right then, I decided my charade had gone on long enough.  You know what?  Our profits are up fifty percent in the last two months!  Do you know why?  Because I’m at the office now.  Jack acts like the executive he really is and always has been.  There is a great deal more confidence in our organization now.  Last week I met Jack in the cafeteria for coffee and kissed him.  One of the results of being alone all the time is you tend to forget it when other people are around.  Anyway, Jack and I don’t deal in perfunctory kisses.  I guess we were getting pretty passionate.  The next thing I know everyone in the place is on his feet cheering!  I remember getting red as a beet, and then went back to kissing Jack.  God, I love that man!
	“One final point.  When Jack comes home, Jan rises to greet him.  If she didn’t have Pete, I would have lost Jack on the spot!  She was exquisite.  You know what?  She looked regal.  She really did.  She was not wearing a stitch, but she was like a queen.  Another one of my great ideas that backfired.  Before she left, she gave me some tips on ways to make Jack happier.  Now the poor dear just walks around in a daze.  I keep his balls drained dry, and he keeps me in a sexual coma.  I guess we were almost landing in Chicago before I woke up.
	“What’s next?  Children!  I’m now expecting a baby.  We are so thrilled, with the prevailing winds, I could have floated out here from San Diego.  Someone said Jack and I didn’t invent the little things, so they don’t think we’ll get very far with our patent application.  But at any rate, I think you wanted to hear how to get ahead in business.  The answer to that is very simple:  Marry a very smart husband and keep him very happy!
	“I’ll say just one more thing.  The harder I try to make Jack happy, the happier I am myself.  Oh yes, sex!  I have a bone to pick with Stewart.  She gave me some tips on making Jack happier and making myself happier at the same time.  It doesn’t work!  Now I end up on the bed — or the floor, or the pool deck, or wherever — unconscious!  How can I know if I’m enjoying sex more if I’m unconscious?  As a matter of fact, I think I even missed the conception of our child.  I’m sure I was sprawled somewhere, out cold, and looking like a discarded rag doll!  Stewart!  What do you have to say for yourself?”
	Jess waved to the crowd and started to return to her seat.  Applause started and just got louder.  Soon the crowd was giving Jessica a standing ovation.  The girl waved again and returned to her seat as Jan took her place at the rostrum.  While the applause continued, she looked at Jess and winked.  The girl grinned and winked back.
	Finally, the applause died and the guests were seated again.  Jan waited until the room was quiet and then said, “Jess, you just confirmed what I’ve said all along.  You are just not in good shape.”  Turning to the audience she said, “I ask you?  Have you ever seen a more abused-looking female in your life?  If it wasn’t for the fact that she just glows, you could see what a wreck she really is!”  Jess led the laughter.  “Maybe she’s radioactive?  Do you think that’s it?
	“Well, anyway, it’s now my pleasure to introduce my newest friend, Jennifer Chapman.  She’s here today because we wanted a panel of career women.  I’m not sure exactly what her career is, but maybe we’ll find out.  Ladies, Jennifer Chapman!”
	Jen came to the rostrum, gripped Jan’s hand, and winked.  She was wearing a plain tan wool dress with a double strand of priceless pearls.  She looked every inch the picture of an extremely wealthy young woman.  Like the others, she was glowing with happiness.  There was a round of welcoming applause as she stood and looked out at the audience.
	“Wow!  This is worse than one of my introductory political science lectures.  Why can’t we do it the same way here, I wonder?  At school I set up my tape recorder on the rostrum and the students set up their portable recorders at their seats.  Then my recorder talks to their recorders.”  She grimaced and added, “I was all set to do it, too, but wouldn’t you know it?  My recorder crapped out last night.  So I had to come in person.
	“Seriously, though I really don’t know why I’m here at all.  My career?  My career is being Steve Chapman’s mistress, concubine, whore — whatever I think he wants me to be.  Teaching?  I consider it to be something of a joke.  It just shows what can happen when you get enough little initials after your name.
	“I think of myself as filling in for my mother, Allison Clifford.  She’s the one who should really be here.  Career woman?  Which career?  She was a major-league movie star.  She’s the senior partner of the most successful law firm on the Pacific Coast — all women, by the way.  She is the most successful money manger in the world in her spare time.  My mother generated through her investment skill about a billion dollars last year.  You heard it right — billion: with a ‘B’.  I think she’s the one you wanted to hear from.
	“How would she describe herself?  As Bill Clifford’s wife, mistress, plaything.  There is nothing she will not do for my father or to him or beg him to do to her.  Absolutely nothing!  I should say she’s my stepmother.  I guess technically it would no longer be accurate.  Last year she adopted me as her daughter because she says she loves me so damned much.  I don’t think I’ve cried so hard nor been so pleased with a gift as when I signed the adoption papers making Allison Clifford my legal mother.
	“Of course the reason she loves me so much is that the first time we met I tried to destroy her marriage.  I learned shortly after that this was tantamount to killing her.  She says she cannot live without Bill Clifford, and I believe her.  Of course, he can’t live without her, either.  What did I do?  I accused her of being a cheap, dumb, gold-digging whore!  Those were my first words to her.  Do you know what she did?  She left my father.  She would not come between a father and his daughter — even at the cost of her own life.  She filed for divorce.
	“Then I encountered her law partners.  I found out why it’s the best law firm on the Coast.  It was pointed out to me in court that I was somewhat inaccurate in my characterization of my mother.
	“Cheap?  I was tied in knots by her partners, but they pointed out that she was wearing no makeup of any kind and was dressed in as conservative a manner as possible.  That took care of cheap.
	“Dumb?  Phi Beta Kappa, and summa cum laude from the University of Kansas.  Number one in her class at the UCLA graduate school of business.  Number one in her class at UCLA law school.  Incidentally — and I only found this out months later — the commencement address she prepared and delivered served to attract their first big client, Boeing Company.  So much for dumb.”  Jen grinned wryly and added, “One of her partners asked the Court to take judicial notice of the fact that with her degrees and academic standing, she was not dumb.  The California court, therefore has officially ruled that my mom ain’t dumb!
	“Gold digging?  At that time she and my father had been married only six months.  She was just getting started on her investment management.  As a result, she had only increased the family net worth $200 million or so.
	“Whore?”  Tears were visibly streaming down Jen’s face.  “I found out that Mom and Dad had been married for three months before they had sex for the first time!  I found out that prior to marrying Dad she had been with two men a total of three times, with the most recent experience seven years earlier.  Comparatively, I was the whore!
	“The divorce action was ended.  Then what?  Then I found out the kind of person my father married.  I went to her and begged for forgiveness.  I would have thrown me out.  What did she do?  She held me close and comforted me.  Later, she removed all of my pubic hair — the club owner where I was working as an exotic dancer wanted me that way.  Can you believe it?  No one would do such a thing for her natural daughter.  It’s disgusting!
	“Then I met Steve Chapman.  We made love after he saw my act at the club.  Then I threw him out of my apartment and went to mother’s.  I was a wreck!  I couldn’t talk — hell, I couldn’t even see for all my tears.  She stroked my hair, put me to bed and kissed me.  Then she fixed it up with Steve.  Finally, I was coming out here to meet his parents.  She and her partners assembled a fabulous wardrobe so my future in-laws would like me.
	“Why did she do this?  Because she loves me.  She says I’m a piece of my father who she adores.  Anyway, here I am.  Can I apply for membership in the League?  In spite of everything?”  She smiled and Jan could see the tears had dried leaving her face as beautiful as ever.  Jen was another girl who wore no makeup.
	Turning to Jan, Jennifer continued, “As for you, Mrs. Stewart, I have a few bones to pick with you, too.”  She turned back to face the audience and said, “The first time I met Janice Stewart it was at my apartment.  I ask her a perfectly simple question: How do you get cum out of the carpet?”  The audience exploded in laughter.
	“What’s so funny?  It’s a problem.  Do you know what she said?  She said to redo the floors in marble or something.  I pointed out that the carpeted floor was hard enough on my rear end and she just shook her head and replied, ‘Maybe there’s something to be said for having broad hips and a well-padded ass.’  Is that help?  I ask you?”  Again there was laughter.
	“And another thing:  This question I will address to the floor.  We have all heard about a woman as a depository for a man’s sexual fluids?  Well, I’m a lousy depository.  I wouldn’t have the problem with the carpet if I could just hold it inside.  I can’t!  Not even with an enormous plug in my cunt.  It still spills out.  If there are any ‘depository’ types here today I would like to hear from you, either in the question period or after the meeting.
	“A final point: I’m getting a little annoyed at the idea that I don’t work.  I do!  Very hard!  Actually, it’s my mother’s revenge.  She forced me to agree to something as a condition of forgiving me for almost breaking up her marriage.  She and dad insisted that I agree to help spend some of their money.”
	Jen stopped as laughter broke out from the audience.  “What’s so damned funny?  You can’t believe how sinister my mother is.  Almost every week Steve will come home shaking his head, looking sorrowful.  The reason is always the same: more money appeared in our account.  We can’t seem to keep ahead of it.  But I try... I really do.  The last point?  I want to talk to some of you women who can have sex with a man and still look fresh and undisturbed.  Jess made me feel better.  She told us how she looks like a discarded rag doll.  I’ll second that, with a qualification.  A rag doll that’s soaking wet, to boot!
	“Anyway, thank you for asking me.  And please consider my application for membership seriously.  I freely admit I’m not much, but you will get a bit of my mother as an added attraction.  She is very much worth having!  Thank you.”
	Again there was a standing ovation for Jennifer as she returned to her seat.  Janice was back at the microphone.  “Thank you Jen, very much!  I’m not sure for what, but thanks anyway.”  Jan looked at Jen and appeared to frown.  “Chapman, what are you good for, anyway?”  She shook her head and then visibly brightened.  “I know!  First, it seems I read somewhere in the Provisional material that we’re supposed to try to get new members.  Okay, you’re my new member!”
	Then Jan frowned again.  “On the other hand, why would the League want you?”  Again she brightened.  “I just realized, you do have one skill!  Signing checks!  It’s not as valuable as stuffing envelopes, of course, but I suppose it will come in handy for our fund raiser!”  When Jan mentioned signing checks, Jen began a pantomime.  She stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth and imitated a little girl trying to sign her name.  Jan saw her and laughed.  Then she said, “And just what do you think you’re doing, Mrs. Chapman?”
	Jen appeared to jerk up with a start.  “Oh!...  Nothing...  It was just...  Damn it, Jan, why did you have to go and ruin it?  It was fine until you mentioned signing checks.  Steve loves me and takes care of me!  That’s why he bought me a check-signing machine for Christmas!  Do I have to sign my name?  Really?”
	Jennifer had been speaking into the microphone placed in front of her for the question-and-answer session scheduled to follow the speeches.  Jan couldn’t keep a straight face and started laughing.  The audience was howling, too.
	Jan saw a woman standing with a big grin on her face and recognized her.  “Mrs. Stewart, I’m Karen Anderson, treasurer of the Northbrook Junior League.  First, I want to thank you for all your help in recruiting speakers who have produced the biggest turnout in League history.  Secondly, in the spirit of cooperation and friendship for which the League is noted — along with greed — we’re willing to accept Mrs. Chapman’s machine-signed checks!”
	At this comment everyone, particularly Jen, redoubled their laughter.  When it died down, Jen stuck out her tongue at Jan and said, “See, not everyone is as nasty to me as you are, Janice Stewart!”
	Jan just shook her head and waited for quiet.  “Ladies, it is now my great pleasure to welcome Karen Fletcher, our featured speaker this afternoon.
	“I can’t remember when I first read a Karen Fletcher book.  I do remember two things, though: first, how enjoyable it was; second, that there was no picture nor any other biographical information about Karen Fletcher.  What I do remember is how authentic everything always was.  I recall envying all of the travel she must have done to research her locales in depth.  Why in depth?  Initially I thought she was writing about where she lived.  Then I realized it would have been impossible for anyone to have lived in so many places.  Finally, I guess I envied the money she makes.  She always has a book on the best-seller list!  I can even recall one time when she had numbers one, two, and four on the same list.  Then I met her and really felt badly — but for a different set of reasons than I ever would have guessed.
	“Ladies, please welcome Karen Fletcher in the first public appearance of her career.  Karen, we are honored!”
	Martha rose gracefully and went to the rostrum.  She was wearing a white wool dress that set off her honey-gold tan along with a string of pearls.  She appeared to be about thirty years old.  She took Jan in her arms in a hug, and then kissed her and whispered, “Jan, please keep your fingers crossed!  I’m so scared!”
	Jan kissed her cheek and went back to her seat.  Martha just stood up straight as the people rose to their feet and applauded, then cheered.  Finally the noise subsided and the room grew quiet as they waited to hear Karen Fletcher.
	“Thank you so much,” Martha began.  Jan could hear her subtly emphasizing her Southwestern heritage as she spoke.  “This is a first, as Janice Stewart said.  It is the first appearance of Karen Fletcher in public.  Anywhere in public.  You see, my name is Martha Peters.  I’m Jill Peter’s mother and a dirt farmer’s wife.”  Jill jumped from her chair and went to the rostrum where she hugged her mother tightly and then kissed her.  Martha put her arm around her daughter’s waist and faced the crowd again.
	Jill was five feet ten inches and Martha was almost five feet nine.  Standing together the family resemblance was unmistakable — except for the one-inch difference in height, they were twin sisters.  There were audible gasps from the crowd.  Jill kissed her mother on the cheek and returned to her seat.  “I listened to Jan’s introductions — both her general introduction and mine.  It was all I could do to keep from laughing.
	“I think she said there were ten degrees represented up here on the stage.  I have zero.  We’re knee-deep in academic honors up here.  I don’t have any of those, either.  My education?  I graduated from a consolidated regional high school near Amarillo, Texas, more years ago than I care to remember.  I married a dirt farmer with a wind-blown piece of land near there.  It’s where we still live.  Research?  Well, I use the public library.  Oh, and for the most important research, I use my husband, Mark.
	“Those of you who have read my books know all about my love life.  You see Mark ‘test drives’ the sex scenes with me to make sure they really work.  He complains bitterly when my pelvis is jerking uncontrollably in orgasm and I reach for a pad and pencil to record the sensations.”  From the gasps heard from the audience it was clear there were many Karen Fletcher readers present who knew what she was referring to.
	“How did I become an author?  It was all my daughter’s fault.  Beginning when she was in high school, I would borrow her English books while she was sleeping and study them.”  She looked down the table at her daughter and said, “And by the way, Jill Peters Gordon, they were usually unopened!  I never mentioned it before for fear you would ask me how I knew!”  Jill laughed and winked at her mother.  “This continued as she majored in English at University of Texas at Austin.  Of course, with her away at school it was a mixed blessing.  On the one hand I had a lot more time and I didn’t have to hide the books.  On the other hand, I was always at least one term behind.  Jill aimed to be a writer.  Her father and I were convinced she knew nothing worth writing about.  I figured if she could do it, I certainly could.  So I did.”
	Martha grinned out at the audience.  “Do you know what I did?  I wrapped up my first manuscript and mailed it off to New York.  How did I select a publisher?  I mailed to the first one for which I found the complete mailing address.  A couple of weeks later I got a check and a contract.  It seemed easy enough, so that’s how I became a writer.
	“How do I do it?  I just think of Mark and try to communicate my love for him in words on paper.  Of course I change the names from time to time.  That’s called characterization.  Not even my daughter knew anything about this until she came home to get married the end of last year.  A young man had found her who’s a real dream.  Jill doesn’t know it yet, but Mark and I have initiated adoption proceedings.  He’s going to be our son.  We’re taking this step in case our daughter is so dumb she manages to lose him.
	“I heard about playpens.  I heard about an estate in San Diego and a penthouse overlooking the lake in Chicago.  My home in the Texas Panhandle is my playpen.  I adore my husband.  He is my life.  He’s also my best friend, my confidante, my playmate.  At any rate, that’s the story of Karen Fletcher.  I hope you’re not terribly disappointed.  Jan?”
	Jan went back to the rostrum.  This time there was little applause.  The audience was sitting in stunned silence.  Jan said, “Thank you, Martha.  I don’t see why these women are so quiet.  Of course!  They’ve never actually met a woman who gave birth at the age of five before!  That must be it!”
	With those words, there was a sudden thunderous cheer as the women jumped to their feet and started applauding wildly.  It was minutes before order returned and the question period began.
	One woman sitting close to the speakers’ table rose and said, “Would it be possible for the Peters women to stand together away from the rostrum?  I think we would all like to get a better look at them.”
	Jill rose and went to where her mother was sitting.  The two women went around the front of the platform and stood together looking almost like twin sisters.  Jan went to the microphone and said, “It really is true.  I saw the stretch marks on Martha’s abdomen.  Of course I was surprised.  I thought she would have outgrown them when she reached puberty!  Incidentally, her husband, Mark, calls her Honey.  Of course a lot of husbands call their wives that.  In Mark’s case, there is a different reason.  You see — or would, if you saw her bare the way I did — her body is the most exquisite all-over honey-gold I’ve ever seen.  But yes, she is Jill’s mother.”
	There were a series of questions that the women fielded.  Finally at three o’clock the luncheon ended and the women started to leave the room.  Jan was talking with Jennifer and teasing her.  Jen was just beaming back at Jan when a handsome woman came up behind her and poked her in the ribs.
	Jan spun around and shrieked in surprise, “Mother!  I didn’t know you were coming!”  She turned around and said, “Jan, may I introduce you to my mother — Steve’s mother — Judy Chapman?  Mother, this is Janice Stewart.”
	Judy Chapman took both of Jan’s hands in hers and looked at her steadily.  Then she just shook her head.  “Jan, I’m so proud to meet you!  When Steve brought Jen out from Los Angeles, I thought she was one of a kind.  You’re as beautiful as she is — and if you knew how much I loved my daughter, you would appreciate the significance of what I just said.”
	Judy then smiled and hit Jen on the arm with a small fist.  “As for you, Jennifer Chapman, what’s your excuse?”  Then she grinned at both of the girls and asked, “Did you two ever think of getting up a comedy act?  I almost fell off my chair laughing!  Jan, you really should have seen Jen with the tip of her tongue coming out of the corner of her mouth as she pretends to be writing her name!  It looked exactly like a little girl just learning to write in the second grade!  Jen, you were terrific!”  She beamed at the two girls and added, “Now I’m getting some respect!  Not all of my friends had met Jen before, but they were all here today.”
	She turned to Jen and said, “Darling, I could have filled up your social calendar for the next year and a half in the last ten minutes.  By the way, how many boards of directors would you like to serve on?  They all want you — check-signing machine and all,” she added with a big grin.
	Jill and Martha came up to her and kissed her.  “Jan, thank you!  And we do mean for everything!” Martha said.  “Thank you for what you did for our daughter.  She turned out pretty well after all.”
	Jan just shook her head.  “Martha, honestly, I had nothing to do with it.  It was Bob and it was Jill, herself.  She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life with the possible exception of you.  Thank you so much for coming!”  The women then told of their European trip which might extend to a world cruise.  They kissed her warmly and departed.
	The room was now clearing and only a few people were left.  Jen and Jessica were comparing notes and catching up on old times when four men appeared at the door.  It was Bill Collins, Steve Chapman, Jack Carlson, and Pete.  The men went up to their wives, took them in their arms, and kissed them soundly.
	When Pete released her, Jan still had an arm around his shoulder.  She looked at Jess and saw the girl holding on to Jack to keep from falling.
	Jan whispered, “See, smarty!  I’m not the only one!”
	Steve and Jen Chapman invited the Collins out for dinner and the Stewarts and the Carlsons left for dinner, too.  They went out to the hotel’s lounge because it was not quite four o’clock.  When they sat down, Pete told Jess and Jack about the new hard drive.  Jess jumped out of her chair and sat down hard on Jan’s lap, wrapped her arms around her and kissed her warmly.  “Stewart, would you like our first born, growing inside me?  Perhaps a wet nurse for your baby?  You’ve seen my breasts.  Are they good enough to feed your child?  I’ll be your slave, of course.  Is that enough to have access to the Peters’ Drive?  Perhaps a slave couple?  Jack’s an excellent bartender.”
	Jan hugged her friend tightly and said, “Jess, I didn’t have the chance before:  Congratulations!  I’m so happy for you both!  I have heard about it, but can’t recall ever seeing it before.  As beautiful as you were in San Diego, you’re far more beautiful now that you’re expecting!  You look... fulfilled!  You really do!”
	Tears started flowing from Jess’s eyes, but she had a beatific smile.  “Jan, isn’t it what we were made for?  Isn’t this the most important thing that differentiates women from men?  We can create, with God’s help, another being!  Jan, I can’t tell you how happy I am!”  Still sitting on Jan’s lap, she turned to Jack and stuck out her tongue.  “And just think, John Carlson, I am making a baby right this minute.  I’m doing it all by myself, with just the tiniest bit of help from you!”
	Jack got up, came over to Jan’s chair and lifted Jess up in his arms as if she were a feather.  Jess’s eyes widened for an instant, then she just snuggled into his shoulder with her arms around his neck.  When he sat down with Jess across his lap, she lifted her head and he melted his lips to hers in a kiss.  Jan heard Jess whisper, “Are you happy, darling?”
	Jack squeezed his wife tightly and said, “Love, I could not possibly be happier!  I just couldn’t!”
	They ate dinner together and finally Jan produced a contract for them to review.  “It provides that San Diego Computing gets first call on the Peters’ Drive.  You will receive any quantities you need limited only to 100 percent of our production.  You are guaranteed the lowest price offered to any customer.  The contract runs for five years.  Is that acceptable?”
	“Darling,” Jess asked Jack sweetly, “Would you mind being the slave first?  After I deliver, of course, I’ll relieve you.  By that time Jan will need a wet nurse, and my breasts will be filled with milk to feed her infant.  Along with each of our right arms, of course!  I think that’s fair, don’t you?”
	They all laughed at the way Jess had made her speech without so much as cracking a smile.  Then Jess turned to Jan, “Fair?  It’s the most unfair contract I’ve ever heard of in my life!  You give us everything and get nothing!  It’s absolutely ridiculous!”
	“What do you think would be fairer?” Jan asked, puzzled.
	“How about first refusal on our requirements at any price you set?  And how about one year instead of five?”
	Jan kissed Pete softly and whispered in a stage whisper making certain Jess and Jack could hear, “Aren’t you glad you married such a good negotiator, darling?  It’s a tough deal for us, I admit, but it’s the best I can get!”  Pete kissed the tip of her nose.  She wiggled it like a rabbit, and he kissed it again.  By this time Jan was sitting on Pete’s lap and he was hugging her tightly.  As he hugged her, she made the wonderful noises deep in her throat that he loved so much.
	“Jack, isn’t this fun?  Your wife looks exactly like mine.  Tiny, and warm and wet — like a little girl!  It’s neat!”
	They finally agreed on a deal and went in for dinner.

Chapter 18
	Jan was sitting in her office going through the mail.  It was April and spring was coming to Chicagoland.  The weather was gorgeous; it was the first warm sun-drenched day of the season.  Jan could almost forget that Pete had left two days earlier for an extended trip to Italy, Germany and Japan to line up specialty machine-tool suppliers whose equipment was needed to go into production on the Peters Drive.
	The drive had been introduced a month earlier at COMDEX and it was the runaway hit of the show.  They sold out their intended first-year production and planned to increase capacity substantially.  Jan had run demonstrations at their booth similar to the ones that Mark had used to demonstrate the drive at the farm.  The results were at least as spectacular.  Meanwhile, units had been released to trade writers and the first reviews were now on her desk.  Without exception, they were raves.  For the first time, there were no clouds on Janice’s horizon.
	Then she came to the certified letter.  She opened it and found it was from Hugo Bingham at Argus Corporation.  He stated that he had acquired Illinois Technologies’ $20 million demand note from Chicago Trust Company, IT’s bank.  According to the loan terms, payment was demanded forthwith.  The loan agreement provided for 15 days notice.  Notice ran from that morning.  Jan was in a state of shock but she immediately called the bank.  Her account officer, Cynthia Martin, a vice president, was in conference so she left word for her to call.
	She opened the letter again and found there was more material in the envelope.  There was a note from Hugo Bingham.  He said that Argus would rescind its call of the note provided she returned to him as his slave!  Enclosed was a photo Jan recognized.  It was a picture of herself, although her face did not show.  It showed her back scored with bleeding welts after having been whipped.  Jan’s stomach turned as she remembered that day.
	She still hadn’t heard back from her bank officer, so she drove into Chicago and confronted the girl in her office.  Martin admitted she had been ducking Jan.  Yes, the bank had sold the note to Argus.  “But Jan, we had no choice!  He offered us a 20-percent premium on its face amount.  After all, dear, we couldn’t say no, could we?”  Jan stormed out of the bank without another word.  She vowed to do no more business with that institution ever... assuming she ever had any more business to do.
	Over the next days there were nearly-daily reminders from Hugo Bingham.  A couple of days after the first letter, Jan received a set of leather bracelets for her wrists and ankles.  They fastened permanently and had steel rings on the outside that Jan realized permitted the wearer to be hooked to fasteners on a wall or post and locked into a position.  The next day she received a collar that served the same purpose.  Similar mailings, detailing her future duties as a slave, arrived almost daily.
	By now nearly two weeks of the fifteen days had passed and Jan was beside herself.  Her first thought had been the Gordons, but they hadn’t yet returned from their trip.  As they all expected, it had turned into a world cruise, and they could not be reached.  To add to her frustration, at least twice a week she received cards from Jill or Martha describing what they were doing and telling of all the fun they were having.  Jan was beside herself with worry.
	She had tried to reach Jennifer Chapman but an answering service picked up.  When she identified herself she was told that the Chapmans — senior and junior — were traveling.  Questioned closely, the operator admitted she seldom heard from either of the families.  There was already a thick stack of messages waiting for them to call.  Jan indicated her call was an emergency, and the operator said she would be sure to pass the message along... if the Chapmans called.
	Jan was tortured every time she talked with Pete on the telephone.  His trip was going very well, and he missed her.  She didn’t tell him of Bingham or his actions because there was nothing Pete could do about it anyway.
	One event did make her feel better.  She learned that a couple of men — obviously hired by Argus — had appeared at a Deerfield bar where workers at Illinois Tech hung out.  The men had started to talk loudly at the bar about Jan and about the fact that she had been a prostitute.  They even had pictures of her.  The IT people and the other locals ignored them until they produced the pictures.  Then the fun began.  It seemed that the two men were left unconscious in a ditch just inside the town line.  There they were picked up and arrested by Deerfield police for disorderly conduct.  When they tried to explain that they had been attacked, three officers testified to the magistrate that they had been in the bar all evening and never saw the men before in their lives!  The next day the remains of the pictures arrived on Jan’s desk, torn into confetti.  There was no note.
	There were now only a few days left, and she was terrified.  She didn’t mind for herself, but she knew what it would do to Pete if she were Bingham’s slave.  It was clear that she would be forced to attend computer trade shows appearing in the most degrading manner his dirty mind could conceive.  Jan admitted that he was very creative in such things.  No possible solution occurred to her.  Finally, she decided to check her computer database to see if there were any people she might have overlooked whose help she could possibly enlist.  Going through the names, she came to Jennifer Chapman’s file.  Listed there was her mother, Allison Clifford, with the notation that she was one of the richest people in the world.  Further, it said she was senior partner of a law firm.
	Jan called Anita Collins.  Anita gave her the name of a lawyer friend in town who was likely to have a copy of the Martindale-Hubbell lawyers’ directory.  She called and got an almost-immediate answer.  The firm name was Clifford & Jamison; Allison Clifford was managing partner and the phone number was provided.  She checked her watch and saw that it was eight-thirty in Los Angeles.  Swallowing hard, she dialed the number.
	A girl answered, “Clifford & Jamison, good morning!  How may I help you?”
	“Good morning.  Mrs. Clifford please.”
	“Mrs. Clifford’s office.  This is Kathy.  How may I help you?”
	“Kathy, this is Janice Stewart calling.  Mrs. Clifford doesn’t know me, but I’m a friend of her daughter, Jennifer.  May I speak to her, please?”
	“I’m sorry, Mrs. Stewart.  She isn’t in the office and is not expected today.  Can someone else help you?”
	“No, I’m afraid not.  I really need to see her on an urgent matter.  Could you get a message to her?  It’s very important that I see her as soon as possible.”  Kathy said she would do what she could, and Jan left her telephone number.  After hanging up the phone she looked at her calendar.  It was already Thursday.  On the following Tuesday, Jan would become Hugo Bingham’s slave.  The loan — all twenty million dollars — had to be paid on Monday.  For the first time since she was a small child, Jan put her head on her arms and started to cry.
	Just then, her phone rang.  She answered it and heard, “Mrs. Stewart?  This is Kathy Carlson, Mrs. Clifford’s secretary.  I reached Mrs. Clifford.  She said she can see you but asked me to find out the purpose of your visit.  She asked me to assure you that you can speak to me in confidence.”
	Jan glanced at the calendar and started to cry.  “Kathy, I need money.  I am vice president of Illinois Technologies in Deerfield, Illinois.  For reasons I can’t go into over the phone, I need twenty million dollars by Monday.  It’s an investment, I guess.  Does that help?”
	“Mrs. Stewart, let me get back to you.  I’ll call you back within the hour.”  The connection was broken.
	Thirty minutes later, the phone rang again.  It was Kathy Carlson.  “Mrs. Stewart?  Mrs. Clifford asked if you could catch the American flight to Los Angeles arriving LAX at six-thirty Friday evening.  Someone will meet you at the security barrier.  Mrs. Clifford will meet with you at eight o’clock on Monday morning.”  There was silence on the line for a few moments.  Then Kathy added, “I explained the urgency to her.”
	Jan said she would be on the plane and hung up, then went home to prepare for the trip.  She took a portable computer and one of the Peters’ Drives.  Early Friday morning she was in the office carefully going over the financial information she thought she would need.  Finally, she made arrangements to be driven to O’Hare.  If the trip wasn’t successful, she wouldn’t be coming back to O’Hare to pick up Pete’s car... ever!  She boarded the plane.
	The flight to Los Angeles was the longest flight she could remember.  She was so preoccupied, she could barely remain civil to the young lady in the next seat who wanted to talk about women in business.  Finally the wide-body was in its final approach and then started setting down at Los Angeles International Airport.  Getting off the plane, Jan’s heart was in her mouth.  She didn’t know what to expect.  All she knew were three things: first, Allison Clifford was one of the richest women in the world; second, Jennifer Chapman worshiped her; and third, she cared about other people — or Jen claimed she did.  She passed through security and heard a musical female voice say, “Mrs. Stewart?”
	Jan stopped short.  She saw a beautiful girl standing in front of her wearing Jan’s own favorite leisure costume: skin-tight Levi’s and a blue chambray work shirt.  The girl was a golden blonde with piercing blue eyes and a golden tan.  Jan smiled and said, “I’m Janice Stewart,” and stuck out her hand.
	The girl took it in a firm grip and smiled warmly.  “Welcome to Los Angeles, Mrs. Stewart!  I’m Ali.  Mrs. Clifford asked me to look after you until Monday morning, if it’s all right with you?  Do you have any luggage?”
	Jan admired the young woman who moved with a very athletic stride.  Because of the Levi’s there was no question about her figure.  Her legs were perfect.  Looking at the shirt, she could see the girl’s nipples protruding under the material.  Clearly, she wasn’t wearing a bra.  They chatted and went to the baggage claim area where Jan retrieved her suitcase and the special padded case she used to transport the computer.  She carried the Peters Drive in the cabin with her, never letting it out of her sight if she could avoid it.
	Ali helped her with the bags and they went out to the curb where a long gray limousine was waiting.  Ali said, “Fred, this is Mrs. Stewart.  She’s a friend of Mrs. Clifford’s.”  They got in the car and it smoothly pulled out into traffic.  When they got clear of the airport, Ali asked, “Mrs. Stewart, do you drink?”
	“Ali, the name is Jan, for God’s sake!  You aren’t that much younger than I am, and you make me feel like an old woman!”
	Ali grinned and stuck out her hand again.  “Hi, Jan.  I like you very much.”  Jan was impressed with the girl’s firm grip.  “But you still didn’t answer the question.  Do you drink?  If so, would you like one?”  The girl grinned even more broadly.  “Every once in a while, Mrs. Clifford gives me an assignment like this and I get to use her car and driver.  I feel like a little kid and want to bounce up and down on the seats!”  With that, she started to bounce.  She blushed when she caught a glare from the driver in the mirror.  “Oops!  Fred may tell the old lady!”
	She opened a panel in the back of the partition and revealed a fully-equipped bar.  “I’m going to have a very dry martini!  How about you, Jan?”
	Jan smiled and said she would join her.  Ali mixed the drinks with practiced skill and gave one to Jan.  “Good luck, Jan!  May I consider you a friend?  I hope you will think of me as one of yours.  I heard a rumor that you’re a friend of Jennifer Clifford’s.  Is that true?”
	Jan smiled again and said, “I hope so!  She’s one of the nicest — and certainly one of the funniest — girls I’ve ever met.”  She told Ali about the luncheon and Jen’s pantomime with signing the check.  She went on to tell about her first meeting with Jen, her question about cleaning cum out of the carpet, and her reply.
	By this time, Ali was giggling merrily.  She finally admitted to knowing Jen.  “She really is a nice person, I guess.  I know Mrs. Clifford thinks the sun rises and sets in her.”  They enjoyed their drinks.
	Finally they arrived at a very impressive downtown office tower.  Ali said that they might as well bring her computer and things in and lock them in the office where they would be safe.  Jan realized with a start it was almost eight o’clock in the evening.  They rose in the elevator to the top office floor.  Getting off the elevator, she saw a beautiful entrance with the name, Clifford & Jamison, in brass letters over the door.
	After Ali used a key to let them in, Jan was surprised to see the office was dark.  She understood law firms, particularly the most successful ones, were going till all hours.  She asked Ali about it, but the girl just shrugged and said, “Not this one!”  They went into a corner office; Jan had noticed the discrete lettering next to the door that said, Allison Clifford, Managing Partner.  Ali opened the door and stood back to allow Jan to precede her.
	“My God, what an office!” Jan exclaimed.  “It’s like a Hollywood set!”
	It was a beautiful evening in Los Angeles.  Looking to the west, the sun had just set.  There was a magnificent vista out to the ocean and north to the mountains and the San Fernando Valley beyond.  Jan just went to the windows which were floor-to-ceiling and admired the view.  Then she looked at the very large leather-topped desk in front of the window.  She sighed and Ali asked what was wrong.  “There’s nothing wrong!  I was just thinking of being at this window and having my husband, Pete, take me on the desk.  Just the two of us and the lights of the city.  We would both be bare and making love in full view of anyone who cared to look!  It would be heavenly!”
	Ali grinned and said, “I don’t think there’s a girl in the office who hasn’t been taken at least once on Mrs. Clifford’s desk, most particularly including yours truly!  I’m afraid it’s not an original thought.”
	Ali asked about hotel arrangements.  Jan blushed and admitted she had none.  “Ali, I’ll be honest.  My husband and I are facing financial ruin.  I guess I was thinking of sleeping on a park bench or something.”
	Ali grinned and said, “In that case would you mind sharing my apartment?  There’s an advantage to it: Mrs. Clifford asked me to show you how our computers and things work and help you to prepare for Monday’s meeting.  I hope you don’t mind?”
	“Not at all!  How about dinner?  With you providing my housing, I could certainly buy dinner for us.”
	Ali just shook her head.  “Mrs. Clifford asked me to pick up a lot of food and charge the firm.  It’s all at the apartment.  Do you cook, by any chance?  Because if you don’t, we’re going to have a big problem.”  Jan admitted that she did cook a little.  The girls closed up the office and went down to the lobby and then to the garage below.
	Ali grinned at Jan and said, “I run another con job.  You might wonder what I do around the place.  Actually, I’m the girl of all work.  One of the things I do is take care of Mrs. Clifford’s car.  Periodically I’ll tell her it needs servicing and she never knows the difference.  Anyway, I told her it has to go in the shop early on Monday, so I have it for the weekend!”  Because of the late hour the garage was nearly empty.  They went up to a white Mazda RX-7 convertible.  As she got in and retracted the top into its boot, Ali looked at Jan and said, “I hope you don’t mind if your hair blows?  Guest or not, if you do mind, that’s tough!  It’s my chance to enjoy a convertible instead of my old clunker!”
	She expertly handled the small car through the garage and then accelerated when she reached the street.  Jan leaned back in the seat and enjoyed Ali’s driving.  Regardless of what Mrs. Clifford might do with the car, it was clear Ali knew how to handle it.  She wound her way to an apartment complex in a not-very-good section of the Valley and pulled into a parking space.  After putting the top up she led the way into an apartment unit.  The unit was very clean but rather spartan.  Clearly, she was not rolling in money.  Ali helped carry her things into the bedroom and then went to a closet.
	She was taking a blanket off the shelf when Jan noticed what she was doing.  “Ali, what are you doing with the blanket?”
	The girl looked embarrassed but said, “It’s not very cold, Jan, so I didn’t think you would need an extra one tonight.  I’m just taking it out to the living room.”
	“What on earth for?”
	“Well, you’re sleeping in here, so...”
	“Young lady, do you mean to say you intend to give up your bed and sleep on the sofa?”  Ali didn’t answer; she just looked sheepish.  “The hell you will!  I can be perfectly happy on the sofa.”  Her face fell as she added, “If I don’t get the money, I’ll be sleeping on the floor next to Bingham’s bed.”
	Ali just shook her head.  Then she said, “How about a compromise?  Could we share?  The bed is pretty big and neither of us are fat...”
	Jan’s face fell.  “Ali, I forgot to bring any pajamas.  I’ve slept bare for so long I’m not sure if I even have any!”
	The girl just grinned.  “If you can stand it, I’m sure I can.  I don’t have any either, and I would feel like a fool putting on a bra to go to bed.  I think I can stand it.”  She grinned and cocked her head, “You don’t snore, do you?”  Jan just grinned back and shook her head.  The two young women went out to the kitchen.
	Ali opened up the refrigerator and the cupboards and then just looked lost.  “Jan, I can boil water.  Mostly I get that right.  I can even make coffee in an automatic coffee maker.  Now you know the extent of my culinary skills, end to end.  I was all set to take you out to dinner tonight — live it up on Mrs. C. — when she insisted on buying the food.  I could have even headed that off but her secretary — who really can cook — had already done the ordering.  Are we going to starve?”
	While she was talking, Jan was taking inventory.  She found two magnificent-looking sirloin steaks.  “Would you like steaks and a salad?” Jan asked.  Ali nodded her head vigorously and offered to make drinks.  She said she drank martinis, and Jan said she would join her again.  Moments later Ali was back with the liquor and quickly made two drinks.  She sat and watched while Jan moved easily around the kitchen.  Ali marveled at how quick and sure she was.  In no time things were cooking, and Jan was fixing a salad.  While things were coming together, Ali set the table, claiming it was another culinary art of hers she had forgotten.
	She had just lighted two candles on the table when Jan brought the dinners out.  They started with shrimp cocktail with Arnaud’s sauce from New Orleans.  It was followed by entrecôte, sauce Périgord with soufléed potatoes and served it with a salad she created.
	Ali’s eyes widened as she tried the beef and then the potatoes which were like tiny crisp balloons.  “Jan, what did you do!?  This is utterly spectacular!  Where did you ever learn to cook?”
	Jan looked down at her plate then looked into Ali’s eyes.  “Ali, I guess you know from Jen I was a prostitute?”  Ali remained impassive, merely nodding her head.  “Well, I didn’t like myself very much.  In fact, I hated myself.  Aside from going to school and working, I did a few other things — like learning to cook.  I would pretend that I was married and my husband was coming home.”  She smiled faintly and continued.  “Often, I would even set two places at the table.  I knew no man would ever have me, but I pretended someone did marry me.  I knew I had to be a good housekeeper because I couldn’t be good with him in bed.  I was just a piece of warm meat with a small range of imitation emotions.
	“Then I met Bob Gordon.  He hired me to coach Jill and himself.  Jill had only been with a man once before in her life, and Bob had only been with a girl twice.  Lessons!?  On the first morning — I escaped from Hugo Bingham, and they allowed me into their hotel room to protect me — Jill made me a bet.  It seems that the night before she bet Bob that he couldn’t get her to beg him to fuck her.  Bob absolutely took her apart!  He would fondle her and caress her and bring her to the point of release — and stop.  She claimed it went on all night long.  Finally she assaulted him, hoping he would take her over his knee and make her cum by spanking her and putting pressure on her clit.  Well, he started to spank her all right, and she became excited.  Bob realized what she was doing so he took her to her peak spanking her.  Just as she was about to release, he changed tempo.  She didn’t get her release, but she certainly got a very sore little ass!”
	Jan smiled warmly and continued, “Then the trouble began.  Jill told me what had happened.  She bet me ten dollars I would be begging Bob for release, too!  I took the bet.”  She shook her head, remembering.  “It turned out to be the best money I ever lost!
	“At any rate, I was naked, too, and Bob had me kneel on the bed facing him.  He started to caress my boobs and my body, then moved to my inner thighs.  Finally, he entered my cunt with his finger and started to tickle my clit.  When he started, it was like it always was with the customers.  I didn’t feel anything.  He has a fantastic touch, though.  Soon I was moaning and could feel myself going higher and higher.  I was enjoying sensations I had never experienced in my life.  I could feel myself rising to a higher and higher sexual peak and was about to explode.  Then he stopped.  I was vibrating!
	“I remember it vividly as I tell you about it.  When I had calmed down a bit, he started working on me again.  I had never met a man who was so attuned to a woman and her body!  He took me to the crest... and stopped.  I don’t know how many times I went up and down like a yo-yo!  Finally, I started to cry and scream.  I begged him for release!  Then he started working on me again.  He took me to the crest, and over.  He kept working on my body and I was continually cuming.  It was unbelievable!  I remember just falling face-down on the bed with my knees still under me to keep my crotch raised.  My thighs were spread wide, and I was just pouring fluids on the bed like a river!  Bob slowed down and let me come off the crest.  Then the dear just caressed my ass!  I remember wiggling it on the bed, it felt so good!  When I was relaxed, he pulled the covers up over me, and I fell asleep.  It was heavenly!  I had never cum before and didn’t think I ever could.  He showed me that I could.
	“Then on Maui, I met Pete.  He had never been with a girl before in his life.  He was a virgin!”  Jan told how they spent the first afternoon on the nude beach and spread lotion over each other.  The two girls laughed when Jan recounted how Pete had skipped from the middle of her back down to her legs, missing “the part I least care to have fried!”
	Then she described how they first made love on the beach.  “Ali, I thought Bob had a feeling for women!  Pete is indescribable!  On the one hand, he’s so big and strong, he can pick me up like a feather.  In fact, on our wedding day he carried me under his arm holding me with one hand like a loaf of bread!  But at the same time he has the most exquisite touch!  The first time he took me, he maintained my orgasm for over fifteen minutes, until I passed out!  He has the most extraordinary control I’ve ever heard of.  He knows exactly how to move inside me so that I just keep pouring out juices in a flood!”
	Jan grinned and added, “Ali, you wouldn’t believe what a mess I am when Pete finishes with me!  I’m sweating like a pig, even my hair is soaking wet, and I’ve been pouring juices all over the bed!  My head flops from side to side, I make the most obscene noises, my arms just flail around... I’m utterly destroyed.  And this is every day, now!
	“I’m sorry, Ali.  This was all a long story to explain how I learned to cook.”  Then Jan smiled brilliantly.  “The first day we were back from our honeymoon in Deerfield, Bob had gone to the office.  I met him at the door wearing a shorty peignoir that doesn’t even reach my crotch.  I had one of the dinners I dreamed of making prepared for him.  He loved it.  He really did!”
	Jan started to cry.  Tears were streaming down her cheeks but she managed to say, “I never thought it could possibly happen, but it did!  Then he carried me up to bed.  I was cradled in his powerful arms, and crushed to his broad chest!  It was so delicious!  Then he put me on the bed and took me... and took me... and took me, until I passed out.  It was the evening I dreamed about, but my dreams were not nearly as good as the reality!”  She wiped her eyes and asked with a little smile, “Did you like the dinner?”
	Ali smiled softly and said, “Jan, it was the most marvelous dinner I’ve ever eaten.  But you know what?  As good as it was, it was like nothing compared to hearing you speak of your husband.  You love him, don’t you?”
	Jan shook her head and said, “Ali, it’s such a small word.  I adore him.  There is absolutely nothing I won’t do for him!”  Jan’s face dissolved in tears.  “I’ll go into slavery for him!  I guess that’s what is going to happen on Tuesday!  Ali, no one would give a person like me twenty dollars, let alone twenty million!  I thought it wouldn’t matter, but Ali, I’m afraid it will.  Before, I was a worthless piece of meat.  Now... Now, that I’ve experienced Pete’s love.  I...”  She looked up and Ali could see both pain and determination in the girl’s eyes.  “When Hugo rescinds the call of our note, I’m going to kill myself.  I couldn’t stand it, and I won’t allow Hugo to use me to hurt Pete.”
	Ali went pale listening to the girl.  She got up and came back with a bottle of fine cognac, poured a large glass for Jan and watched as she drank some.  Color started to come back to her face.
	Then Jan smiled and said, “I’m sorry, Ali.  This isn’t your problem.  Thank you so much for listening to me!”
	By this time it was eleven-thirty.  It was one-thirty Central time and Ali could see the girl was about to drop.  Ali quickly put the dishes in the sink, turned out the lights, and the girls went into the bedroom.  Jan used the bathroom first and came out nude.  Then Ali got a glimpse of a perfect figure tanned all over as Jan got into bed.  When Ali got into bed the lights were already out.  She enjoyed her proximity to a beautiful girl whose skin was like warm satin.
	Allison Clifford was awakened late at night by the sound of weeping.  She turned on the bed light and looked at Jan.  The girl was crying like her heart would break.  Ali turned out the light again and moved closer to Jan, taking her into her arms.  When Ali put her arms around her, Jan could feel herself pulled tightly against a beautiful female body.  She felt her breasts mashed by another pair as firm as her own.  Then she felt the girl gently stroking her hair.  She heard Ali whisper, “Please don’t cry, Jan.  It will be all right!  I know it will!”  Then she kissed the girl lightly on the lips.  She was surprised when her kiss was returned.  She was amazed at how sweet and tender the kiss was.
	“Thank you, dear Ali!  I’m so sorry!  I didn’t mean to awaken you.  But God, I miss Pete so!  And I’ll never see him again!”
	Ali just softly caressed the girl’s hair and could feel her begin to calm down.  Her shoulders were no longer shaking so much and her breathing became more regular.  Ali could feel the girl mold her body to her own and finally fall sleep.  Ali thought how strange yet pleasant the sensation was.  She was used to sleeping in Bill’s arms and she adored the feeling.  She decided she liked the feeling of being held tightly by the beautiful girl beside her.

Chapter 19
	Jan awakened at six o’clock.  Since it was eight o’clock by her biological clock, for her it amounted to sleeping late.  She was amazed to find she had been sleeping face-to-face with Ali.  The two girls’ bodies were entwined, and Ali’s hand was behind Jan’s head.  Although Jan didn’t know it, Ali had fallen asleep while caressing her hair.  Jan could feel her breasts and her body held closely against Ali’s.  Curiously, she loved the sensation.  She looked carefully at the girl now only inches away.  Her skin was magnificent and her figure was perfect.  A loose lock of hair had fallen over the girl’s eyes.  Jan saw that she had very long, full eyelashes.
	As she tried to carefully brush the hair off Ali’s face, the girl’s eyes opened.  Like Jan herself, there was no sign of puffiness.  Rather, Jan found herself looking into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen.  Ali’s eyes glistened, and Jan could feel the girl’s hand stroking her hair.
	“Hi,” Ali whispered, “How are you this morning, dear Jan?”
	Jan’s arm was around her, and she gave a squeeze.  “Ali, I’m so sorry!  Thank you, so much!  But how can you bear to be so close to a whore?  You may have saved my life, but it had to be disgusting for you!”
	Jan was surprised to see tears appear in the corners of Ali’s eyes and see her head shake.  “Jan, you don’t understand, do you?  I’m as far from being a lesbian as a woman can be.  Yet holding you tight feels so good!  You’re so soft and warm but...  You’re not really soft.  I can feel muscles moving under your soft skin.  Janice Stewart, you’re exquisite!”  Ali gave her another soft kiss filled with love.  Then her eyes gleamed and she said with a grin, “Now are you going to get your tight little ass the hell out of my bed?”
	Jan hopped out of bed and went into the bathroom.  After showering and washing her hair, she wrapped her hair in a towel and went out towards the kitchen.  Ali went into the bath as Jan disappeared.  When Ali came into the kitchen, Jan’s towel was folded, and she placed a plate in front of her.  It was the most elegant omelette Ali had ever tasted, served with crisp bacon.  Minutes later, Jan took fresh popovers out of the oven.  By this time her own omelette was ready, and she brought it to the table.  Ali just looked at the girl in amazement.  Clearly, she was as comfortable in her nudity as Ali was herself.
	When they were finished, Jan asked diffidently, “Do you have a cigarette in the apartment, by any chance?”
	Ali grinned and scampered into another room.  She came back with a tattered cigarette pack with two cigarettes left.  She frowned and said, “They’re stale.  They’ll smoke as hot as firecrackers, but what the hell!”  The girls lit up, then leaned back in their chairs and grinned at each other.
	“Stewart, how much are you going to charge me for this weekend?  Of course, I’m going to blow up like a balloon, but right now I couldn’t care less!”  She looked down at her chest and then at Jan’s.  “Jan, I envy you your chest!  You are magnificent!  I’m still on the scrawny side.”
	“Scrawny?” Jan exclaimed.  “I’ve heard of women fishing for compliments in my time, but you really take the cake!  Lady, you are perfect!”  Jan’s face displayed concern.  “Why did you say it the way you did?”
	“Because when Mrs. Clifford found me, I was starving.  Literally starving to death.  I don’t think I had eaten in three days.  I... I could have sold my body, I guess, but chose not to.  I’m sorry.”
	Jan knelt on the floor next to Ali and hugged the girl.  “Ali, you were right and I was wrong.  Although, maybe there are compensations.  I was in hell before I met the Gordons and then Pete.  I think maybe I appreciate heaven more, as a result.”  She kissed the girl softly on the cheek and sat down in her chair again.  “Did you really like the breakfast?  Would you like another popover?  They’re still hot?”
	“Stewart, you’re destroying me!  A gourmet meal for me is a trip to McDonald’s.  I used to like Egg McMuffin!  After this, what am I going to do?”  She grinned and gathered up the plates.  Soon she was washing the dishes including the ones left from the night before.  Jan shook her head and went to get dressed.
	She put on her skin-tight Levi’s and chambray shirt.  As she brushed her hair she realized that she and Ali had almost identical heads of hair.  Both girls were golden blondes with hair that was very full-bodied and naturally wavy.  When she went out to the kitchen, Ali was putting the last things away.  She was standing on tiptoe reaching for a high shelf.  Jan realized what a tempting target her tight little ass was.  She gave her a quick spank and jumped back as Ali spun around.  She held up her hands and said, “I’m sorry!  But, Ali, I just couldn’t resist!  Now I guess I see why Pete loves to squeeze my buns.  You have a beautiful little ass!”
	Ali was rubbing her bottom with a sorrowful look on her face.  “Thanks a helluva lot, Stewart.  I would get revenge if I wasn’t still enjoying that meal so much.”
	“Oh, what the hell!” said Jan as she turned around and bent over exposing her own ass now covered by the skin-tight jeans.
	She felt a smack and then heard Ali squeal, “Ouch!”  Jan turned around and laughed as she saw Ali making a face and shaking the hand she had just used to spank her.  “Damn it, Stewart, when it’s covered with denim, it sure in hell is not the same thing!”  The two girls laughed and Ali scampered off to get dressed.
	It was another beautiful day in Los Angeles.  The first thing Ali did was put the convertible top down before they headed for the downtown office.  Since it was still very early on a Saturday, there was almost no traffic.  Ali waved at the guard as she drove into the garage and parked the car where it had been the night before.  They went up to the office and went in.
	Ali turned on the lights and then said, “Oh, hell!  I’ll bet no one told the building to provide air conditioning today!  She grinned at Jan, made sure the front door was locked, and went into Mrs. Clifford’s office.  She stripped off her shoes, shirt and jeans and was just wearing her bikini.  “Jan, it’s going to be like an oven in here today.  I wash easier than my clothes.  Do you want to join me?”
	Jan just grinned and stripped off her clothes.  She turned to Ali and said, “I understand you’re supposed to help me get ready.  Is that right?”  Ali said it was.  “Then I guess you know how all this hardware works?  Can I give you a demonstration?”  Ali quickly agreed and Jan gave her some exercises to run on the computer after first familiarizing herself with its software and major files.  As Jan expected, the computer — a very powerful 80386 machine — visibly slowed when retrieving data from disk.
	When Ali finished, Jan shut down the computer, and using a quarter as a screwdriver, opened it up.  She carefully removed the hard drive and put in the Peters Drive.  She closed it and booted it up again.  “Okay, do the same exercises.  There are comparable files on this disk.”  Ali did as she was told.  She let out a low whistle as she saw the machine retrieve and manipulate files essentially instantaneously.
	When she finished Ali looked up, shaking her head.  “This drive is fast!  What did you do to it?”
	“Ali, the one that was in your machine was a 70-megabyte unit.  The one in it now is 500-megabytes.  Moreover, it has over 450 megabytes in use right now.  The file exercises were set to require the machine to go essentially end-to-end in its memory.  This is what I want Mrs. Clifford to invest in.  Do you think she will?”  Ali could see the fear appear again in Jan’s eyes as she asked the final question.
	“I’m sure you will get a good hearing.  Let’s get going!”
	As they started to work, they heard the door open.  A gorgeous girl with auburn hair stuck her head in.  “Ali, what are you doing in Mrs. Clifford’s office?  She’s going to have a bird!”  Then she saw Jan and came in.  She, too, was in Levi’s and a shirt.  “Hi, I’m Ginger Jamison, the junior partner in this firm.  I don’t think we’ve met.”
	Jan jumped to her feet and extended her hand.  It was taken in a grip as firm as her own.  “Hi.  I’m Janice Stewart.  I’m making a presentation to Mrs. Clifford to try to get her to invest some money in our company.  Ali said we were supposed to use Mrs. Clifford’s computer.  I hope you don’t mind?”
	While she was talking she was amused to see Ginger stripping off her own clothes.  Like Ali’s, the woman’s body was perfection.  Her breasts were larger than Ali’s but very high and firm.  Rare for a woman with her coloring, she had a rich all-over tan.
	Ali said, “Ging, how did you possibly get your abused and overused ass out of bed this morning?  What’s wrong with Charley?”
	The girl shook her head sadly but her eyes were gleaming.  “He can’t take it any more.  He says I have to get a job stripping or working the bars or something so he can get some sleep.  He insists his law firm isn’t nearly as considerate of his working hours as ours is.  As a result, this morning when I squeezed his hand over my boob, he barely opened one eye.  He just moved between my legs and fucked me silly!  Then I passed out, as usual.  When I regained consciousness, he was sound asleep again.  I don’t think an earthquake would wake him.”  There was a beautiful happy grin as she added, “As long as I’m home by four, poor Charley won’t even know I’m gone!”
	Ginger went into her office next door, taking her clothes with her.  Jan asked, “What’s with the Levi’s and chambray shirts?  Is that the company uniform?”
	Ali grinned and shrugged.  “I guess it must be.”
	They spent the rest of the morning setting up spreadsheets and going over the numbers with Ali.  From the questions she raised and the points she made, it was clear to Jan that Ali was no dunce.  Finally Ali raised the question of the investment structure.  Jan sat up straight and said, “I will give her fifty percent of the company for the investment.”
	Ali slowly shook her head.  “I’m afraid that’s not good enough, Jan.  She will insist on control.  How about fifty-one?”
	Ali could see tears come to Jan’s eyes.  “Ali, I can’t!  I only own fifty percent!  Pete doesn’t even know anything has happened!  I’ll give her all of my stock in return for twenty million going to repay Argus.”  She looked at Ali and wailed, “I can’t sell what isn’t mine!  What can I do?”
	The girl’s face was very serious as she said, “There is one possible thing: Would you consider becoming Mrs. Clifford’s slave?  You’re prepared to do it for Bingham.  What about her?”
	Swallowing hard, Jan said, “Could we make it for a term?  Ten years, maybe?”  Ali thought that would be all right.  “But what would I do?”
	“Cook, for one thing.  Jan, that’s what gave me the idea.  You could cook, clean, and perform personal services.”
	“It’s a deal!” Jan exclaimed.  “Do you think she will accept it?”
	“I didn’t tell you what the personal services are, Jan.  Are you sure?”
	“I guess I don’t really care.  What is she like?  What’s her body like?”
	Ali frowned and said, “Considering her age, I guess she’s in good-enough shape.  She’s not a tub — no cellulite-filled thighs.  I guess she’s okay.”  Ali looked almost frightened as she said, “Jan, I think she might want you to lick out her cunt after preparing her for her husband.  Of course, I can’t believe that happens very often at her age.  Could you do it?”
	“Of course,” Jan replied.  “What about discipline?  With Bingham, I would be shredded.  Almost anything would have to be better than that pig!”
	“Jan, could you take it?  I really shouldn’t have suggested it, but you need to do something.  There’s no way you could go to that maniac, Bingham!  He’ll kill you!”
	They got dressed and went out to lunch at one of the few downtown lunch counters open on a Saturday.  While eating, Jan had an idea.  She asked if there was any leather store that might be open nearby.  Ali remembered one, and they went there after eating.  The clerk looked askance at Jan as she selected four different whips ranging from a small dog whip to one that was near a bull whip in size.  She picked up several cans of leather oil, paid for her purchases and they returned to the building.
	They continued their business review and then Ali started to set up a computer graphics presentation for Monday.  Jan sat and oiled her newly-purchased whips.  As she worked on them they became less stiff and more supple.  They finished up about four-thirty.  As Ali had predicted, the office was stifling hot by then and sweat was pouring off the two girls.
	When they were getting ready to leave, Ali grinned and said, “Let’s have some fun!  Mrs. Clifford has a new shower.  Let’s use it!  She’ll never know the difference.”
	Ali opened a door off the magnificent office and turned on a light.  It was a fully equipped bath on the top office floor of a forty-story building.  Ali turned on the shower and luxuriated in its spray.  She used the shampoo and conditioner that Jan recognized as the same very expensive brand she had seen at Ali’s apartment.  When she was finished and was drying her hair, Jan showered.  As they dressed, Jan asked about the shampoo.
	Ali replied, “Shh, don’t tell!  This is my source of supply.  It’s a helluva lot cheaper here than it is at the stores!”
	After completing their showers, the girls headed back to Ali’s apartment.  This time Jan’s dinner featured a rack of lamb.  It was utterly spectacular.  When Jan finally served coffee after having flamed crèpes Suzette at the table, Ali disappeared.  She returned with a bottle of magnificent cognac and two very light panatella cigars.  Jan’s eyes widened, but she took one.  The two girls lighted the cigars and sipped the cognac.
	Ali closed her eyes in pleasure.  “Jan, I think this thing will work.  After about two of your meals, Mrs. C. will be your slave!  This was spectacular!”
	Jan was savoring the cognac and enjoying the cigar.  “Ali, where did the cigars and cognac come from?  Is this more of Mrs. Clifford’s private stock?”  Ali just shrugged and grinned.
	Ali was in bed when Jan emerged from the bathroom.  She knelt on the bed and looked at the girl.  “Ali, I have a favor to ask.”
	“The answer is yes.  What’s the favor?”
	“May I eat out your cunt?  I used to do it all the time but I’m out of practice.  The last time I did it, it was a form of exorcism I performed with Jill.  May I?  Who knows?  You might even like it.  I used to be pretty good.  I was beaten savagely if I wasn’t.”  Jan looked pensive as she added, “You know, I think women are naturally more cruel than men.  I seem to recall that when the Indians took prisoners, they were turned over to the women for torture.  At any rate, will you let me?”
	“It’s never happened before.  But I always say I’ll try anything once.  Come ahead.”
	Jan pulled the covers down exposing Ali’s beautiful body.  She asked the girl to spread her legs and she just knelt between them.  Ali didn’t know what to expect.  Jan was just looking at her fondly.  Then she leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips.  Ali realized the kiss was sweet and loving, but not at all passionate.  Then she felt the girl’s fingertips on her body.  They felt like sensual feathers as they moved on her skin.  Then she felt the girl start to tease her nipples with her finger tips causing them instantly to harden.
	Then Jan lowered her head, took one of Ali’s nipples between her teeth and bit down gently, Ali could feel her body begin to involuntarily writhe on the bed in pleasure.  The girl’s lips surrounded her breast, first one, then the other.  Meanwhile she could feel Jan’s fingers move on her inner thighs, creating exquisite sensations and causing her to spread her thighs even wider.  Then she felt a finger enter her cunt and immediately find her clit.  She let out a small shriek of pleasure as Jan tormented the little sentinel while still kissing her breasts.  The next thing she knew, Jan’s head was between her legs.  She could see the top of the golden head and feel the girl’s tongue enter her slit.
	Ali moaned with pleasure as she tried to open herself even wider to make Jan’s access easier.  She gasped as she felt the girl’s teeth lock on her clit.  Then her tongue started darting like a small snake up her vagina.  Jan was holding her legs now to keep from losing her position.
	Ali was amazed.  She could feel her passion rise higher and higher as Jan’s tongue continued to work.  Suddenly she let go in a flood of syrup.  She could feel Jan lapping faster to catch all of the nectar before it soaked the bed.  She continued to caress Ali’s smooth skin as the girl’s breathing slowly returned to normal.  Finally, she lifted her head, leaned forward, and kissed her softly on the lips.
	Jan pulled up the covers and covered them both.  Finally she said, “Thank you, Ali.  You are absolutely delicious.  Did it hurt?”
	Ali’s head jerked to the side.  “Hurt?  You have got to be kidding!  Jan, that was exquisite!  If I didn’t have a man, you would be a close substitute!  Thank you!”  She leaned over and kissed Jan on the lips, then turned out the light.
	The next morning Jan was awakened by a wonderful sensation in her loins.  She opened her eyes and found Ali kneeling beside her caressing her skin with a feather touch.  When she saw Jan’s eyes open, she moved between her legs.  Then she did for Jan what Jan had done for her the previous night.  She began by kissing her lips softly and caressing her breasts.  It was almost a replay of the previous night.  When she finished, Jan’s pelvis was jerking uncontrollably as she was seized with a massive orgasm triggered by Ali’s work on her clit and vagina.  As her juices poured out in a flood, Ali was licking up every drop.  Finally, Jan just lay still in exhaustion.  Ali kissed her on the lips again, but this time Jan forced her tongue into the girl’s mouth so she could taste her own juices that were still on Ali’s tongue.  “Did you like it, Jan?  Was I any good?”
	Jan smiled weakly and said, “Ali, if you were any better, I’d be unconscious!”  She looked puzzled and asked, “But Ali, why did you do it?  I’m the one practicing for slavery, not you.”
	“Because I love you, Janice Stewart.  You gave me great pleasure last night.  I just wanted to return the favor.  You do know, I hope, that everything about you is warm and sweet and lovely.  And, Jan, your cunt is delicious!  That’s why.”  She was kneeling beside Jan and Jan could see the love in the girl’s eyes.
	She jumped up and knelt on the bed facing her and kissed her softly.  “Ali, you’re delicious, too.”  She smiled warmly and added, “If all of my female customers were like you, I might have been paying them.”
	Again that morning the girls followed the pattern of the previous day.  When Ali came into the kitchen, Jan was just serving Eggs Benedict.  Ali tried the hollandaise sauce and moaned.  “Stewart, this is utterly marvelous!  But why?”
	“It’s your own fault.  You said a big treat was an Egg McMuffin, but I can’t make that.  So I thought of Eggs Benedict, instead.”  She grinned and said, “But I could run down to McDonald’s real quick if you would rather?”
	Ali pretended to frown at Jan, but her eyes were dancing.  “Thanks anyway, Jan.  But I’m economizing this week.  I’ll try to make do.”
	When they reached the office, it was already hot.  The accumulated heat from the previous day hadn’t been exhausted, and the sun was shining brightly through the windows.  Again, they shed their clothes.  Two other young women who Ali introduced as Connie and Joan were there already.  Ali explained that Joan was the office computer wizard.  Both were beautiful, and both were stripped to their bikinis, but both moved as if they were fully dressed.  Ali explained what they were doing.  They reviewed their progress with the presentation to that point.
	Joan sat down at the keyboard and grinned.  “Ali, why don’t you and Connie cut out paper dolls or something while I get this show on the road!”
	Ali grinned and left the office with Connie while Jan and Joan began to review the work.  After they had worked for a while, it was apparent that Joan could make the computer sing.  Jan told her about the new disk and installed it for her.  Joan yelped with glee and went back to work, this time using the Peters Drive.  It apparently made a real difference in graphics operation.
	Finally they finished the presentation and asked the other girls to review it.  Connie was the guinea pig because she knew nothing about the proposal before seeing the presentation.  She thought it was great.  Then the girls dressed and went out for lunch.  When they returned, Ali made a phone call, and they had a run-through.  At this point Joan shooed them all out so she could really sharpen the graphics.

	Ali grinned and said it was their chance.  The health club where they had a membership was open, and the girls decided to go down.  Ali watched Jan on the exercise machines.  As she suspected, there was velvet skin over very smooth but powerful muscles.  When they finished, they went to the pool and started swimming laps.  After doing ten, Connie pulled herself out and watched the other two.  They were moving faster and faster but always maintaining incredibly smooth strokes.  After another fifteen laps, Jan was ahead by about three body lengths.  She pulled herself smoothly out of the pool and was sitting on the edge with her legs in the water when Ali touched.
	Jan extended an arm and smoothly pulled Ali from the water.  “About time, isn’t it?” she asked airily.  “I had you by nearly a pool length.”
	Ali sputtered and looked at Connie.  The girl, who had silver-blonde hair and emerald-green eyes like Jill’s, just shook her head.  “Ali, you keep me out of this.  I can get into enough trouble all by myself!”
	Then she glared at Jan and said, “A pool length!  Maybe three feet — four at the outside!”  Sticking her nose up in the air, Ali said, “Besides, my mommy always told me to let the guests win.”
	“And since when did you ever do anything your mommy told you to do?” Jan airily inquired.
	They went back to the office and found that Joan had finished augmenting the graphics.  After the final run-through, Connie just whistled.  “Joan, you outdid yourself!  The folks at Cal Tech would be proud!”
	Hearing Cal Tech, Jan asked, “Joan, by any chance did you ever meet Jessica Carlson out there?  I guess she was there in the computer science department for years.”
	“Jess?  Do you know Jess?  Where is she?  What’s she doing now?  She was one of my very best friends... really my mentor, I guess.  She could really make these things fly!”
	Jan told her about San Diego Computing, John Carlson, and the charade.  Joan was so excited to hear about her friend again.  Then the conversation shifted, with Ali asking more about Hugo Bingham.  The light in Jan’s eyes died.  She went to her briefcase and pulled out the file of letters and photographs she had received from Bingham.  She also produced the leather collar and bracelets for neck, wrists, and ankles he had sent.  She gave them to Connie without comment.
	Connie started to read with Ali reading over her shoulder.  When they finished they looked at Jan with sorrow and pity in their eyes.  “You poor thing!”  Connie exclaimed.  “He’s serious, isn’t he?”
	Jan told how Hugo Bingham was particularly creative in humiliating her.  “I don’t know what it is about me,” she said softly, “But I guess I’m the only girl he ever really worked on.”
	“The answer is simple, Jan,” Connie said.  “You’re like a princess.  You’re truly lovely, and Bingham knows it.  He feels he has to bring you down to his level.  Obviously, he couldn’t do it, but just as obviously he hasn’t given up trying!  You’ve become an obsession with him.  He is obsessed with the idea of making you destroy yourself.”
	Finally, it was time to go.  Again they all took showers in Mrs. Clifford’s shower and got dressed.  Returning to the apartment, Jan asked Ali to take a nap.  She had something special in mind for dinner and had already ensured that everything she needed was there.
	Ali looked puzzled.  “Take a nap?  Janice Stewart, what are you planning to do?  You can prepare a gourmet feast in about seven minutes flat!  What could possibly take a lot of time?”
	Jan just grinned and shooed her out of the kitchen.  Ali got undressed, slid under the bedspread, and was soon asleep.  It seemed only an instant later when she felt a kiss on her lips.  She opened her eyes and found Jan sitting on the edge of the bed.
	“Hello, sleepyhead!  Are you ready to rejoin the ranks of the living?”
	Ali grinned and sat up.  Jan was still watching her closely and said, “Ali, you are too much!  You were sleeping soundly a moment ago but now you’re wide awake.  There is no puffiness, or sleepiness — just brilliant blue eyes.  Are you ready to eat?”
	Ali noticed that Jan was wearing a simple blue sleeveless dress with a strand of pearls.  She guessed they were the girl’s best jewels.  She smiled warmly and said, “I’ll be there in two minutes!”  She jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom.  Jan returned to the kitchen and lit the candles on the dining table.  Exactly two minutes later, Ali appeared.  She was wearing a very plain dress, too, in white.  Her only adornment were large rhinestone ear studs.
	“I found some wine that I’m going to serve.  No drinks before dinner tonight.”
	When Ali was seated Jan poured a fine white wine and served the first course.  Ali looked at her plate but didn’t recognize the food although its presentation was exquisite.  She looked up with a question in her eyes.  “It’s glacéed breast of pheasant stuffed with foie gràs.  I hope you like it.”  She grinned at Ali and said, “Kathy has amazing taste in food!  It would have been a tragedy to let all this spoil.”
	Ali thought it was the finest dish she had ever eaten.  She started to rise from the table when Jan motioned her back.  “That was only the appetizer, silly!  Have another glass of wine while I finish our dinner.”  Ali sipped the fine wine.  Jan refused to allow her even to help clear the table.  She reappeared with two dinner plates.  Again, it was beautiful.  “This is tournedos Rossini on artichoke hearts, sauce Périgord.  Julia Child claims it’s as far as you can go with a piece of meat.  It’s what I served Pete for our first dinner at home.  I hope you enjoy it!”
	Jan replaced the wine glasses and poured a fine chateau-bottled Bordeaux.  Ali said nothing as she enjoyed the gastronomic sensation.  After salad and dessert cheeses Jan poured coffee.  Then Ali disappeared and reappeared with the cognac and panatella cigars.  Jan had never smoked a cigar before her trip to Los Angeles but had decided that it was a wonderful accompaniment after a perfect dinner.
	After sipping her cognac, Ali pushed back from the table and stretched.  She put both of her hands on her flat stomach and said, “I’m ready.  As soon as I finish my cigar, you can bring in the firing squad.  Or is it going to be something worse?  Jan, I could not imagine a dinner such as we just had.  It was the finest meal imaginable — if one’s imagination could stretch so far.  You have to be the finest cook in the world today!  Thank you so much!”
	She glanced at a clock and saw it was nearly eleven.  “Jan, get your tight little ass in that bedroom!  Tomorrow is an early day.  Although you aren’t meeting with Mrs. Clifford until nine, they asked if you could get in at seven.  I hope you don’t mind?”  Jan smiled and shook her head, then went to the bedroom.  When Ali went in, the girl was lying on the bed, exhausted.  She went to the bathroom, got a plastic bottle and sat down on the bed next to the girl.
	She poured some liquid from the bottle on Jan’s shoulders and started to give her a massage.  As she did she could feel knotted muscles around her neck and shoulders slowly relax.  “You poor kid!”  Ali murmured.  Jan just made warm happy noises as Ali worked on her.  She worked on her neck, shoulders, and upper arms, then moved down her back.
	Jan knew how gentle Ali could be.  Now she was feeling strength in the girl’s finger tips as she worked on her muscles.  The warmth spread as she got down to her buttocks, thighs, and calf muscles.  Ali rolled her over and started on her front.  “Ali, that feels so good!”  Jan murmured with her eyes closed.  Sleepily, she added, “I’ll make a deal.  I cook and you massage.  Then we’re even.”  Finally Ali finished.  She pulled the covers up, climbed into bed with her and turned out the light.
	Later that night Ali awakened.  Jan was in her arms and Ali’s hand was on her hair.  She stroked it lightly and heard a warm murmur from deep in Jan’s throat.  The girl snuggled her body even closer and fell back into a deep sleep.

Chapter 20
	Jan was still sleeping soundly when the covers were unceremoniously yanked off her.  She woke up with a start and huddled into a ball looking up at Ali with a hurt expression on her face.  “Why did you do that?  I was so snugly and warm!”  Then she looked at Ali with her expression changing to one of love.  “Ali, I dimly remember being held tight against a gorgeous body last night.  My breasts were being crushed against another pair as firm as mine, and I felt the lightest touch stroking my hair.  That wasn’t a dream, was it?”
	Ali blushed and said softly, “Jan, it was the very least I could do.  You’re a truly wonderful person.  I hope you know that.”  She grinned and said, “Now get your tight little ass the hell out of my bed!  We’ve got to get this show on the road.”
	When Ali came out to the kitchen, Jan was wearing her best business suit.  She looked beautiful and Ali said so.  She sat down to a breakfast of bacon and eggs.  Then Jan went to the oven and took out fresh croissants she had just baked.
	Ali looked up after taking a bite and there were tears in her eyes.  “Jan, why did you do this?  You’re facing the most terrifying day of your life, but you took the time to make the finest, flakiest croissants in the world.  Why?”
	“Because I wanted to.  Ali, you don’t understand!  I’m a dirty, filthy person!  Yet you comforted me in a way I can’t describe.”  Then she beamed.  Ali realized it was a sunshine smile that lit up the apartment.  “Even though you’re younger than I am, you comforted me like my mother used to.  It was so long ago I had forgotten, but now I remember!  She even used to stroke my hair exactly like you did, except you have an even softer touch.  Thank you.”  Her voice dropped to just above a whisper, “Ali, I love you!”
	Ali took Jan in her arms and kissed her softly.  “And I love you very much, too, Jan.”
	They went out to the car.  Again Ali was wearing her Levi’s and Jan teased her about it.  “Don’t you have anything else to wear?”  Then she smiled and said, “I apologize!  I forgot to compliment you on how beautiful you looked last night.  You do, too, own a dress.”  The car pulled up at the office building and Jan got out.  She was starting to feel tense and nervous.  “Ali, I wish you were going to be there with me.  Now I feel naked!”
	Ali made a thumbs-up sign and said, “Jan, it will work out!  I know it will.  I’ll pray for you.”
	Jan smiled gratefully and entered the building as Ali drove off.  She remembered that Ali had said she was taking the car in for servicing.  Finding the office door locked, she rang the bell.  Moments later it was opened by a beautiful brown-haired girl.  “You must be Janice Stewart.  I’m Sandy Benson, one of Mrs. Clifford’s partners.  I also act as her personal attorney from time to time, and it’s in that capacity that I wanted to meet with you this morning.”
	She ushered the girl into her office which was as beautifully furnished as Mrs. Clifford’s, but slightly smaller.  “Why don’t you leave your things here, and we can go into the conference room?”  She smiled warmly and added, “In this zoo, it sort of takes the place of the kitchen table at home.  We can get some coffee and talk.”
	Carrying a stack of papers she led the way into the conference room.  They poured coffee and Sandy took her to the end of the very large table.  “Jan, we know that timing is critical.  Argus is in New York, and it’s ten o’clock there already.  Accordingly, Mrs. Clifford wanted all the papers executed in advance of the meeting so no time is wasted later.  Are you represented by counsel?”  Jan shook her head, no.  “You really should be, Mrs. Stewart.  This is very important to you.  I could get a lawyer to represent you, if you would like.”
	“Mrs. Benson, I’m prepared to sign away anything I own to save my husband.  What do I need a lawyer for?  He would probably try to talk me out of it and just waste time.  I don’t have any money to pay one, anyway.”  Jan thought she saw great warmth in the other woman’s eyes, but Sandy just shook her head.  She produced stacks of papers and Jan started signing wherever Sandy indicated.  Finally, there was only a single paper left.
	“Jan — may I call you Jan?  — this is the one I cannot ask you to sign, let alone advise you to.  It’s drawn up as a personal service contract.  But we both know what it means:  Jan, signing this sells you into slavery.  You’re obligated to do anything Mrs. Clifford tells you to do.  Ali told me about your buying a collection of whips.  That’s included, too.  This is the document, Jan, but I’m begging you not to sign it!”
	Jan just picked up her pen and scrawled her signature.  Then she put her head on her arms and started to cry.  Sandy Benson reached for the girl’s hand and just held it and watched her body shake with sobs.  As the tears slowed, she took the girl into her arms and just held her while she listened to the awful sounds.
	Jan looked up and saw the sympathy in the other girl’s eyes.  “What is it about you people?  You are all so... caring.  Why?  Is it Mrs. Clifford?”
	Sandy’s smile was the warmest Jan had ever seen.  “Yes, it is.  You see, she virtually saved the life of everyone in the firm at one time or other in some way or other.  The short answer is we worship the ground she walks on!  Jan, I do care.  I think of Jack Benson, my husband.  There is nothing I won’t do for that man, either.  I adore him.  I think of myself signing what you just signed, and I see a little bit of your love for your husband.”  She reached out her hand and squeezed Jan’s.  “I’m sure it will all work out!”
	Jan forced herself to look more cheerful as Joan came in.  Sandy greeted her sarcastically, “Delighted to see you, Joan!  How did you manage to get your overworked ass out of bed this morning?  Is Bill starting to wear out?”
	Joan stuck out her tongue and said, “He was on duty last night, Smarty!  I got lots of sleep.  I didn’t sleep well, but I got lots of sleep.”  Then she cocked her head and asked, “Sandy, do you feel something is missing if Jack isn’t there to sleep on and hold your boob?”
	“Me?  Of course not!  All I do is watch the Late Show, then the Late Late Show, then maybe a tape and finally fall asleep in my chair.  I hardly miss him at all.  I just don’t bother to go to bed.  I can toss and turn a lot easier in my chair, too.  But why do you ask?” she said with a grin.
	Jan watched the exchange and shook her head.  These girls were so much like she was!  They even slept the same way.
	Joan set up the presentation.  She showed Jan a projection-type television set that was to be used as the monitor for the presentation.  “The only problem with the dumb thing is the room has to be completely dark.  Any light at all and the screen appears to go blank.  I hope you don’t mind?”  They then reviewed the sequence of visuals.  It was eight-thirty and Jan’s nervousness was mounting rapidly.
	Ginger came in, saw Jan, and took her into her office.  “Jan, while we’re waiting, can I ask you something?  Are there any tips you can give me to improve my love life?”
	They talked and Jan found that Ginger ended up unconscious every time.  “Ginger, the only thing you can possibly do is work with your husband to make it last longer.  Pete keeps me in a sustained orgasm for fifteen minutes or longer before I pass out.  He has the most fantastic control and feel for my body.”  She smiled and added, “Maybe that’s why I’m in pretty good shape.  Pete causes me to use muscles I never knew I had!  I don’t know how he does it, but maybe he could talk to your husband.”
	“Fifteen minutes!  My God!  I would be destroyed.  How can you take it?”
	“I honestly don’t know, but Pete does.  I’m just in convulsions.  Pete is in control and doing all the work.  All I can say is it’s delicious.  Of course when it’s over, I’m unconscious and look like a soaking-wet rag doll with my arms and legs just sprawled all over the place.  Pete threatens to take a picture of me and send it to Playboy as an illustration of the fact that women just can’t take it!”  By this time Jan had relaxed again.
	Ginger checked her watch and winked.  “Jan, I guess it’s time.  Good luck!  I certainly hope it works out!”  Jan saw great warmth in her eyes as she added, “My husband, Charley, told me to tell you we have over $500,000 saved.  You’re welcome to all of it.  Unfortunately, it isn’t enough, but maybe it might help.  Jan, it’s all yours if you want it.”
	Jan was startled.  “Ginger, what are you saying!?  Did I hear you offer me your life savings?”
	The girl smiled warmly and said quietly, “Easy come, easy go.  You need it, dear Janice, so it’s yours if you want it.”
	Jan took the other girl in her arms and kissed her.  “Ginger, all I can say is this is something I will never forget.  I can’t thank you and Charley enough for making the offer.”  They went towards the conference room.  Ginger gave her a quick kiss as Jan entered a door at the front of the room.  Ginger continued around to enter the room from the rear.
	As Joan had said, the room was dark.  Jan could just make out the chairs around the table and see they were almost all occupied.  She thought she saw the top of the head of the person sitting at the far end of the table.  From the size of the chair and its position, she assumed it must be was Mrs. Clifford.  She began her presentation.  First she gave a history of Illinois Technologies, then described the Peters Drive and demonstrated it on screen.  After reviewing the exclusive license from the Gordons, she told about the special tooling required and the costs associated with it.
	Finally she told how the bank had sold their note to Argus which had called it.  “Payment is due today.  Accordingly, Mrs. Clifford, I need twenty million dollars right now.  I’m offering half the stock in our company along with other considerations discussed with your attorney, Mrs. Benson.  All the papers have been signed.”
	Tears came to Jan’s eyes.  She had maintained her control and poise perfectly to that point.  Then she made a final appeal: “Mrs. Clifford, Peter Stewart is a gentleman in all senses of the word.  He is kind and loving and... I adore him.  This is not for me, it’s for him.  Without your help I’ll be forced to do things that will hurt Pete terribly.  My only alternative is to destroy his dream.  I’m a slut.  You know that.  I just don’t count.  But please help Illinois Technologies!  Peter deserves it, even if I don’t.”
	Jan sat down in the empty chair at the head of the table.  She could not look up as the lights came up in the room.  She didn’t dare look to the end of the table to see Mrs. Clifford’s reaction.  While still looking down at her hands, she felt a hand on her shoulder.  When she turned around, she almost fainted.  It was Ali!  She was standing there looking at Jan with love in her eyes.  Jan jumped up and Ali hugged her and kissed her warmly.
	Then Jan almost fainted at what she heard next.  “Good morning, daughter!  Will you forgive me?”  She just held Jan and looked in her eyes.
	“What did you say?”
	“I said, ‘Good morning, daughter.’  What’s so complicated about that?”  Jan could see Ali’s eyes were dancing with glee.  “Sandy warned you that you should have been represented by counsel!  You see, one of those papers you signed agreed to your adoption as the daughter of William Harrison Clifford and Allison McGrath Clifford.  Allison McGrath Clifford is me, so you’re now my daughter.”
	Jan went into Ali’s arms and started to cry.  Ali held her and stroked her hair.  Then Jan felt herself being taken into the arms of a man with broad shoulders who held her tightly while continuing to stroke her hair.  She heard a soft whisper in her ear, “Holding crying daughters is the father’s job.  Honey, I’ve gotten to be pretty good at it.”
	She looked up and found herself in the arms of a man she had never seen before.  He was six feet two with graying temples.  There was love in his eyes as he continued to hold her.  “Hi, daughter.  I’m your new father, Bill Clifford.  Come on.  Let’s go to your mother’s office and get acquainted.”
	Jan allowed herself to be led to Ali’s office.  She sat down on the sofa with Ali beside her while Bill Clifford sat on a chair by her side.  Ali swung around to face her and took Jan’s hands in hers.  “Darling, how can I apologize to you?  What I did today was utterly unforgivable!  Can you find it in your heart ever to forgive me?”
	Jan looked into loving blue eyes and squeezed the woman’s hands.  She realized that Ali was the picture of a very wealthy woman this morning rather than looking like a beautiful urchin.  She was wearing a silk suit that was obviously hand-tailored to show off her perfect figure.  “I said it this morning, Mom: I love you very much!  There is nothing to forgive.”  Then her expression changed to a frown although her eyes were sparkling.  “I think I take it all back though.  Some of the things you said about my new mother!  ‘Old lady’ indeed!  Ali, that’s what I can’t figure out.  I would have sworn you’re younger than I am, but you can’t be.”
	Ali grinned and said, “I certainly am older, child!  I would guess about ten years anyway.  And yesterday in the pool I felt it was about thirty!  I thought I was going to die.  I felt every one of those years in every muscle in my body!”  Her face sobered and she said, “Jan, I need to change the subject quickly.  First, your financial problems are taken care of.  The loan due at Argus has been paid in full.  Now there are a few unpleasant surprises in store for Mr. Bingham!”
	Then Bill spoke up.  “Jan, there are a couple of things that have become traditional with our daughters.  Incidentally, you join Jennifer, Joan, and Connie — mostly we seem to run to blondes.  You’re our second golden-haired daughter; Connie is the silver blonde.”  She stood up, and Bill asked her to put out an arm which she did.  The next thing she knew she was being dressed in a full-length mink coat.  She heard Bill whisper in her ear, “Take a look at yourself in the mirror, honey.  See if you like it.”
	Ali had opened a closet door revealing a full-length mirror mounted on the back of it.  Jan looked at herself and put her hand to her mouth.  “Oh, Dad!  It’s absolutely gorgeous!”  She turned so Ali could see.  Bill went to her, lifted up the collar and pulled it around her face.  She snuggled in the fur as Bill looked at Ali and asked, “What do you think, dear?”
	“Oh, Bill, it’s beautiful!  It has golden lights in it that show off her hair.  She’s so beautiful!”  Ali worked at her ears for an instant and then went up to Jan, “Darling, these are for you, too.  You seemed to admire them when I wore them last night.”  She grinned and added, “I took a chance, but I thought you would think they were so large they had to be rhinestones.  They’re not.”
	Ali removed the earrings Jan was wearing and replaced them with the diamond studs.  Then she took the girl in her arms and kissed her.  Stepping back she said, “Jan, I would much rather hug you than hug the coat.”
	They sat down again with Jan looking totally bewildered.  Bill said, “Being a Clifford isn’t all roses, though.  There are responsibilities... and your mother keeps adding to them.  Do you know how much money your mother made with our investments last year?”  Jan just shook her head.  “Over one billion dollars!  Young lady, do you realize how hard it is to spend one billion dollars?  Try as we might, we can’t do it.  We looked to Jennifer for help, but she’s useless.  (Incidentally, she told us how you laughed at her when she told about having to spend money.  Now you’ll be sorry!)  Anyway, poor Jen gets it from us and the Chapmans, too.  Connie is worse than useless!  She married poor Chip Cartwright who is now pushing a net worth of about half a billion in his own right.  So, I’m afraid it’s all going to be on your head!”
	Jan was grinning as she listened.  Then Ali said, “There’s one more thing.  This is from me, too.”  She gave Jan a box.  Opening it she found a woman’s gold Rolex watch which she realized was a duplicate of the one now on Ali’s wrist.  She looked at it and turned it over.  Engraved on the back were the words, “To my darling daughter, Jan, with all of the love I can give.”  It was signed Mother.  Jan couldn’t speak.  She went into Ali’s arms and started to bawl.  Ali held her tight and stroked her hair softly.  “Darling, everything is all right now!  Please don’t cry.”  Jan just snuggled closer.
	Sensing the women wanted to talk, Bill left the office.  Slowly Jan regained control and eased away to look at the woman who was now her mother.  “Mom, is this all a joke?  Say it is, please?”
	“Jan, I heard about you from Jennifer.  She said you’re the nicest person she’s ever met.  Then I got your phone call.  I’m sorry for the agony I put you through.  I really am.  But the last few nights were exquisite.  If I didn’t have your father, I would be tempted.  What you did for me was not to be believed!”
	“Mom, all I know is a lovely young woman held me tight when I was coming apart.  I took strength from you... I really did.  I felt the most gorgeous female body pressed tightly against my own.”  She smiled and added, “You know what was the funniest part of it?  I could feel my mound pressing against yours instead of Pete’s huge cock.  Our pubic hair was intertwined and it’s almost identical in color and texture.”  Jan smiled warmly and shook her head.  “You are something else!  I still can’t believe you’re older than I am!  That’s what fooled me.  I guess I was a fool, though, because I never even asked your last name.  It was always just ‘Ali’.”  She smiled softly and said, “What now?”
	“Now we go and have a little party.  It’s sort of a tradition here at Clifford & Jamison.”  They went back to the conference room and found all the women waiting for them.  There was no sign of Bill Clifford.
	As Jan entered the room, a pair of hands came from around her back and covered her eyes.  “Guess who?” she heard whispered in her ear.
	“Jennifer Chapman, is that you?” she exclaimed.
	The hands were removed from her eyes and Jan spun around to find Jen standing behind her.  The girls happily embraced, and Jen kissed her warmly.  “Welcome to the family, sister.  You can’t know how happy this makes me!  And just think!  I now have a sister living just a few miles away from me.  I think it’s really neat!  And besides, maybe now you can print my checks for me on your computer.”
	Just then Ali spoke up from the front of the room.  “Girls, you’ve all met my brand new daughter, Jan.  What she doesn’t know is there is a tradition here in the firm that began the day I first came into the office following my honeymoon.  It has continued and most certainly includes my daughters.  Jan, the tradition is to strip for the office staff.  You see, they have a sort of veto power.  They maintain the firm has a tradition to uphold!  I warn you, though.  There is one shared ability in the firm: We can all do a full side split.  It comes from spreading our legs wide to welcome our husbands inside.  Can you do it?  Do you want to try?”
	Entering into the spirit of the challenge, Jan went to the front of the room.  She had seen a small Muzak-type speaker on the wall.  She turned up the volume and listened to the music.  Then she began to undress with her motions timed to the music.  She slipped off her suit jacket and lay it over a chair.  Moving gracefully, she let her skirt slip off and then took off her blouse.  Finally, with a graceful move no one could follow, she stepped out of her bikini.  She was now only wearing her shoes and her new ear studs.  Slipping out of her shoes she started to move sinuously.  Thinking of Pete caused her nipples visibly to harden and her cunt to moisten.  Reaching down with her hands together as far as she could along her slim legs, she slowly brought them up while caressing her inner thighs.
	When she got to her cunt lips, she spread her legs wide and arched her back to show off her cunt.  Then she used her long fingers to spread her nether lips, exposing her erect clit.  With her head back, she stroked it with a forefinger while she slid another up into her gaping vagina.  Quickly she brought the finger to her lips and sucked the love juices from it, moaning as she did so.  Then she straightened up and continued to bring her hands higher on her body until she reached her breasts.  She caressed them to show how firm they were while she teased her nipples to an even greater erection.
	Jan let her hands drop to her sides and stood motionless for a moment.  Then she swung her left leg up and over her head in a slow-motion cartwheel, ending with it folded under her torso while her right leg was extended straight ahead.  Then she jack-knifed her body and touched her forehead to her thigh.  The girls started to cheer, but the show wasn’t over.  Somehow she lifted her body off her left ankle, freeing it.  Then she extended her legs straight out to each side and slowly lowered her body until she could feel the carpet against her gaping cunt.  She could hear sounds of incredulity from the girls; they didn’t believe what they were seeing.  Then she somehow lifted herself up from the floor by forcing her legs together.  Although her face was showing passion, they could see muscles in her thighs bulging from the strain.  When she had raised her pelvis about two feet above the floor, she casually put her legs together.  Then she folded her body forward, keeping her legs straight, until her forehead touched her thighs and her golden hair fell over her head.  She straightened up quickly, and threw her arms out straight.  It had timed out perfectly with the end of the music.
	There was a thunderous cheer from the girls, and Jan was mobbed.  Finally, she got free and went back to where Ali was sitting and began to get dressed.  “Show off!” Ali said with a grin.  “Jan, that was the most incredible demonstration of strength and muscle control I’ve ever seen in my life!  You were marvelous.  You know Jen was an exotic dancer.  Your sister, Connie, was a stripper.  I thought Connie was great when she did a backward cartwheel like you did, but I don’t know how you lifted yourself off the floor after doing a split!  Muscles don’t work that way!  But, darling, you certainly passed the test!”
	Connie and Jennifer came over and sat down.  Jen was just grinning and Connie was shaking her head.  “Sis, how did you do that?  You’re looking at two dancers, you know.  We know what that takes.  I’m absolutely overwhelmed!  How could you possibly have leg muscles strong enough to lift yourself off the floor from a full side split?”
	Ali grinned and said, “Remember, this is the girl who cleaned my clock in the pool yesterday.  She beat me with her kick.  By the way, Jen, what do you think of your sister’s figure?”
	Jen pretended to frown but her eyes were sparkling.  “Mom, it’s not fair!  Why does Jan get everything?  What’s wrong with you and Dad, anyway?  Not only does she have all the brains and beauty, but she can cum for fifteen minutes at a time!  It’s just not fair!  Why do Connie and I have to be the ugly ducklings in the family?”
	Jan went over and kissed her sweetly.  “Don’t feel badly, dear Jen.  After all, you have the comic ability.  What would you possibly want with looks or brains?”  She pretended to scrutinize Jen carefully.  “But since you asked, why is your left tit so much lower than the right?”
	After glancing down quickly at her chest, Jen looked up and glared at her.  “Mommy!  Janice is teasing me again!” she said like a little girl.  “You have to make her stop!”  By this time Ali and Connie were laughing so hard at the byplay they almost fell on the floor.
	“Children!  Both of you stop it this minute!” Ali exclaimed, trying to control her giggles, “I can’t take you anywhere!”
	Later Bill took all of them out for a quick lunch.  When they returned to the office, they went back to Ali’s office where there was a long typed message lying on the center of her desk.  She read it quickly and passed it over to Jan.  “Well, it’s a start, anyway.”
	Jan read it quickly.  It said that Hugo Bingham had been taken into custody by agents of the FBI that morning in New York.  He was charged with extortion under Federal law.  In addition, there were a series of other charges relating to his requirement that Jan become his slave.  The second part of the message said that there had been a call for a special meeting of the directors of Argus Corporation.  Voting control of the company had changed hands.  Over fifty percent of the shares were now in hands of owners hostile to Bingham continuing as chairman and CEO.
	Jan looked at Ali and said, “Mom, why is it I get the feeling that I’m seeing the slender hand of Allison McGrath Clifford in this message?”
	Ali was the picture of wide-eyed innocence.  “Me?  Darling, what could have ever given you that idea?”  Then her face changed.  “Actually, dear, it was your father more than it was me.  The message we are trying to communicate is don’t screw around with the Cliffords!  It could be hazardous to one’s health!”
	She looked through some other papers on her desk and grinned.  “Speaking of which, it’s now official.  Here is your copy.  According to the Family Court of the State of California, you are now the legal daughter of William H. Clifford and Allison M. Clifford.  Wear it in good health.”  She passed a copy to Jan who looked at it in amazement.  As Ali had said, there on the form was her signature; it was one of the stack of forms she had signed for Sandy.
	“Speaking of signing things, young lady, there was another one you signed.  It was the one my partner urged you not to sign.  Do you remember?”
	Jan felt her heart jump to her throat.  Almost choking, she said, “Yes, Mom, I do.  I’m your slave for the next ten years.  Are... are you going to enforce it?”  Then the girl brightened.  “I seem to recall a conversation we had a couple of days ago.  Something about ‘preparing Mrs. Clifford for her husband.’  Do you remember?  I seem to recall you saying that it couldn’t happen very often.  How often, Mom?  Fewer than ten times a day?  Then there was something about no cellulite.  You can say that again!  Mom, seriously, nothing would give me greater joy than to prepare you for Dad!  Your body is utterly exquisite!  Would you like me to?”
	Ali’s eyes were gleaming as she remembered the conversation Jan was referring to.  She replied, “No, dear, thank you.  Your father does that by himself, although it does not take a great deal of effort on his part.  Usually, being within a hundred yards or so of me is about all it takes.  Then my cunt starts running like a river.  Besides, I love to lick off our fluids from his cock as he licks out my cunt.  He claims it’s a great source of nutritious protein.”
	Jan could not make out the look in her eyes as Ali continued, “Your father and I have sold your contract.  The buyer will be out this evening with your father and me to inspect what he’s buying.  Accordingly, please be prepared to greet a guest for dinner at the apartment.  There is only one thing.  He insists that you be nude.  You may wear your new ear studs, but that’s all.  You’re to prepare a feast — I told him about your cooking skills.  I also told him you would wait on him hand and foot.”  When she stopped speaking, Ali just looked at Jan impassively.
	Jan didn’t know what to do.  Her stomach was churning and she was afraid she would throw up.  Finally she came to the realization that her new father and mother really did love her.  There had to be some trick, even if she couldn’t figure out what it was yet.  She was sure it would work out.  Her face brightened and she said, “What would you like me to serve, Mother?”
	Ali just smiled and shook her head.  “Darling, you have to be kidding!  I was serious when I told you the limits of my culinary skill.  You may not know it but your father and I live at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.  As a matter of fact, to reduce costs, we recently bought it.”  She grinned and added, “There is one other culinary skill I forgot, though!  I can order from room service.  Your father says I do that very well!  Darling, you figure out what we are going to eat.  I couldn’t possibly think of anything.  By the way, ask Kathy where to buy what you need.  Just charge it to us.  We’re known.”
	Jan felt a sinking sensation again.  She asked, “Mother, should I set the table for three places or four?  Will I be eating with you?”
	“No dear.  The help — and that includes slaves, I suppose — eat in the kitchen.  The only thing I ask is for you to be attentive to our guest.  I want you to be sure he’s comfortable.  Perhaps you might kneel by his side at the table?  Since the apartment is hard to find, Fred Clark, our chauffeur, is at your disposal with the car.  He’ll help you with your shopping, and he knows all the places where we have charges.”  Ali grimaced and added, “I guess that must include at least two-thirds of the places in greater Los Angeles.”  She went to Jan, lifted her out of her chair and kissed her.  Then she hugged her tightly and whispered, “Jan, I can’t tell you how much I love you.  You’re the best thing that has happened to me since Bill Clifford!”
	Jan stopped at Kathy Carlson’s desk and introduced herself.  The girl, a beautiful brunette, jumped up from her chair and extended her hand.  “Mrs. Stewart, I’m really delighted to meet you!  I... I... I’m very pleased that everything worked out for you.  I’m glad I was able to help... at least a little bit.”
	Jan studied the girl and then shook her head slowly.  Her face looked sad, but her eyes were sparkling.  “Kathy, you look... abused!  That’s it: abused!  You and your husband do have separate bedrooms, don’t you?” she asked trying to sound as innocent as possible.
	Kathy was starting to glare but then saw the sparkle in Jan’s eye.  “Mrs. Stewart...”
	“It’s Jan, Kathy.  Or Janice or ‘you cheap whore’, which would be accurate...  Wrong.  It wouldn’t.  ‘Over-priced whore’ would be very accurate, though.”
	“I agree completely with Jen’s assessment of you, Janice.  You’re like a queen or a princess!  You are regal.  Honestly, you are.  But at the same time, whenever you mention Pete, who I assume is your husband, you melt.
	“But back to separate bedrooms.  It’s funny, but your sister, Connie, said almost exactly the same thing about a year ago.  I’ll repeat for you what I told her: I tried it once and it isn’t worth a shit!”  The girl’s brown eyes glowed and Jan realized she was truly beautiful.  “Jan, I adore my husband, Ken.  If I thought he would like them, I would cut off my breasts, cook them, and serve them to him on my knees.  There is nothing I won’t do for him.  I’m not quite in the same class as some of the rest of you — I only pass out about one time in three — but I’m working on it!  When I’m in Ken’s arms, I’m fulfilled.  Would you believe it?  I can’t even watch television sitting alone any more?  Now I have to sit on his lap.”
	The girl grinned and said, “Usually I just go to sleep.  One thing about it, though.  I really hear about it if I gain even a pound!  Ken claims to be sensitive.  I just adore leaning back against him with his arm around me holding me tight and squeezing a boob.  Mine aren’t nearly as beautiful as yours, but Ken likes them.”  Suddenly the girl beamed, “Now we’re trying hard to make a baby!  I can hardly wait!  I’ll feel my belly bulge with Ken’s child growing inside me!  Jan, that’s what I was really made for!  I can’t wait!”
	On impulse, Jan took the girl in her arms and kissed her.  “Kathy, I’ll pray for you!  When you talked about becoming a mother, you were so beautiful you lit up the office.  I’m sure it will be a wonderfully strong and sturdy child.”
	Kathy blushed with pleasure.  Then Jan asked her about the food stores and Kathy provided her with a complete list including which stores specialized in which foodstuffs.  “Jan, Ali has been simply raving about your cooking.  Do you think...  Would it be possible...  Could you give me lessons, some day?  She said every meal you cooked, most particularly including breakfast, was a work of art!”
	It was Jan’s turn to blush.  “Did she tell you how I learned to cook?”  Kathy shook her head but was very interested.  “Kathy, I was a prostitute.  I used to pretend that some day a man would marry me.  Since I had no sexual feelings, I knew I couldn’t be good for him in bed.  Since the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, I decided to work on my cooking.  This is what happened.  I guess I did get pretty good.”
	“But... but, I thought you had a magnificent love life?  I know you adore your husband.  What happened?”
	Jan quickly told her the story of Jill and Bob and then meeting Pete.  “Kathy, the first time Pete took me, he took me to three massive orgasms without withdrawing.  I was like a limp dishrag when he finished with me, but it was so incredibly joyous at the same time.  I looked like a discarded rag doll that someone had thrown in a lake.  But he loves me.  He really does.  I’m convinced of it now.”  Kathy gave Jan a quick kiss and she went down in the elevator to the waiting car.

Chapter 21
	Janice looked around the apartment one last time.  It was almost six o’clock and she was waiting for Bill, Ali and her new master.  In the intervening few hours, using the Clifford money, Jan had not only prepared a magnificent dinner, she had redecorated the entire apartment.  As instructed, she was nude except for the diamond ear studs Ali had given her that morning.  She thought about the whips, which she had been oiling and which were now lying in the corner of the bedroom, and cringed.
	When the doorbell rang, she jumped.  Squaring her shoulders she went and opened it for Ali and Bill.  Ali took her in her arms and kissed her warmly.  “You look exquisite, daughter.  But let your father take a look at you.”
	By this time Jan’s back was to the door.  She hadn’t been able to glimpse the third person in the group.  As she faced Bill her back was still towards the door and towards her new master.  Bill just shook his head and sighed, “Jan, I think you may be even more beautiful than your mother.  Knowing how much I adore her, I hope you realize what a compliment I just paid you.”  His warm smile turned into a grin as he added, “I guess it’s appropriate for me to see you this way, too, today.  A father usually sees his child naked when she’s born.  Since you’re only one-day old as our daughter, I guess that counts.”
	Jan went into his arms and hugged him.  Releasing him she turned and almost fainted.  Peter Stewart was standing behind Ali!  She ran to his arms and broke down in tears.  He held her tightly and caressed her hair as she cried.  It was a release of all of her fear and tension coupled with her joy at seeing him again.  She hiccuped and looked up at him.
	He bent over and crushed her lips to his while squeezing her tightly.  He was rewarded with muffled moans of pleasure.  Finally he eased her gently away and frowned at her.  “Mrs. Stewart, I need to have words with you... alone!”
	On her way to the bedroom with Pete leading her by the hand, she looked at Ali and waved in the direction of the kitchen.  Ali winked at her and went into the kitchen.  She found the liquor set up on the counter and found trays of exquisite canapés ready to be served.  Bill had followed her out.  He made drinks for the two of them, and Ali carried a tray back to the living room.
	For the first time she looked around.  “Good Heavens!  Bill, that girl is a miracle worker!  I don’t think you remember the apartment, but I certainly do.  Let me say it looks nothing like it did when we left this morning.  I don’t know how she did it!”
	Ali curled up on Bill’s lap as he was looking through TV Guide.  He smiled and reached for the television control.  Turning on the set, he leaned back and held Ali.  She had kicked off her shoes and squealed when she realized the movie was one of hers.
	Bill kissed her nose and said, “This is great!  I have a feeling we won’t be seeing Jan and Pete for a while, so I’ll just watch my favorite actress.”
	Ali grinned back and unbuttoned her blouse.  “While you watch, sir, you get to handle the real thing.”
	After closing the bedroom door, Pete took Jan in his arms again.  “Darling, I missed you so terribly!”  Then he glared at her and added, “However, there is the small matter of your now being my slave for the next ten years!  Slave, kneel on the bed.”
	Pete undressed and lay on his back on the bed.  Jan knelt back on her heels by his side facing him.  He began to caress her body and could feel it start to vibrate with passion in no time at all.  She looked at him and said, “Master, please take me!  I’m ready.  I need you inside me so desperately!”
	Keeping his face impassive, Pete continued to stroke her body.  Just as he could feel her reach the point of her release, he stopped.  He watched as Jan’s muscles vibrated with unsatisfied passion.  “That was for not telling me about that bastard, Hugo Bingham!  Why didn’t you tell me, Jan?”
	“I didn’t want to worry you, Pete.  He was after me, not you.  There was nothing you could have done anyway,” she protested.
	Pete’s hand started to move on her body again.  Again he brought her to the edge of release.  This time using his sense of touch he maintained Jan right on the edge but didn’t allow her to go over.  While he was keeping her on the very edge he said, “Wife, did you forget your marriage vows?”
	By this time tears of frustration were pouring from her eyes.  She couldn’t see and his words barely penetrated her consciousness.  “Marriage vows?  I don’t understand, Pete.  What about our vows?”
	Still maintaining the tension and the feeling he replied, “The part where you vowed to take me ‘for richer or poorer, till death do us part.’  Jan, Hugo Bingham could have had the damned company.  When are you going to understand that you count for everything in my life?  Without you there is nothing at all.”  He frowned and said, “Janice Stewart, without you I have no life!  None!  Are you starting to get the picture?”
	Meanwhile he could see her muscles begin to spasm from the tension she was feeling.  She had difficulty speaking, but managed to gasp, “Pete, it was because I love you so much!  I didn’t want to see your dreams — everything you’ve worked for — disappear because I’m a whore!  Don’t you understand?”  Finally, she could take it no longer.  She fell forward on her face and began to weep in frustration.  “Please, Pete, beat me with a whip!  They’re lying over there in the corner.  Just pick one!  But please stop!  I can’t stand this any more.”
	“Will you say you’re sorry?  Promise to never, ever do it again?  Promise that you come first in my life over everything?”
	“But Pete...”
	“Back on your knees, Slave!”
	“Pete, I can’t!  I just can’t.  I promise... I swear... Never again!  I’ll tell you everything.  I won’t keep anything from you!  Please stop....”  Her words dissolved into uncontrollable tears.
	Pete couldn’t take it any longer, either.  He gently took her in his arms and rolled her on her back.  With a beatific smile she spread her thighs as wide as she could to welcome him inside.  Gently he entered her.  Almost instantly she had a massive orgasm.  He rested inside while she regained control and started to move inside her with long, smooth strokes.  Soon he was taking her from one crest to another still higher one.  Finally her loins were moving with a life of their own as he maintained her in a virtually continuous orgasm.  Love juices were pouring from her cunt in a river in spite of his massive weapon inside it that served as a cork.
	Finally, she lost all control and fainted.  When she came to again she was on her back in Pete’s arms.  He whispered, “Kiss me, Slave.”  She rolled over on top of him and gently lowered her mouth to his.  She could feel the wonderful contact of her nipples against the hair on his chest.  The kiss was exquisite as their love for each other flowed between them.
	She lifted her head just enough to whisper, “Was that adequate, Master?  Master, I love thee more than my life.”
	“You can’t love me as much as I love you, my darling.  I love you more than life itself.”
	Then he smiled up at her and put his arms around her and squeezed, mashing her body against his own.  Jan could feel his heavy muscles bulge as he squeezed.  She couldn’t move but she could make the wonderful happy sound deep in her body that showed how much she loved the feeling.
	“You’re wrong, Master.  I forgot in just a few days how much I love to have your arms around me squeezing my body against yours.  Even when I’m a mess the way I am now.  Pete, how can you stand to look at me now?  I’m a total wreck!”
	He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.  “Darling wife, did you forget you have your parents — my brand-new in-laws — over for dinner?  What are they going to think of their daughter as a hostess?  What are they going to think of their new son-in-law?”  He helped her out of bed and they took a quick shower together.  Pete said with a smile, “Darling, I think we would all be just as happy if you got dressed.  What do you think?”
	Jan bowed deeply from the waist and said, “My master’s wish is his slave’s command!”  Quickly she put on a white sleeveless dress that was very appropriate to the warm San Fernando Valley weather.
	When they went out to the living room they found Ali in Bill’s arms with her movie still on the TV.  Bill was watching it while Ali slept in his arms while still holding his hand against her breast.  He grinned at them and whispered so as not to awaken her, “Age is catching up with your mother, Jan.  Why don’t you two get your drinks and watch the end of the movie?  I think it was your mother’s best.”
	Pete made them drinks while Jan brought out more hors d’oeuvres.  They watched the last twenty minutes of the film.  As the music rose at the conclusion of the film, Ali’s eyes opened.  She kissed Bill softly and asked, “Did the good guys win?”
	“Of course, dear,” Bill replied.  “The good guys always win in Ali McGrath movies.  Children, what did you two think?”
	Pete just shook his head.  “Dad, I have a question: How could Mom have made the movie when she was older than she is now?  I don’t understand.”
	Bill laughed and squeezed Ali tight.  “I have no idea.  I agree with you, though.  What do you think, daughter?”
	“Dad, I think she’s exquisite!”  She then told the men how she never realized who Ali was over the weekend simply because she was certain Ali was younger than she was.
	By this time Ali was fully awake and looked at her watch.  “By the way, daughter, I wish you would learn to be a little less noisy in your lovemaking.  You were in the process of cuming for almost seventeen minutes by my watch.  Can’t you be any quieter?  How in hell do you expect me to get any sleep?  If it weren’t for your father holding me close, I would have been really disturbed.”  She finished with a broad grin and then rubbed her flat belly.  “Incidentally, I could have sworn we were invited over here for dinner.”
	Jan yelped and ran out to the kitchen.  While she was there Ali set another place at the dinner table.  In no time she announced that dinner was ready.  Once again it was a gourmet’s dream.  The first course, a mixed seafood cocktail, was served with a magnificent grand cru Chablis, while the beef Wellington was served with a vintage Cabernet Sauvignon.  Jan made crepes Suzette for dessert and followed it with cheeses, coffee and cigars.  She grinned as Ali took a light panatella and Bill and Pete raised their eyebrows.
	“What’s the trouble?” Ali asked with a gleam in her eye.  “Don’t tell me you two are turning sexist on us?”
	The men just grinned and lighted their coronas.  Finally, Bill leaned back and raised his hands in surrender.  “Ali, you’re absolutely right!  Our new daughter is a marvel.  Never have I had such a dinner!  And she serves it after being unconscious from lovemaking and at the end of what has to be the most terrifying day of her life.  What do you think?”
	Ali just smiled warmly and shook her head.  “I spent the weekend with her, remember?  I don’t know how she does it or why.  All I know, Bill, is she’s the most loving and lovely person it has ever been my good fortune to meet.  And don’t forget, she has some pretty stiff competition from Jennifer, Connie, and the rest.”  She turned and raised her glass to Jan.  “Janice Carson Clifford Stewart:  Your new parents want you to know we love you with all our hearts.  Darling Jan, thank you!  For everything!”
	Jan looked genuinely bewildered.  “Thank me?  For what?  All I did was hopelessly screw up everything.  My husband has been eyeing the whips lying in the corner of the bedroom.  I think he’ll probably beat me to within an inch of my life.  You know something else?  I deserve it, too.”  She looked at Pete and asked softly, “Are you ready to begin?  I’m about as ready as I can ever be.”
	Pete rose from his chair and went around the table.  He picked Jan up from her chair as if she were a feather and carried her in his arms back to his seat.  He sat down again with her sitting across his lap.  Squeezing her tightly, he was rewarded with the wonderful happy sounds from deep in her throat.  When she turned her head to look at him he kissed the tip of her nose.  When she wiggled it, he kissed it again.  “Mom and Dad, don’t you think Jan is cute?  She’s so small and warm and wet and cuddly...”
	“Mother!” Jan exclaimed.  “Would you please tell this ape that a girl my size can’t possibly be cute and cuddly?”
	“I don’t know, dear.  Bill, what do you think?” Ali replied in a thoughtful tone of voice belied by the glint in her eye.
	“I think she looks cuddly and cute,” Bill answered.  “I agree with Pete.  After all, she has to be small and cute and cuddly or he couldn’t pick her up the way he does.  Right?”
	“You’re absolutely right, dear,” Ali responded, nodding her head.  “I knew you were smart.  She has to be small and cuddly, or he couldn’t pick her up.”
	Jan was resting her head against Pete’s shoulder and watching the exchange between her new parents.  Finally she just sighed and nuzzled Pete’s cheek.  “Okay, you bum.  I guess I’ll just have to be small and cuddly.”
	Pete kissed her on the nose again and said, “You forgot warm, and cute, and wet.”  He squeezed her tightly again.
	This time she raised her lips to his and whispered, “Pete, you can’t know how wonderful it makes me feel to be held in your arms this way.  All I feel are your huge muscles bulging and squeezing my body.  It feels absolutely heavenly!”
	“Speaking of warm and wet and cuddly,” Bill said, “I’ve been deprived of the most marvelous woman in the world for a whole weekend.  Furthermore, before dinner I had to listen to the most outrageous sounds I’ve ever heard in my life.”  Turning to Ali he said, “Woman, on your feet!  Your lord and master wants you naked in his bed!”
	Ali jumped from her chair and prostrated herself on the floor in front of Bill.  “Oh, Master, please forgive your unworthy servant!  I’ll try to make it up to you.”  Bill bent down and picked Ali up in his arms.
	As he did, Jan jumped up from Pete’s arms and went to her.  Bill put Ali back on her feet and Jan took her in her arms and hugged her.  “Mom, I can’t thank you enough!”  She kissed her and held her while she spoke to Bill, “Dad, I can’t tell you what it was like to hold Mom and be held by her in bed.  She stroked my hair like I was a little girl.  But I mashed my body against hers and felt safe.  Dad, you’re so lucky!  If I were a man, being in Mom’s arms would be like going to Heaven.”
	Bill kissed her softly and said, “Daughter, you sure have that one right!  Your mother is utterly indescribable.  She focuses herself on trying to do new things to make me happy.  If you can die of sex, that’s going to be my cause of death.  All I can say, though, is: What a way to go!”  With kisses all around, they left the apartment.
	Jan turned and found herself in Pete’s arms.  He leaned over and kissed her softly.  She could feel her lips melt under his and again feel the electricity flow between them.  When their lips parted Jan murmured, “Darling, that is so wonderful!  Thank you.”  She looked in his eyes and asked, “What can you possibly see in a mess like me, though?”
	Pete just shook his head in resignation.  “I give up!  Janice Stewart, for a genius you’re awfully dumb sometimes.  Hasn’t anything that has happened over the last few days sunk in yet?  Ali loves you.  Bill Clifford loves you.  I heard that Charley and Ginger Conrad offered you their entire life savings.  Young lady, Ali Clifford was in tears this afternoon telling me what you had done over the weekend.  She couldn’t imagine someone who could be so caring in spite of crushing personal problems.  She also told how you’re the most lovely girl she’s ever met.  She said the same thing only a few minutes ago.  Yet still you come up with the same garbage!  Darling, I love you more than life itself.  Nothing — and I mean nothing — counts for as much with me as you do.  Now are you starting to get the picture?”
	Knitting her brows, Jan pretended to be puzzled and said, “I’m really not sure, Pete.  Could you paint one for me?  Using that incredible weapon between your legs as a brush?”
	“Enough of this, Slave!  I need you where you belong: naked and on your back with your legs spread wide.”
	As he swept her up in his arms she snuggled into his shoulder and murmured, “I’ll settle for that.”
The End