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From: Nick Scipio <imperatorSPAM@BLOCKmindspring.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} "Summer Camp - Book 2" by Nick Scipio - Ch 25 (mF, mff, teen, oral, safe)
Date: Wed,  6 Aug 2003 19:10:05 -0400
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Author: Nick Scipio
Title: Summer Camp - Book 2: Gina
Part: Chapter 25
Universe: Summer Camp
Summary: Coming-of-age story about a teenager whose family spends 
their summer vacations at a nudist camp.
Keywords: mF, mff, teen, oral, safe
Revision: 1.02
Web Site: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/scipio/www/
FTP Site: http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/scipio/SummerCamp2
Mailing List: Scipio_Stories-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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

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

All characters in this story are fictitious; any similarity to 
any persons, places, individuals or situations is purely 
coincidental. The author does not necessarily condone or endorse 
any of the activities described in this story.

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

Copyright (c) 2003 Nick Scipio. All rights reserved.

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

Summer Camp - Book 2: Gina
by Nick Scipio

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The next day, Thursday, I woke up a little earlier than normal. 
The night before, Erin had gotten home at the same time I had, 
despite the fact that her curfew was much earlier than mine. 
She'd grinned sheepishly when I caught her trying to sneak in 
ahead of me. We talked for a while, but she was too giddy to make 
much sense. All she could talk about was Drew this, and Drew 
that. I merely grinned at her and said I was going to sleep. She 
didn't seem to mind, sighing happily as she climbed into the 
lower bunk. Mom had gotten home even later (which was why Erin 
escaped punishment, since I promised to keep my mouth shut). I 
vaguely recalled hearing her close the cabin door, but not much 
more than that.

When I padded outside to do my morning workout, Mom and Erin were 
both still sound asleep. Kendall joined me as I was finishing my 
sit-ups. I blew her a kiss and then started doing my push-ups. 
She watched silently as I systematically raised and lowered 
myself, resting briefly between each set of twenty. Then she 
handed me my jump rope and watched while I continued my workout. 
I was feeling cocky and did some Rocky moves while I jumped, 
doing crossovers, double-jumping, and generally showing off. She 
smiled appreciatively. Gina still hadn't showed up by the time I 
was done, so we figured she was sleeping late.

"Do you wanna shower in the clubhouse?" Kendall asked. "At this 
time of morning, it's usually almost deserted." She looked down 
shyly. "I could shower with you."

"Yeah, that sounds really cool," I said, nodding as I panted.

"I'll go get my towel," she said excitedly. "Then I'll meet you 
at the clubhouse."

"See you there."

True to Kendall's prediction, the clubhouse was fairly deserted. 
Most of the people who were there were making coffee or reading 
the morning papers (provided by Gunny Kershaw). No one was 
anywhere near the shower area, so Kendall and I could have a 
modicum of privacy. We unabashedly grinned at each other in 
anticipation.

We had to keep a careful lookout for anyone coming into the 
building--and we almost got caught once by one of the new couples 
and their young children--but we really enjoyed ourselves. I 
particularly enjoyed running my hands over her soapy body, 
especially her magnificent breasts. She shaved her legs and 
underarms and then I stood guard while she carefully shaved the 
sides of her pubic hair. She looked up and grinned as I had to 
cover my burgeoning erection. When she turned off the water, I 
held her towel for her. She stepped toward me and I enfolded her 
in its warmth and comfort.

"Mmmmm," she murmured. "I like this."

"Me too," I said.

A little later, we met Gina as we walked up the hill. She was 
just coming down from her cabin, and yawned when she saw us.

"Sorry," she said. "I was up late."

"That's cool. You wanna eat breakfast with us?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I'm going to go soak in the tub. Leah's 
already up, and Mom and Kara are still asleep. Since no one will 
get mad if I use all the hot water, I just wanna take a long, hot 
bath."

"Okay," I said. "We'll meet you at the clubhouse later, or down 
by the lake."

She nodded sleepily and kissed me on the cheek. Then she smiled 
at Kendall and turned to go. Kendall and I soon discovered that 
Mom was still asleep and Erin was nowhere to be found. Even 
though we were quiet, Mom heard us come in. She stirred and 
smiled sleepily.

"I'll be down to fix breakfast in a few minutes," she said.

"That's okay, Mom" I said softly. "I can fix something myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. You hardly ever get to sleep in. I'm a big boy, I can take 
care of myself."

"Thanks," she said softly. "Sleeping in sounds _wonderful_. Thank 
you, honey." With that, she smiled, pulled the sheet up to her 
chin, and rolled over.

"Do you want to eat breakfast with us?" Kendall asked as we left 
the cabin.

"Sure," I said cheerfully. "I'd love to."

Kendall's mom was more than happy to have me, and simply added a 
few pieces of bread to the toaster as she reached for several 
more eggs. Drew was in a good mood too, though we could tell that 
he was in a hurry to eat and leave. No doubt he was eager to find 
Erin and Leah. Kendall's father greeted me warmly and invited me 
to sit next to him.

Kendall helped her mom finish preparing breakfast and then began 
setting dishes of food on the table. Kendall set a glass of 
orange juice in front of me and then slid into the dinette next 
to me. I quickly bowed my head as they said grace, and then Mr. 
Payton and Drew started loading their plates. As the dishes of 
eggs, bacon, toast, and grits were passed my way, I piled my 
plate with food. Evidently, Kendall's mom was used to cooking big 
meals, and adding me to the mix really didn't change the 
portions.

I don't know what I expected from Kendall's father, but he was 
actually pretty nice. He even insisted that I call him Adam 
instead of "sir."

"It's good that your parents have taught you respect," he said, 
"but you can call me Adam, son."

Kendall smiled at me affectionately and her mother practically 
beamed. Drew merely looked at me and shook his head, as if to 
say, "You lucky dog."

Not surprisingly, Drew asked to be excused as soon as he'd 
finished his second helping. His father let him go and he quickly 
disappeared through the camper door. After breakfast, Adam and I 
talked while Kendall and her mom washed the dishes. He had been 
an MP in the Army and asked about my dad's time in Vietnam. 
Unfortunately, I had to plead ignorance, since Dad simply didn't 
talk about the war very much. Adam nodded thoughtfully, 
apparently in approval. When I asked him what it was like to be a 
cop, he talked for a while, telling me about the training and 
some of the interesting things he'd seen or done.

"Time to stop bending the young man's ear, dear," Kendall's mom 
said to him. Then she smiled fondly at her daughter.

When Adam stood up, I rose as well. I shook his hand and thanked 
them for breakfast. Once we were a little ways away from the 
camper, Kendall threw her arms around my neck and kissed me 
soundly.

"Not that I'm objecting," I said with a grin as we started 
walking again, "but what was that for?"

"Because you're so charming and handsome," she said. "And because 
my dad likes you."

"How could you tell?" I asked.

"I just know." She shrugged. "He _never_ talks about his job," 
she said, "especially around Mom and me. So I know he likes you 
if he was willing to actually tell you about what he does."

"Wow. Cool."

She linked her arm through mine and nodded happily.

-----

Later that morning, Gina, Kendall, and I were lounging on the 
raft in the middle of the lake. Much to our surprise, Kara and 
Stacy had driven to town about ten o'clock. According to Gina, 
they were running an errand for Susan and then going to see a 
movie.

"Yeah," Gina said, stifling a yawn. "When I told Kara about our 
conversation yesterday, you know the one, she said 'cool,' but 
she didn't know if we'd have time before our family left."

"Oh," I said. I didn't know whether to be relieved or 
disappointed.

Kendall grinned as she read my expression.

I stuck out my tongue and crossed my eyes.

"Oh yeah," Gina said suddenly, unaware of the look I'd just given 
Kendall, "Mom got a call from Dad last night. He's still coming 
home on Friday, and when your mom--" she  nodded to me, "--heard 
what flight he was on, she told him to ask about your dad. 
Evidently, he's on the same flight back. He's... um... on a dead...
um... 
a dead..."

"A deadhead?" I suggested helpfully.

"Yeah, a deadhead from Dallas, and then he's... um... jumpseating?" 
When I nodded, she continued. "Then he's jumpseating from Atlanta 
to Columbia. Whew," she breathed. "How do you remember all that?"

"I just do," I said with a shrug. "I mean, I live with it, and I 
hear that stuff all the time."

"What's it all mean?" she asked. "He's on a deadhead and 
jumpseating?"

"A deadhead is when they send a flight crew back from somewhere, 
but they're not flying the plane, they're just riding, like 
passengers. And a jumpseat is this spare seat in the cockpit 
where an extra pilot can ride."

"Oh."

"So if Dad's deadheading back from Dallas, he's with the rest of 
his crew, but they're riding in the passenger compartment. When 
they arrive in Atlanta, he'll get on the plane to Columbia, where 
he'll ride in the cockpit with the crew that's actually flying 
the plane."

"Sorta like a backup pilot?" Kendall asked.

I shrugged. "Yeah, but not really. I mean, it's not like the 
movies, where the pilots die from food poisoning, and they might 
need that extra guy to land the plane. The jumpseat is mostly for 
pilots to fly around without taking up a seat that a paying 
passenger could occupy."

"Oh," Kendall said. "That makes sense."

Gina nodded as well. "Anyway, my dad and your dad will probably 
be on the same flight tomorrow. So our moms are going to drive to 
Columbia together to pick them up."

"Oh," I said. "Cool."

"Mom said that she and your mom are planning to go shopping this 
afternoon. I think Leah and Erin are going with them. So that 
means," she said slowly, "we'll have some time when most everyone 
will be gone."

"And?" I asked with a knowing grin.

"We can see if Susan needs any... um... help around the house."

Kendall gasped in mild surprise.

"You're _not_ afraid of flying," Gina said soothingly, 
hypnotically. "You're not afraid of flying." Then she grinned. 
"Repeat after me, 'I'm not afraid of flying.'"

Kendall chuckled and repeated the phrase several times. Then she 
smiled shyly and said, "As long as I don't have to deadhead or 
jumpseat, though!"

We all laughed, enjoying the release of tension.

"Did you wanna go talk to Susan?" Gina asked me when we grew 
quiet.

"You want me to?"

Gina and I both looked at Kendall. When she hesitated, Gina 
reached out and squeezed her hand. "You don't have to do anything 
you don't want to. Okay?"

She nodded jerkily and then took a deep breath.

"Why don't I talk to Susan some other time?" I asked Gina. It was 
half question, half suggestion.

Before Gina could reply, Kendall shook her head. "I'm _not_ 
afraid of flying," she said defiantly.

I nodded and smiled to reassure her.

"Hey," Gina said suddenly. "I've got an idea. Why don't we see if 
we can eat lunch with Susan? We can talk to her then. I mean, my 
mom, your mom, and our sisters are going to town. And Kara and 
Stacy are already there."

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "We're kinda at loose ends anyway." Then 
I turned to Kendall. "If your parents will let you eat lunch with 
me and Gina, and Susan, of course, that would be a good excuse 
for us to be over there."

"It would be our cover story?" Kendall asked.

"Hold on a second," I said, realization suddenly dawning. 
"Kendall, are you more worried about what we do? Or about your 
parents finding out about it?"

"Both," she said, grinning ruefully. "But maybe I'm a lot more 
afraid of my parents finding out. You have no concept of how 
they'd go through the roof if they found out I was having sex."

"Then we'll just have to be extra careful," I said.

"Yeah," she said, grinning shyly. "Thanks."

I nodded solemnly. "Why don't you girls hang out here," I said. 
"I'll go see if Susan's up for a little company during lunch."

When they both nodded, I stood up. With a small wave, I dived 
into the water and swam for the shore. Once there, I grabbed my 
towel and dried off as I walked up the hill. At Susan's house, I 
knocked on the kitchen door.

"Hello, stranger," she said with a grin. "Come on inside."

"Thanks," I said as she shut the door behind me. "Um... we were 
thinking...," I started.

She arched an eyebrow and grinned. "Yes?"

_Why do I always blush when she looks at me like that?_ "Um... 
Gina, Kendall, and me, that is."

"Mmm hmm."

"Will you quit," I said in half-serious exasperation, feeling my 
cheeks heat further at her wry smile. She knew exactly what I was 
talking about. Her eyes still glittered mischievously, but her 
expression grew a little more serious. "Thank you," I said. 
"Anyway, we were thinking... since our families are all going to 
town, Gina and I are at loose ends for the afternoon. We were 
wondering if you'd like some company for lunch. Kendall was gonna 
ask her parents if she could join us too, if that's okay."

"You talked to her about us, didn't you?" She looked at me 
neutrally, but I caught a hint of a frown. Just a hint, but it 
was there.

"Mmm hmm. Yesterday, at the quarry."

"And she took it well?"

I nodded. "Yeah, although she kinda suspected that you and I had 
had sex."

"She's an insightful young woman."

"I'll say," I muttered.

"Did you talk to her about me borrowing you for stud services?" 
When she saw my expression, she quickly stepped close and put her 
hand on my arm. "I'm sorry. I was teasing you, but I shouldn't 
have said that."

"It's okay."

"I don't think of you as stud services."

"I know."

"Regardless, I shouldn't've said it. If we never have sex again, 
I'll be more than happy to call you my friend." She paused and 
looked at me earnestly. "One of my _best_ friends."

I felt my cheeks heating again, although for a different reason. 
"Thank you," I said, my voice suddenly cracking. I cleared my 
throat and blinked several times. "Thank you very much. You're 
one of my best friends too."

"That means a lot to me, Paul. Thank you."

I smiled bashfully and suddenly looked down.

She reached up and put her hand against my cheek. "Sometimes, 
it's easy to forget that you're still sixteen. And other times, I 
love you all the more for it."

"Um... thanks, I guess."

She nodded and smiled warmly, caressing my face. "You're 
welcome." Then she pulled her hand back and smiled again. "Now, 
where were we?" When I smiled gratefully, she continued. "What 
did you tell Kendall about you and me?"

I nodded and then recounted the conversation from the previous 
day.

"She's read _Fear of Flying_?" she asked suddenly, interrupting 
me.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I'm impressed."

I told her what Kendall had related to Gina and me about the 
book.

"And she actually _understood_ it," Susan said. "I'm doubly 
impressed. You've got a very sharp young woman there, Paul. Hold 
on to her. Although Gina's hardly average. Hold on to them both."

I nodded, blushing. When she gestured for me to continue, I 
related the remainder of the quarry conversation, as well as our 
talk from earlier in the day.

"Oh," she said. The hint of a frown reappeared, but only for a 
moment. It was more a tightening of the eyes than anything else.

"I think she's more worried about her parents finding out."

"I seem to recall a certain young man who was worried about his 
parents finding out he was having sex with a certain woman," she 
said cleverly.

"Um... yeah. I remember that guy."

"You do?"

I nodded. "He was shorter than me, and maybe a little goofier."

"He wasn't goofy," she said. "He was just... younger."

I smiled in thanks for her diplomatic reply.

"But I can understand why she's worried. And... well... I'll be 
honest with you, I don't know if I'm comfortable having her join 
us."

I looked up sharply. "Why not?"

"Because I don't know her parents. With you...," she said. Then she 
paused to gather her thoughts. "With you, I did something a 
little... reckless."

"How?" I asked, not knowing whether to be hurt, offended, or 
what.

She reached out to soothe me again. "Paul, even though I knew 
your parents as well as I did, you were still only fifteen when 
we first had sex." Before she continued, she gestured toward the 
kitchen table. "Let's sit down. Okay?"

I nodded a little hesitantly and pulled out a chair.

"Paul," she said, reaching to hold my hands, "I wouldn't change a 
thing about our relationship. Not one single thing. But you have 
to realize what an incredible risk it was for me to ever initiate 
it."

Reluctantly, I nodded.

"I've never regretted it, not once, but it _was_... rash. Do you 
understand?"

"I think so," I said, trying not to sound sullen.

"If your parents hadn't been who they were, I could've gone to 
jail."

"Yeah," I grudgingly admitted.

"I know Gina's parents well enough too, and we've... talked about 
the possibility of me joining you two."

I nodded, surprised in spite of the fact that I should've 
realized they'd probably talked.

"But I _don't_ know Kendall's parents very well. And I've been 
thinking about it some more, her joining us, that is."

"And?"

"I just don't think it'd be a good idea. Consequently, it 
wouldn't be fair to her if you and Gina invited me to join you, 
but excluded her."

For a moment, I was too stunned to speak. For the second time 
that day, I didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

"I hope you can understand," she said when I didn't respond.

"Yeah," I said. "That makes sense."

"Do you think _she'll_ understand?"

"I think she'll be relieved," I said after a moment's reflection. 
"It's Gina that I'm a little worried about. She gets... um... fixated 
sometimes."

Susan laughed brightly. "A very politic way to put it. But you're 
right. Do you think it'll be a problem for her?"

"I dunno," I said with a shrug.

"I can talk to her, if you'd like."

I quickly nodded. I felt cowardly for doing it, but I didn't want 
to be the one to tell Gina no.

"Okay," she said, smiling warmly. "I'd still like you all to have 
lunch with me, if you want to."

"Yeah," I said. "We'd love to."

"Okay," she replied with another smile. "I'll see you in a little 
while. I'll get things started while you round up Gina and 
Kendall."

"What should I tell them?" I asked.

"About what?"

"They knew I was coming up here to talk to you about... you know."

She nodded and then turned thoughtful. "Just tell them I said 
we'd have to talk about it."

I nodded again and headed for the door.

-----

Down at the lake, I waved to the girls and they soon joined me on 
the shore. Once again, I was struck by their beauty--Gina, dark 
and exotically lovely, Kendall, tall and statuesque. With a 
distracted headshake, I pushed those thoughts aside.

"What did she say?" Gina predictably asked.

"She said we'd have to talk about it," I replied, temporizing.

Gina seemed to accept that at face value, but Kendall looked at 
me funny. I shrugged it off and told them that Susan definitely 
wanted us to join her for lunch. While we walked up the hill, I 
suggested that Gina tell our moms about lunch at Susan's while 
Kendall and I asked her parents. She readily agreed. With a wide 
grin, she wrapped her towel around her waist and headed toward 
our cabins.

"What's going on?" Kendall asked, as soon as we were alone.

"Um... what do you mean?"

She stopped, put her hands on her hips, and looked at me 
expectantly.

I couldn't stop myself from grinning at her. "You don't miss 
much, do you?"

She shook her head.

"Listen," I said softly, "Don't tell Gina, but Susan is a little 
concerned about all of us getting together."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "'Cause she doesn't know your parents very well, and 
you're still under eighteen."

Instead of getting angry, like I thought she would, she relaxed 
visibly. "Oh, thank goodness."

"What's the matter?"

"I was really nervous," she said. "It's kinda exciting to _think_ 
about, but..."

I nodded.

"Gina just got so excited, and I didn't want to disappoint her. 
Or you," she quickly added.

"I wouldn't be disappointed." _Much._

"Thank you," she said, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears.

"And Susan said she'd talk to Gina about it. I guess I kinda 
chickened out too, when it came to talking to Gina. But she'll 
survive. Now," I said, with forced enthusiasm, "let's go talk to 
your parents."

-----

Kendall's mother smiled broadly when we made our request. She 
smiled warmly at me and told us to enjoy ourselves. When we 
arrived at Susan's house, she wasn't there. She'd left a note on 
the kitchen table to let us know that she'd return shortly, and 
for us to make ourselves comfortable in the living room. 
Curiously, the note was addressed to only Kendall and me. With a 
shrug, we headed into the next room and sat on the couch. Kendall 
curled her feet beneath her and snuggled against my side.

"I think I like this more than anything else," she said with a 
contented sigh.

"Sitting on the couch with me?"

She nodded. "Just holding you."

"Yeah, it's nice," I said, hugging her tight.

About twenty minutes later, the kitchen door opened to admit 
Susan and Gina. Gina smiled tightly as Kendall and I joined them 
in the kitchen. I watched Gina carefully, searching for any signs 
of animosity. Instead of looking upset, she looked resigned.

Soon, however, we started preparing lunch. Susan skimmed off her 
bikini bottoms, washed her hands, then started directing the 
girls. She even put me to work washing and pulling apart lettuce 
for a salad. As we worked, Susan told Kendall and me that Mom and 
Elizabeth were going into town to buy new dresses. Evidently, 
Gina's and my parents were going to have a fancy dinner while 
they were in Columbia, so our moms wanted something nice to wear. 
Erin and Leah had gone along as "modern fashion consultants" as 
well as for the fun of it.

"Exactly," Kendall said to no one in particular. "Who _doesn't_ 
like dress shopping?"

I don't think she expected an answer. And judging by Gina and 
Susan's expressions, it looked like I was the only one who might 
disagree.

With the four of us working, lunch was quickly ready. Susan even 
had iced tea for Kendall, though Gina and I stuck to Coke. While 
we ate, Susan told us a little more about some of the people in 
camp whom we didn't know so well (the newly arrived families with 
younger kids). Toward the end of the meal, however, she paused 
and looked at us seriously.

"I know you all had a discussion," she said, looking at each of 
us in turn, "about Paul's and my relationship."

Gina merely nodded, while Kendall looked a little nervous.

"I love Paul very much, and I want him to be happy."

The girls nodded.

"I also want you two to be happy," she said to them. "I know you 
love him as much as I do."

Another pair of nods.

"Now," she said, then paused until both girls looked at her, "we 
can all act like adults. Right?"

Three nods, this time.

"When Paul came to me earlier today," Susan said, "I'd been doing 
a lot of thinking. I _do_ miss Paul's company, and I do miss 
having sex with him."

Kendall blushed, but Gina only nodded slightly.

"But what's most important is his relationship with the two of 
you." Then she turned to Kendall. "Almost as important are the 
facts that I don't want to put you in a position where you're 
uncomfortable, and that I don't know your parents very well. In 
addition, you _are_ still seventeen." 

Kendall nodded.

"So we can all act like adults," Susan continued, "and we treat 
each other like adults, but you're still not legally an adult. 
And while it may seem like sophistry..."

_Whatever that means,_ I thought, although Kendall and Gina 
seemed to understand her.

"...that you're underage, it's a fact we have to deal with. I don't 
actually know what the age of consent is, but your parents might 
still... overreact to any relationship that involved an adult."

"I'll say," Kendall said sourly. "They'd flip."

"Mmm hmm," Susan continued. "I know Paul's and Gina's parents 
much better than I know yours." Then she held Kendall's hand and 
looked at her earnestly. "I'm very flattered that you'd let me 
join you, but I don't think it's a good idea. Especially without 
your parents' approval."

"We can't ask my parents _anything_ about this," Kendall said.

"We won't," Susan replied simply. "But parents are often smarter 
than you give them credit for. If they learned you were having 
sex with Paul..."

"I don't even want to _think_ about what would happen," Kendall 
said.

"I don't think it'd be as bad as you imagine," Susan said, "but 
if they learned that you'd had sex with me..."

Kendall nodded emphatically. "All heck would break loose."

"Mmm hmm. So you see my point."

Kendall nodded.

"Gina and I had a discussion about this, before we got back to 
the house" Susan said, "and she understands."

Gina nodded, although a little glumly.

"We also had a talk with her mother and your mother, Paul," Susan 
said. "They agree with me that it's just not a good idea right 
now."

Gina smiled thinly and nodded again.

"But I want you all to understand," Susan said firmly, "that this 
is _my_ decision." She looked at each of us in turn and waited 
for us to nod. "If you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at me."

We all quickly shook our heads.

"I thought you wanted to... um... be with Paul," Kendall said 
tentatively.

"Oh, I do," Susan replied. "But not if it means jeopardizing all 
our happiness, and worse, risking serious consequences for you 
and your family."

"So this is all my fault," Kendall said sullenly, almost 
resentfully.

"Look at me, Kendall," Susan said, her voice unyielding. When 
Kendall reluctantly looked up, Susan held her gaze. "This is 
_not_ your fault. It's no one's fault. It's a difficult decision 
that we have to make. Sometimes, that's what being an adult is 
about. It means you can't just think about what you _want_, you 
have to think about what's _best_. Do you understand?"

Even though she was speaking to Kendall, I got the impression 
that her comments were also directed at Gina, and to a lesser 
degree, at me.

Kendall nodded solemnly.

Before Susan continued, she paused for a moment and seemed to 
come to an internal decision. First, she looked at Gina and 
Kendall. Then, she turned to gaze at me affectionately. "I've 
only had three lovers in my life," she said.

Although she was looking at me, I knew she was speaking to the 
girls.

Kendall grew a little uncomfortable, but Gina seemed to perk up.

"I've had sex with a number of men," Susan said, "but only three 
lovers: my first love, Greg; my husband, Jack, who was the love 
of my life; and Paul." She smiled fondly, her eyes twinkling. 
"Paul is one of the most caring, compassionate, thoughtful men 
I've ever known."

Now _I_ was growing uncomfortable.

"He'll never replace Jack, not in my heart, but he filled a large 
void in my life and made me happy and whole again. He helped 
reintroduce me to a part of myself that I missed, very much. And 
because of that, I'll always love him. Along the way, he's become 
a young man I'm very proud to know. And," she said with a slight 
smirk, "compared to most of the other men I've been with, he's an 
exceptional lover. I think you two realize how lucky you are to 
have a man like him. I definitely know how lucky _I_ am."

"_I'm_ the lucky one," I said quickly.

"You _are_ lucky," she said. "But we are too. And I wanted Gina 
and Kendall to understand that this hasn't been an easy decision 
for me. You're very... special to me. You'll always be my friend, 
my very good friend. And... I'll always love you," she said 
quietly.

I started to reply, but quickly choked up. When the girls 
noticed, a wave of embarrassment washed over me and I hastily 
looked down, blinking my eyes several times. As I looked up, all 
three of them were smiling affectionately, their eyes glistening. 
I started to speak, but my throat tightened up again.

"I know," Susan said with a nod.

I blinked again and tried to salvage some of my dignity, but the 
girls didn't seem to care that I'd become so emotional. Instead, 
they had empathetic tears in their eyes.

"Why don't we clean up the dishes, ladies," Susan said as the 
silence stretched out.

I swallowed hard and thanked her with my eyes.

She nodded, smiling warmly.

As we were cleaning up the remains of our lunch, Susan suggested 
that we bring our drinks outside and sit in the courtyard. She 
sent me out with several paper towels and the Formula 409 to 
clean the table and chairs. In a few minutes, the girls came out 
with my towel and drink. I set the cleaning bottle back in the 
kitchen and then spread my towel on one of the wrought iron 
chairs.

"I'm glad you all came to lunch," Susan said brightly, trying to 
lighten the mood. "I've mostly gotten used to the boys being 
gone, but the house is so quiet sometimes."

We all nodded.

"I'm really looking forward to them being home at the end of the 
summer, but I wish it could be longer." She shrugged. "They're 
growing up," she said, more to herself than to anyone in 
particular.

"When are they coming home?" Gina asked.

"Hmm?" Susan asked absently. "Oh. The end of August. Kirk has to 
report back to the Academy by the first of September. And Doug's 
classes begin the day after Labor Day."

"Where's he going to college?" Gina asked.

"Rice University," Susan replied. "In Houston."

"I barely remember Doug," Kendall said. "And I don't think I've 
ever met Kirk."

"Oh, my God," Gina said, "they're _super_ cute, Kirk especially. 
I had the biggest crush on him when I was--" Suddenly, she 
remembered that I was sitting there. "Uh... sorry."

"It's okay," I said, laughing. "You were allowed to look at other 
guys before me."

"Before you?! Allowed?!" When she realized I was teasing her, she 
calmed down, but she still rolled her eyes and looked like she 
wanted to strangle me.

I grinned wryly.

"What're they like?" Kendall asked smoothly. "Your sons, I mean."

For several minutes, Susan told her about Kirk and Doug, and 
their accomplishments. Kirk was still planning to follow in his 
father's footsteps and become a pilot, while Doug was interested 
in computers and some things called microchips.

"Kirk and Doug sound really cool," Kendall said. "I wish I could 
meet them sometime." Then she shrugged. "But we're going home 
before they get here."

As we all thought about going home, a slight pall settled over 
the table.

"Have you thought about what happens after the summer?" Susan 
asked at last.

"Hmm?" I asked.

"Have you and the girls talked about what happens after the 
summer? About your relationships."

I felt my cheeks heating as I shook my head.

"Have you _thought_ about it?" she asked mildly.

"Yeah," I said with a shrug. "A little."

I quickly explained what I'd been thinking about flying stand-by. 
I would fly to Charleston whenever I could, but I know my parents 
wouldn't let me miss much school, if any. Also, I might be able 
to talk my family into visiting the Coulters at least once or 
twice. If we did, Gina and I would get to be together, obviously.

I didn't know if she'd be able to fly to Atlanta, but if she did, 
I was positive that Mom and Dad would let her stay with us. Maybe 
Leah could come too, I suggested. Gina nodded enthusiastically. 
Then I turned to Kendall.

"I could fly to Nashville too, I guess," I said.

"Knoxville," she corrected. "UT is in Knoxville."

"Well, I could fly there too," I said with a grin. "I mean, if I 
don't meet a nice girl in Nashville."

She playfully swatted at me, but then turned serious. "I've kinda 
been thinking about it too."

"About how we can be together after the summer?" I asked.

"Yeah. But... well... college is so different."

"It is," Susan said gently.

"And I was thinking...," Kendall said.

I felt something grip my stomach and twist.

Kendall looked at me guiltily.

"College _is_ a very different place," Susan said, reading 
Kendall's expression, "with different people, and different 
things to do."

Kendall suddenly stared at her hands.

For a long moment, Susan merely studied Kendall's expression and 
body language. Then she asked, "Did you know that I also started 
college when I was seventeen?"

Kendall shook her head.

"I did. It... was a big adjustment. My boyfriend at the time wasn't 
very happy, especially when... well, he wasn't very happy."

Kendall suddenly looked up at me. "I don't know what to do," she 
said in a rush. "It's just..."

"It's just that Paul and Gina are still in high school," Susan 
said comfortingly. "And they will be, for the next two years. 
While _you_ will be at college, in a whole different world."

Kendall nodded sullenly.

"My boyfriend wasn't too happy that I was going away," Susan said 
in remembrance. "We had a fight about it, before I left. I wasn't 
very happy either," she said with a shrug. "As a matter of fact, 
I was miserable. But..." Her eyes flicked to me.

I sensed that there was something she was leaving out, but I had 
no idea what it was.

"...my life changed, and... it was very difficult to tell Greg. He... 
he didn't take it well."

Whatever had grabbed my stomach twisted again.

"So you're lucky," Susan said to Kendall. "You've got the 
opportunity to enjoy some time with your boyfriend, and you can 
talk about your going off to college. I know you love Paul, but 
it's not going to be the same when you're at UT and he's home in 
Atlanta."

A tear escaped Kendall's eye and ran down her cheek. "How'd you 
know?" she asked hoarsely.

Susan smiled gently. "I just did."

Kendall sniffled and nodded.

"When I went off to college," Susan continued, "my boyfriend 
didn't understand that I'd be meeting new people, and that it'd 
be hard to have a relationship with him being so far away. He 
didn't have the advantages Paul has, being able to fly for free, 
but I don't know if that would've helped."

I looked on dumbly, watching as if things were unfolding in a 
dream.

"I just don't know what to do," Kendall said miserably, her tears 
finally flowing freely. She wiped her cheeks, but it did little 
good. "I've never even _had_ a boyfriend. And I'm so happy to 
have one that I never want to let go. But I just don't know how 
things'll work when I'm at college and he's hundreds of miles 
away."

Susan nodded. "I understand." Then she looked at me seriously. 
"Do you, Paul?"

I wanted to answer, but I felt a lump in my throat. What was 
Kendall saying? That she wanted to break up with me? That she 
didn't want to see me anymore? That I was too young for her? A 
thousand thoughts swirled through my mind, none of them pausing 
long enough to make any sense out of.

"I didn't even want to talk about this now," Kendall said softly, 
sniffling. "I just wanted to enjoy the rest of the summer... and... 
oh, what's the use?" She looked up at me, her eyes red-rimmed and 
overflowing. "Do you hate me?"

In that moment, all I wanted to do was to comfort her. My own 
eyes stung as I shook my head. From my left, Gina sniffled and 
reached for my hand.

"I'm sure Paul understands how hard it'll be to have a 
relationship with you next year," Susan said.

In hindsight, I realize that her statement was more for my 
benefit than Kendall's, but at the time, I was dumbfounded.

"I'm sure he knows how hard it would be for _both_ of you, not 
being able to see each other very often, not having very much in 
common, as far as your day-to-day lives are concerned. He and 
Gina will have a lot more in common than you and he would, and 
that'll be a bond for them."

Kendall nodded morosely.

"What are you saying?" I asked, finally finding my voice.

"I don't know," Kendall whispered. Then she took a ragged breath. 
"Can we just enjoy the rest of the summer?"

When I looked at Gina, she was crying too. I felt helpless. I 
felt worse than helpless, I felt impotent. I felt... empty, 
somehow. As if sensing my mood, Gina squeezed my hand.

"We'll enjoy the time we have," Gina said softly.

Kendall nodded, but then looked at me, searching my expression.

For what, I wondered? Forgiveness? Approval? Happiness? 
Acceptance? At the core of it all, I knew I loved her. If we only 
had until the end of the summer, then so be it. I smiled as 
genuinely as I could and nodded.

We sat in silence for several long, agonizing moments. Kendall 
started crying harder and I felt Gina release my hand. When I 
looked at her, she silently gestured toward Kendall. Susan looked 
at me too, her eyes wide and liquid, although she wasn't crying. 
She tilted her head toward Kendall and urged me to comfort her.

In a haze, I scooted my chair back and stood up. When Kendall 
looked up, she saw my expression and practically flew into my 
arms, her heavy chair skidding back as she stood. I embraced her 
as she buried her head at the hollow of my neck and cried. I 
didn't know what else to do, so I merely held her and crooned 
softly that everything would be all right.

-----

Later, when we'd all cleaned up a bit, we had a subdued 
conversation. Kendall's eyes and nose were still red, but she 
wasn't crying. I smiled at her as warmly as I could and reached 
out to hold her hand. I guess I should've seen this coming, but I 
hadn't even really thought about it. With the three of us in 
three different cities, all separated by hundreds of miles, our 
relationship was bound to be strained. I didn't want to admit it, 
but Susan had been right. Gina and I _were_ in the same place in 
life. And even though Kendall was only a year older than us, she 
was _two_ years ahead of us in life.

So while I didn't want to think about it, I knew that my 
relationship with Kendall would come to an end in little more 
than a week. Worse, Gina's family was going home in a few _days_. 
But both of us knew that we'd see each other, and that our 
families would stay in touch. Our relationship would probably be 
a little strained as well, but not nearly as much as with 
Kendall.

Kendall was clearly the most upset, but we all vowed to make the 
most of the time we had left. When she realized that I wasn't 
angry, she was relieved, but still apprehensive. Susan subtly 
guided the conversation and seemed to make sure that we didn't 
fixate on pessimistic topics. As we talked, I became more and 
more grateful that she _had_ brought up the subject when she did.

For my part, I didn't want Kendall to feel like she was tied to 
me. If she met a guy she really liked, she should be free to 
pursue him. She didn't think she'd have the courage to do it, but 
I could tell she was relieved that I understood. She'd evidently 
given the subject a lot more thought than I had, and somehow, 
Susan had sensed it.

Kendall still wanted to see Gina or me, if we could travel to 
Knoxville, but none of us knew if we'd all be able to find the 
time. For a while, we talked quietly about enjoying the rest of 
our summer together, but none of us mentioned how little time we 
had left. Then, we heard someone clear his throat at the 
courtyard entrance.

"Excuse me, Susan," Gunny Kershaw said. "Sorry young Mister Paul, 
Miss Gina, Miss Kendall," he said, nodding to each of us in turn. 
"I just wanted to drop off the mail."

Susan nodded and reached for it as he handed her a moderate-sized 
stack of envelopes.

"There's two in there for you too," he said to me.

"Thank you, Jeremiah," Susan said graciously.

"She's the only one can call me by my Christian name," he said to 
me gruffly, blushing slightly. "It's still Gunny to you."

"Of course, Gunny," I said, keeping my expression neutral and 
trying not to grin. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Susan 
smirking.

Gunny nodded and then smiled in approval. "He's a mighty fine 
young man," he said to the girls. Then he looked at them 
earnestly. "He'd make an out_standing_ Marine, even if he became 
an officer. See if you can talk him into joining the Corps."

"We'll do our best," Gina said seriously.

Chortling, Gunny turned around and walked out of the courtyard.

When he was out of earshot, we all burst out laughing, banishing 
the dolor from a few minutes before. Susan sorted through the 
mail as we chuckled. When she got to a large yellow envelope, she 
suddenly grew quiet.

"What is it?" Gina asked.

"They're for you, Paul," Susan said soberly, handing me the large 
envelope and a small white one.

"Who're they from, Paul?" Gina asked.

I read the return address and my heart sank. "Amy," I said 
heavily.

-----

Susan suggested I go inside to read the letters, and I numbly 
agreed. Once there, I sat at the kitchen table and simply stared 
at them for several long moments. It took me another moment to 
decipher the address on the white envelope. Not only did it have 
a "Return to Sender" stamp on it, it had the camp's address 
crossed out and re-written, apparently by a postal worker 
somewhere between here and Atlanta.

In addition, it was originally postmarked July 11, so it had 
taken more than two weeks to arrive. The reason soon became 
clear. Instead of addressing the letter to me at the camp's 
address in South Carolina, Amy had mistakenly written Georgia. 
The larger envelope had South Carolina clearly spelled out, and 
underlined. Since the smaller envelope had the earlier postmark, 
I opened it first.

As I began to read Amy's flowing cursive, I felt my eyes harden. 
In a word, the letter was venomous. She hated me. She never 
wanted to see me again, ever (in capital letters and underlined 
twice). I had used her, taken advantage of her. I never cared 
about her. I was worthless and she never liked me anyway. The 
letter was short, with terse, truculent sentences. Instead of 
signing it with her name, she had simply written "I hate you!" 
When I finished it, I felt my teeth grinding and had to 
consciously relax my jaw. I certainly felt bad about how Amy and 
I had ended things, but I hardly deserved the vitriol in her 
letter. I set it down and clenched my fists several times until I 
calmed down a little.

Fuming, I ripped open the larger envelope. When I upended it, 
three small white envelopes and a note fell onto the table. I 
decided to read the note first. After all, I couldn't possibly 
get any angrier. As I read it, my fury eased somewhat, but not 
much. She explained that she'd mailed me several letters, but 
they'd returned because she'd gotten the address wrong. I quickly 
looked at the other envelopes, and saw that they had also been 
addressed to Georgia.

She went on to explain that if I got another letter, her friend 
Becky Leonardi had forced her to write and send it to me, and 
that she didn't mean anything it said. Undoubtedly, she was 
referring to the letter I'd already read. At the end of the note, 
she professed her undying love for me and told me that she'd do 
_anything_ I wanted, if only I'd take her back. It didn't take a 
rocket scientist to figure out what she meant. At the end of the 
note, she said that she was including her original letters, so I 
could see how much she loved me.

Numbly, I sorted the other three letters and arranged them by 
postmark. The first had been mailed less than a week after we 
left for camp, on June 15. I opened it and began to read. The 
page was wrinkled a little, as if it had gotten wet, and I 
quickly realized that she must've been crying when she wrote it. 
She apologized for the fight we'd had the week before the end of 
school. She told me she loved me and she always wanted to be with 
me. She begged me to call or write as soon as I could. She signed 
it "Love always, Amy."

The next letter was mailed a little more than a week later, on 
June 25. I could tell that she was worried because she hadn't 
heard from me. She told me she loved me, and that she wanted me 
to take her back. She said she knew I was angry, but that she'd 
make it up to me, "you know how." When I finished the letter, a 
little of the anger had drained out of me, only to be replaced by 
a kernel of sympathy.

The third letter was mailed right before the Fourth of July. It 
was more distraught, as she wondered why I hadn't written or 
called her. She begged me to take her back, to call her, to write 
her, anything. She said that our whole fight had been her fault, 
and she desperately wanted me to forgive her. She'd do anything I 
wanted her to, but to please take her back. She signed it "your 
loving girlfriend." When I set it down, I sighed deeply, feeling 
wrung out.

I felt sorry for her, but I was also still angry about her 
bitter, bile-filled fourth letter. It was unfortunate that I'd 
read it first, but I don't think it would've changed things. 
While I suspected that Becky Leonardi had had _something_ to do 
with its intensity, _Amy_ had written and mailed it, and she 
couldn't take back what she'd said. For the first three letters, 
I understood her growing sense of desperation. But the fourth 
letter went a long way toward destroying any sympathy I might 
have felt.

In a wintry silence, I re-read the first three letters in order. 
But while I didn't read the hostile fourth letter, it weighed 
heaviest on my mind. Consciously, I knew she was only lashing out 
in fear and frustration, but I couldn't get over the sheer 
bitterness and resentment in her words. I knew I was equally at 
fault for how we'd ended things, but I didn't think I deserved 
most of what she'd written in that final letter.

On autopilot, I carefully refolded the letters and stuffed them 
back into their respective envelopes. Then I folded the note 
around them and slid the packet into the larger envelope. When I 
walked outside, Susan and the girls looked up at me in curiosity. 
As soon as they saw my stormy expression, they grew concerned.

"Is everything all right, Paul?" Susan asked.

I shrugged angrily.

"What is it?" Gina asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it. Okay?"

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of _course_ I'm sure," I snapped. "Listen," I said brusquely, 
"I'm going to go up to my cabin. I wanna be alone for a while."

The girls nodded, too shocked to reply, but Susan frowned in 
disapproval. Then she stood.

"Ladies," she said, gesturing for them to stand, "you should 
probably head back to the lake."

In alarm, they looked from Susan to me.

"Paul," Susan asked politely, but firmly, "will you please stay 
for a minute?"

I nodded curtly and clenched my jaw.

Susan ushered the girls out of the courtyard. Once they were in 
the open, she had a low-voiced, sincere conversation with them. I 
couldn't hear what she was saying, but I didn't really care.

How could Amy write all those things? I'm sure Becky Leonardi 
_had_ helped her with the letter, but her feelings had to come 
from somewhere. What happened to the sweet, shy girl I had loved? 
As I stood in Susan's courtyard and seethed, I wondered what I 
had felt for Amy. In my mind, I played through all of the times 
she and I had been together. Then I analyzed my feelings for her 
and tried to sort them out. I began to wonder if...?

"Paul?"

I looked up suddenly and felt a hand on my shoulder. When I 
turned, Susan was gazing at me steadily.

"Let's head inside," she suggested quietly.

"Really," I growled, "I just want to be alone."

Without answering me, she walked toward the kitchen door. In a 
huff, I followed her. Once inside, she shut the door behind us 
and then headed into the living room. Instead of stopping, she 
entered the hall and turned toward her bedroom. I was still 
fuming, but I followed her, mostly because it was clear that she 
expected me to. When we got to her bedroom, she scooted to the 
center of the bed, tucked her legs underneath her, and gestured 
for me to join her.

"Why?" I asked petulantly. "There's nothing you can do to fix 
things."

"So I'm just supposed to let you go off and brood by yourself?" 
she asked, almost hotly. Then she shook her head. "Sorry, Paul, 
I'm not going to let you wallow in self pity and then give your 
family and friends the silent treatment."

"Self _pity?!_"

"Self pity," she said firmly. "When something upsets you, you 
have a bad habit of retreating into yourself and over-thinking 
things. You seethe. You brood. You mope. If you were a four-year-
old, you'd throw a temper tantrum and then go hide in your room."

"A _temper_ tantrum?!"

To my complete and utter surprise, she laughed, her eyes 
crinkling with mirth.

"What's so funny?" I asked, bewildered but still angry.

"You," she said simply, covering her mouth with her hand. "You 
look like you want to break something."

"Well?" I asked testily. "What if I do?"

She quickly sobered, but the smile never left her eyes. "Paul, as 
strong as you are, you really need to control your temper. If you 
don't, you're going to hurt yourself, or someone you love. If you 
do, you'll never forgive yourself."

As her reasonable tone seeped into my hindbrain, I tried to calm 
down and concentrate on my breathing. I began to consciously 
relax muscle groups, tensing them and then letting them go slack. 
I was still angry--partly at Amy's letter, and partly at Susan's 
words--but I was slowly composing myself.

"Would you like to sit down?" Susan asked politely. She could see 
that I was calming down, but when I didn't respond, she 
continued, her tone rational and level. "Paul, I don't treat you 
like a child because you're not one. I treat you like an adult, 
and that sometimes means you have to hear things you might not 
like. You're an intelligent young man, but you tend to 
overanalyze things," she said firmly. "And you tend to retreat 
into yourself when you're upset."

"So?" I asked, half defensively, bristling again.

"Do you realize that you scared the wits out of Gina and 
Kendall?" she asked, her expression softening. "They were worried 
about you, but were too scared to do anything about it. Do you 
_want_ to go through life scaring the people who love you most?"

Shocked, I shook my head quickly.

"Good," she said, nodding. "Now, would you like to start again?"

I looked at her blankly and felt my forehead crease.

"Would you like to sit down?" she asked.

I stared at her warily for a moment or two, but she merely 
gestured at the bed. On autopilot, I half-staggered toward her 
and then sat down.

"There," she said soothingly. "That's a good start. Now, do you 
want to talk about the letters?"

At the reminder of Amy's words, I angrily shook my head.

"Do you remember when you first came to camp this summer?" she 
asked rhetorically. "You were confused about Amy, and about what 
to tell Gina, and you were upset all the time."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak politely.

"Do you remember that both your mom and I asked if you wanted to 
talk about it? You didn't think we'd understand, remember?"

I remembered only too well, so I nodded.

"Do you also remember how much better it felt when you talked 
about what was bothering you?"

I reluctantly nodded.

"Do you think now is any different than before?" she asked 
reasonably.

"Yes, it's completely different."

"How?"

It was a simple question, but I found myself at a loss for an 
answer.

She nodded knowingly. "That's right, it's not really all that 
different. The circumstances may be different, but your reactions 
certainly aren't."

My continued silence was agreement enough.

"When I was seventeen," she said softly, "I left for college. I 
went to the same school Kara's going to now, the College of 
Charleston."

My thoughts were jarred at the sudden change in direction the 
conversation had taken, but I didn't interrupt her.

"When I left home, Greg Kestrel was the love of my life, as far 
as I knew." She paused for a moment, reminiscing, then smiled. In 
a moment, her smile turned melancholy. "I met Jack the first year 
I was at school. We were at a dance, and when he first looked at 
me, I knew that he was the man I'd marry. He was a cadet at the 
Citadel, and he was _so_ handsome in his uniform. He was... 
wonderful," she said, trailing off as she remembered.

When I looked up, she had tears in her eyes.

She sniffled and then continued. "I came home later that year, 
and I had to tell Greg that I'd fallen in love... with someone 
else. He... he didn't take it well. He was very angry, and he said 
some hurtful things. For a while, I thought I deserved what he'd 
said to me, that I'd somehow earned his scorn." She looked away 
for a moment, and softly said, "I never told Jack about what Greg 
said. I knew he would do something rash, and not only would Greg 
get hurt, but Jack's dreams of flying for the Navy would be 
ruined." She shrugged. "So I never told him."

I nodded in understanding, thoughts of my own problems fading as 
I listened to her story.

"I _did_ tell my mother what Greg had said." She laughed harshly, 
then sniffled again. "Mom was a strong-willed woman, but very 
gentle, very elegant. She sat me down and told me that while Greg 
had a right to be upset, he didn't have the right to say what he 
had. She said that if he wanted to be petty and vindictive, it 
was _his_ problem, not mine, and that I didn't do anything to 
deserve it."

"You didn't," I said softly.

She looked up and wiped her eyes. "I know that now," she said 
with a short laugh, "but at the time, I thought I deserved what 
he said."

I shook my head angrily, offended that someone had deliberately 
hurt her.

"I don't know what Amy wrote in her letter, but I can guess."

I looked up suddenly, my eyes going wide.

She smiled sadly and nodded. "I know you well enough." Then she 
shrugged. "But whatever it was, _she_ is responsible for her 
words and actions, not you. Do you understand?" Her voice was 
soft, but firm, and I knew she was right.

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "I do."

"So, do you want to talk about it?"

"No," I said sullenly. "But I guess I should."

She nodded.

So I talked. I told her about the letters in the order I'd read 
them. Her eyes tightened as I paraphrased the fourth, then 
softened as I described the rest, first through third. When I 
finished, I sighed in resignation.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I dunno," I said, shrugging. "I mean, I knew I wasn't going to 
pick up where we'd left off, boyfriend and girlfriend."

She nodded.

"So it's not like this really changes anything."

"Except?"

I shrugged again. "Maybe it makes it easier to not make up with 
her."

"Mmm hmm. But?"

"But I guess I still need to say something to her, to call or to 
write."

"Yes," she agreed.

"Just to let her know that I got the letters."

"Are you going to tell her that you received the fourth one?" she 
asked.

I shrugged.

"Does it change anything? The fact that you got it?"

"It made me mad, but other than that... it doesn't really change 
anything, not really. I kinda knew she wasn't the right girl for 
me."

"But you still owe her _something_," she said, nodding. "The note 
she sent with the first letters shows that she still has feelings 
for you. If for no other reason, you need to treat her with 
respect, and respond."

"What should I do?" I asked almost plaintively. "Should I write 
her a letter? Call her? What?"

She paused for a moment and looked thoughtful. "I don't think you 
should write her a letter," she said. "It's too impersonal."

I nodded.

"You should probably call her, but it'll still be a delicate 
conversation."

"What should I say?" I asked.

"Well," she mused, "let's think about it for a moment."

We were both silent, although I sincerely hoped she was having 
better ideas than I was.

"You should probably tell her you got the package of letters, but 
don't mention the fourth." When I nodded, she continued. "Thank 
her for sending them to you."

"But how do I tell her that I don't think there's any hope for 
the two of us?" I tried not to whine, but I don't think I was 
that successful.

"Tell her that a lot has happened to each of you over the summer, 
which is true, and that you two will need to talk when you get 
back to Atlanta."

"Isn't that just leading her on?"

"Yes," she said with a shrug. "But it's very, very difficult to 
break up with someone over the phone. And it's disrespectful, in 
my opinion."

I nodded in agreement.

"You won't really be breaking up with her, you'll simply be 
telling her you're not going to get back together. But in her 
mind, the two aren't all that different. When you get back, you 
can sit down with her and have a long talk."

"What do I tell her then?" I asked.

"Tell her the truth. You want her to be happy, and you want to be 
her friend, but it's probably best if you're not a steady 
couple."

"What if she asks why?"

"Don't lie to her, but you can still respect her feelings. You 
don't have to tell her that you don't want to be with her. And... 
well... there's something that's going to happen--I can't tell you 
about it--which will change things and make it easier for you."

"What?"

"I just told you," she said with a patient smile, "I can't tell 
you."

"What's it about?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

She rolled her eyes. "Which part of 'I can't tell you' are you 
having difficulty with?"

I could tell that she was teasing, but the humor overlaid a 
deeper determination. I shrugged, reluctantly grinning at her.

"Trust me, when you talk to Amy on the phone, just keep it polite 
and quick. When you see her in person, you'll... have a good reason 
why you two can't be a couple."

"I wish you'd tell me," I said. "You know how I hate to not know 
what's going on." When she laughed musically, I tried not to 
grimace.

"You've survived this long," she said, grinning unabashedly.

Despite the fact that I wanted to frown, her grin was infectious, 
and I soon found myself smiling as well.

"See?" she asked. "Doesn't it feel better to talk about what's 
bothering you?"

I nodded.

She spread her arms and I leaned toward her. We hugged tightly, 
and when I pulled back, she brushed her fingers along the back of 
my hand. Her eyes grew round and soft, and she smiled fondly.

"Thanks," I said. "For everything."

"You're welcome," she replied. "You know I love you, and I hate 
that you have to go through this, but it's part of growing up."

"Does it get any easier?"

"No, but you get better at dealing with it."

"I hope so," I said with feeling.

She was going to say something else, but the phone interrupted 
her. With a wry grin, she leaned toward the nightstand and 
answered it.

"Hello?" Then she held the phone away from her ear and rolled her 
eyes. I could hear two women laughing. When it grew quiet, she 
put the receiver back to her ear.

"Hello," she said. Then she listened. "That's okay, Beth... Yes, 
he's here now..." Suddenly, she blushed and looked at me in mild 
surprise. "_No_, we're _not_ in the middle of something." There 
was another burst of laughter from the phone and Susan held it 
away from her ear.

I felt my face heat.

In a moment, she put the phone back to her ear and merely 
listened and nodded as Mom talked for twenty or thirty seconds.

"It sounds like you and the girls are having fun," Susan said at 
last. Then she listened as Mom said something else. "Good... You 
are?" Susan covered the mouthpiece. "They're going to stay in 
town for dinner," she said to me.

Mom was still speaking, so Susan returned her attention to the 
phone. "Okay, I'll tell Gina too... Yes, I'll make sure Paul has 
dinner... No, Kara and Stacy aren't back from town either... Sure, 
I'll tell them... Okay, have fun." When she hung up, she was 
shaking her head. "_They're_ certainly having a good time."

I grinned.

"Did you get the gist of our conversation?"

"Yeah, mostly."

"They're obviously having a good time, and the girls wanted 
pizza. So it looks like you're eating dinner with me."

I nodded, grinning.

"And while we're on the subject of me looking after you," she 
said with a sly grin, "_you_ might need to take care of _me_ as 
well."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Well, I talked to Gina and Kendall about it..."

"Talked to them about what?" I asked, although I already had a 
pretty good idea.

"They knew I wanted some time with you," she said with a shrug.

"You asked them if we could...?"

"No, actually I didn't. But I have to say that I selfishly 
planted the idea in their heads."

My jaw dropped.

"I'm _only_ human," she said with a guilt-free shrug. "I told 
them that you and I needed to talk about the letters from Amy. Of 
course, they understood. But I also told them that in emotional 
situations, sometimes one emotion leads to another. Kendall 
understood immediately. She seemed like she wanted to say 
something, but she didn't. When Gina figured out what I was 
hinting at, I think she was a little frustrated."

_That certainly sounds like Gina._

"She was probably disappointed that she wouldn't get to watch," 
Susan said wryly. "But once they both understood what we were 
talking about, I actually _did_ come right out and ask them if 
you and I could have some time alone together."

"You're kidding, right?"

She shook her head. "I've never had to ask _two_ women if I could 
borrow their boyfriend," she said with soft laugh, "but there's a 
first time for everything."

I was too stunned to speak.

"To their credit, they actually discussed it with each other. I 
don't think either of them had any problem with you and me 
together, but I'm still glad that we had the chance to talk about 
it. I also think they understand how important you are to me, and 
how much I miss you. Though I _was_ a little surprised that 
Kendall seemed to be the one convincing Gina, and not the other 
way around. Kendall may be a little reserved, but she's got a 
good head on her shoulders."

I swallowed hard and nodded.

"I think she's got a wild side too. Although I don't know if 
she'll ever be as adventuresome as I am," she added with a grin.

Then she glanced at my manhood and arched her eyebrows in silent 
question. Before I could answer, the phone rang again. With a 
good-natured grimace, she answered it.

"Hello?" She listened for a moment or two and then smiled. "Oh 
you are?" Then she listened as the voice on the other end of the 
line spoke for almost a minute. "Slow down. You did what? ... Does 
that mean what I think it does? ... Oh, they are? ... I see." She 
smiled broadly and then winked at me. "So you and Kara are just 
going to spend the night there? ... What about Jason?" When she 
looked at me again, she nodded solemnly. "Yes, I think he'll 
understand... Okay, tell Kara that her mom's still in town too. So 
Gina will probably eat dinner with Paul and me... Okay... Have fun, 
and be careful... I know you will... Okay, we'll see you tomorrow. 
Bye-bye."

When she hung up the phone, she looked at me and smiled smugly.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, I was just congratulating myself. I'm such a devious and 
meddlesome woman."

"Huh?"

"Someday I'll tell you about it, but not now."

I frowned slightly. I was rapidly accruing a list of "things 
Susan won't talk about, must start gathering information."

"Really, Paul, I'll tell you about it, but... not now."

"I guess," I said with a shrug. "So that was Stacy on the phone?"

"Mmm hmm. She and Kara managed to miss the movie and they've... um... 
met a friend. They're going to spend the night at Stacy's and 
then drive back tomorrow."

"Oh. A friend?" I asked suspiciously.

"A guy friend, someone Stacy works with."

"Your accountant?"

"Close enough. His son, Jason." Without waiting for me to ask the 
inevitable question, she changed the subject. "Since Kara won't 
be back tonight, I guess you and Gina are both eating here 
tonight. I hope you don't mind."

I quickly shook my head.

"Do you want to see if Kendall can join us?" she asked.

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all, I really like her. But in the meantime...," she said.

With a start, I realized that I was actually nervous. I wanted to 
have sex with her, but I was anxious because Gina, Kendall, and I 
hadn't discussed it. When I looked up, her expression softened.

"Gina and Kendall both agreed," she said softly, as if reading my 
mind, "that they didn't mind sharing you with me. They were 
worried about you, but they also love you, and they could see how 
much you love me."

"Was I that transparent?"

"Not really," she said, "but they know you fairly well. Be 
careful, though, because Kendall may be even more perceptive than 
I am. Quite a bit more, I think."

I nodded, grinning bashfully.

"And I know you want to have sex with me, but you're also worried 
about what they'll think."

"Yeah," I said heavily. "I am."

"I know they understand." Then she laughed. "Gina was pretty 
disappointed that we wouldn't have an orgy or something. But 
Kendall was more relieved than anything else. She isn't so upset 
about you having sex with me, but she _is_ worried about her 
parents finding out about the three of you. We talked for about 
ten minutes, while you were brooding in the courtyard," she said.

I looked up in surprise.

"You didn't realize how long you were standing there, did you?"

I shook my head ruefully.

"When I came back, I had to call your name three times before I 
got your attention."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You were upset. But Gina and Kendall 
understood. They also understood that I wanted some time alone 
with you." She waited until I looked up. When I did, she held my 
eyes with her own. "As I said, they're both comfortable with the 
idea of sharing you with me. They know I'm not a threat to your 
relationship."

I shook my head in agreement. Did I want to have sex with her? 
Yes. Did I feel a little guilty because Gina and Kendall weren't 
there? A little, but my hormones were rapidly subduing my guilt. 
Would I be able to look Gina and Kendall in the eye at dinner? 
Would I...?

"Paul," Susan asked softly, "please?"

When I looked into her eyes and saw her desire, my resistance 
crumbled. She smiled tentatively when she saw my expression. As I 
crawled forward, her smile blossomed into genuine happiness. As 
my face neared hers, I moved forward and pressed my lips against 
hers. She hadn't been expecting it, but she quickly returned the 
kiss.

Kissing Susan wasn't anything like kissing Gina or Kendall. It 
was just as passionate, but less sweet, and more hungry. When I 
broke the kiss, I kept pushing her back until I straddled her 
chest, my stiff penis bobbing gently in front of her.

"I've been waiting so long for this," she said. Then she looked 
past my manhood and gazed into my eyes. "Thank you."

"I've missed you," I said.

She smiled and then kissed the tip of my manhood. I groaned 
softly and savored the sensation, then closed my eyes. When I 
opened them, she was gazing up at me expectantly. While she 
maintained eye contact, she sucked my glans into her mouth and 
flicked her tongue against the sensitive underside. I thrust my 
hips forward slightly and forced a little more of my shaft into 
her mouth. She closed her eyes and moaned as my length slid along 
her tongue.

I kept shoving my dick into her mouth until she clamped her lips 
around my shaft. When I held myself motionless, her hands roamed 
over my thighs, scratching lightly with her fingernails. Then I 
pulled my hips back while she kept her lips taut, teasing the 
underside ridge of my cock with little flicks of her tongue. When 
she felt my crown at her lips, she clamped down again and held me 
inside her mouth. As she opened her lips, I slid forward again.

I rocked my hips back and forth for several minutes, simply 
fucking her mouth. Then she let my dick slip free and pulled my 
hips forward. She tilted her head to the side and moved her lips 
over my balls, sucking them gently. Then she kissed back up my 
length, pausing only long enough to tease me with her tongue when 
she reached the tip.

Instead of letting her suck me back into her mouth, I reached 
down and lifted my shaft out of her reach. For a moment, she 
hungrily concentrated on my dick, hoping I'd bring it closer. 
Then she lifted her head and tried to capture it. I pulled my 
hips back and held the glans a tantalizing inch above her lips. 
When she looked up and entreated me with her eyes, I grinned 
mischievously.

"Stick out your tongue," I said.

Without hesitation, she did.

I set the tip of my member on her flattened tongue and ran my 
length up and down it, teasing her. Then I angled the head into 
her mouth.

"Suck it," I said.

She eagerly complied, her cheeks caving in as she did. Her 
fingers dug into my legs as she urged me to pump my prick in and 
out of her mouth. I was more than happy to fuck her face for 
several blissful minutes, letting her lavish attention on my 
member. Then I put my hands on the headboard above her and 
supported myself while I hunched my hips over her mouth, 
thrusting into her. Finally, she let my saliva-slick cock slip 
from her mouth.

"Roll over so I can go deeper," she said.

I quickly swiveled my hips and threw my leg back over her 
midsection. Then we swapped positions, and I watched as she 
crawled between my legs. My erection had flopped against my 
stomach and she lifted it with her hand. While she fondly gazed 
into my eyes, she ran her tongue around the tip. Then I grinned, 
put my hand on the back of her head, and gently pushed downward.

She arched an eyebrow. I nodded insistently and exerted a little 
more pressure. I wouldn't press hard enough to overcome any 
_real_ resistance, but she got the message. In one lunge, she 
engulfed half my length. Her lips locked around my girth and she 
caressed me with her tongue. Then she opened her mouth and 
swallowed all but the last inch. I felt her breath on the top of 
my shaft as she exhaled through her nose.

Already, I could feel the tip of my cock at the entrance to her 
throat, and I knew what was coming. My hand still rested on the 
back of her head, and I gently pressed down. With a moan, she 
opened her mouth and slowly, ever so slowly, lowered her lips 
over the base of my shaft. I groaned in turn as my dick entered 
her throat and I felt her swallow. When she clamped her lips 
around my root and gently sucked, I closed my eyes and groaned 
again.

After that, she took her time, taking me into the back of her 
throat and then slowly pulling back and raking her lips over my 
shaft. Once she reached the tip, she would swirl her tongue 
around my glans and then spread her lips to engulf me again.

I hadn't come all day, and I knew I wouldn't last long. Finally, 
when I knew I was close to coming, I practically begged her to 
make me come. With one hand, she gently kneaded my balls as she 
took me into the back of her throat. It had been so long since 
she'd sucked me that I'd almost forgotten how good she was.

When I felt the come boiling up in my balls, she sensed it too. 
Instead of speeding her pace, she actually slowed down, taking 
long strokes up my glistening shaft and then slowly lowering her 
lips again. The feeling was exquisite, and I gripped the 
bedspread as pleasure coursed through my body.

I felt my orgasm begin somewhere near my fingertips and work its 
way toward my groin. She clamped her lips around my shaft, about 
halfway down, and massaged my balls as the first spurt erupted 
into her mouth. I clenched my buttocks and she moaned as the next 
spurt gushed over her tongue.

When my orgasm finally subsided, I relaxed and sagged against the 
bed. She continued to nurse my slowly deflating cock, moaning 
softly as she did. After several long, delicious minutes, she let 
my flaccid member slip from between her lips. Then she crawled up 
my body and lay next to me, my arm securely wrapped around her.

"Okay, I may have missed the hugs too," she said, "but I 
_definitely_ missed the blowjobs."

I chuckled softly and nodded.

We lay in silence for a while, neither of us feeling the need to 
speak. She idly ran her fingernails over my thighs, which felt 
indescribably good. Slowly, she circled closer to my shrunken 
manhood. As she moved closer, drawing out my anticipation, my 
breathing sped up. Finally, she began fondling me and gently 
playing with my balls.

As she did, I let my mind wander. I thought about Amy, and her 
letters, and came to the conclusion that I felt sorry for her. I 
was certainly sorry for how we'd ended things, but I think I was 
more sorry that I was going to disappoint her when we had our 
face-to-face talk. Worse, I was a little scared at the prospect. 
Suddenly, I had a much better appreciation for why Kendall hadn't 
wanted to talk about after the summer.

"Where'd you go?" Susan asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"One minute, you were hard, and the next..." She lifted my wilted 
penis by way of explanation. "You went somewhere else, in your 
head."

"Sorry," I sheepishly replied. "I was... um..."

"You were thinking about Amy, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

"That's okay."

"Sorry," I repeated. "Let's try this again."

She nodded and then resumed stroking me.

I pressed my face against the crown of her head, inhaling the 
scent of her body. Her shampoo was different from Gina's or 
Kendall's, I noted with curious detachment. Instead of pondering 
the differences, I paid attention to what she was doing with her 
hands. In a few minutes, she had me hard as steel. I had really 
missed her, mind as well as body, I realized. But having her 
figure pressed against me and her hand on my erection, I was 
obviously concentrating on her physical charms. When I began 
thinking about her beautiful shaved pussy, I had a wonderfully 
erotic idea.

"Roll over," I directed. "I want to get between your legs."

"You're Mr. Assertive this afternoon," she said teasingly.

"Sorry...," I started to apologize.

"Don't be, I like it. It's sexy."

"Okay, then roll over, I want to get between your legs," I said 
firmly, but with a smile in my voice.

She quickly rolled to her back and then spread her legs, her eyes 
glittering with mirth.

"That's more like it," I said with a grin. I knelt between her 
legs and gazed into her eyes for a moment. Then I said, "I want 
you to play with yourself."

She merely arched her eyebrows at me in silent appraisal.

I shrugged and then glanced meaningfully at her pussy.

She smiled and moved her hand over her mons, spreading her labia 
with two fingers. Her smooth lips parted at the touch, revealing 
her pink inner folds. As I watched her run her fingers over her 
slit, I began stroking myself.

She licked her lips and then started moving her fingers in small 
circles around the base of her clit. I kept slowly pumping my 
fist over my shaft, squeezing gently. Then she slid her fingers 
down the moist channel of her pussy, rubbing her swollen inner 
lips and pulling them with thumb and forefinger.

Soon, she began running the tip of her finger up and down her 
slit, spreading her juices. Then she slowly inserted her middle 
finger into her pussy, her eyes glued to my straining erection 
the entire time. Her index finger soon joined her middle finger 
and she began thrusting the pair of them into her opening. My 
cock swelled in anticipation at the sight.

I watched her finger herself for several minutes. Then she 
brought her left hand down and started circling her clit with the 
tips of her fingers, moaning softly as she did. When she started 
slowly grinding her hips, I looked up and made eye contact with 
her.

"Are you going to fuck me?" she asked, panting.

"If you ask nicely," I said with a salacious grin.

"Please," she said without hesitation. "I want you inside me."

My cock felt ready to burst, but I merely shook my head.

"Please," she repeated. "I need it."

As soon as I nodded, she withdrew her fingers from her slippery 
channel. Her outer labia were swollen with desire, puffy and red. 
Her inner lips spread open like wings, thick with her arousal. I 
scooted forward and rubbed the tip of my cock over them, teasing 
her. 

"Oh, Paul," she said, her voice filled with pent-up desire, "I've 
missed you so much."

One of the sexiest things about having sex with Susan was seeing 
my cock spread her open as I entered her. I watched, fascinated, 
when her pussy lips were forced inward a little as I continued 
sliding my girth into her. Then the thick shaft began to 
disappear inside her and she hissed in pleasure. Finally, my hips 
ground against her pelvis.

Almost immediately, I started moving inside her. I drew my hips 
back and looked into her lust-glazed eyes. It took her a moment 
to realize I was gazing at her, but when she did, she smiled and 
licked her lips. Then she lifted her hips as I plunged back into 
her.

As I thrust into her wonderfully hot pussy, I began to realize 
the differences between sex with her and sex with Gina or 
Kendall, or even Kara, for that matter. I'm somewhat ashamed to 
admit that while I was fucking Susan, I was comparing her to the 
other women in my life. It wasn't so much about who was better, 
but about the differences.

While Gina may have been enthusiastic, and Kendall was tight and 
hot, Susan was _experienced_. She pushed back against me with her 
hips when I thrust into her. She gyrated her pelvis a little each 
time I buried myself within her body. She ran her hands along my 
arms and urged me onward with her expression. Each time I 
bottomed out, she arched her back a little and my rock-hard shaft 
practically tingled with pleasure.

Susan may not have been a nubile teenaged girl, but she _more_ 
than made up for it with sheer skill. Making love with her was a 
dream come true, and I soon lost myself in the act. Without even 
realizing it, I was getting close to coming. When I came to my 
senses, I jammed my cock into her and stopped moving.

"I want you on top," I said. Then I hooked my arms under her 
shoulders and rolled us both. When she caught her balance, I 
looked deep into her eyes. "I want to watch you come," I said. 
"Fuck me. Grind your clit against my hard cock. Come for me."

She sucked her upper lip for a moment, her nostrils flaring as 
she breathed deep. Then she closed her eyes and nodded.

As she started moving, rocking her hips back and forth, I lifted 
my head and captured a nipple with my teeth. I nibbled it gently, 
wrapping my lips around its stiffness. She moaned in pleasure and 
sped her pace. I switched to the other nipple and sucked it to 
erection. The shifting veil of her hair brushed against my face 
and head as we rocked together in a comfortable rhythm.

I reached down and cupped her ass, squeezing gently. Then I ran 
my hands up her back, feeling the thin sheen of sweat which 
covered her. When she rocked back, I forced my hips against her. 
When she surged forward, I pulled back slightly, working myself 
toward orgasm at the same time. We moved together with practiced 
ease, sensing when the other was going to move, and how.

When I felt the first flutters of her impending orgasm, I smiled 
to myself--I was close too. The flutters in her pussy turned into 
gentle squeezes, and I closed my eyes as her internal muscles 
gripped my shaft. I pulled her against me, crushing the pebbles 
of her nipples against my hard chest, and she moaned in ecstasy. 
Her hips kept rocking against me, as if of their own accord, and 
I groaned as the first twinges of my orgasm built in my groin.

With a rush of exhaled breath, she came, explosively. Her pussy 
suddenly clamped down on my shaft and then released. Then it 
clamped again, spasming as her muscles went wild. My cock swelled 
with the first spurts of my own orgasm, and she cried out 
wordlessly as I began to fill her with my seed. I tried to thrust 
more of my manhood into her clenching pussy, but I was already 
buried completely, filling her with my girth as I filled her with 
my semen.

After my own orgasm subsided, I collapsed against the bed. She 
moaned and slumped against me, her own climax still sending 
ripples of pleasure through her body. Once again, I reached down 
and gripped her ass, grinding my cock into her still-twitching 
pussy. She moaned deep in her chest and buried her head in the 
hollow of my shoulder. We lay there, panting, for several 
minutes, neither of us having the strength or desire to speak.

"Mmmmm," she said at last. "I needed that." Then she laughed 
softly. "I've been getting lots of sex lately, but not nearly 
enough with a man."

"Oh?"

"What do you think us women have been _doing_ after our little 
get togethers?" she asked almost rhetorically.

Truth be told, I hadn't really thought about it.

"You hadn't even thought about it, had you?" she asked, as if 
reading my mind.

"No," I said, laughing sheepishly. "What's it like with five 
women?"

"There are a _lot_ of sighs and groans, and slippery fingers. And 
a few toys."

"Sounds like fun."

"It is," she said, shrugging. "But all of us prefer a man. It's 
just that with all of our men... indisposed, we still have needs."

I nodded, too worn out to think more about it. The idea of Susan, 
Mom, Elizabeth, Kara, and Stacy all having sex together would 
normally be enough to give me an instant erection. But in my 
currently sated state, I think it would've taken a minor miracle 
to get me hard. So we lay quietly, cooling down and catching our 
breath. Afterward, we took a shower together, tenderly washing 
each other.

"You'd better go find Gina and Kendall," Susan said at last, "and 
let them know that you're alive."

I nodded.

"I hope Kendall can come to dinner."

"Me too."

She kissed my cheek and playfully swatted my ass in a "get going" 
gesture.

I grinned, kissed her cheek in return, and headed for the front 
of the house.

-----

Gina and Kendall were at the lake, and looked up as soon as I 
approached. Much to my surprise, they actually giggled when I got 
closer.

"What's so funny?" I asked as I sat on the lounger next to them.

"You," Gina replied. "You look like that cat that ate the 
canary."

"You look like you just got lucky," Kendall added, making sure no 
one could overhear us.

"He got laid," Gina said to her.

"Shot his wad."

"Played hide the salami."

"Did the horizontal hula."

"Gave her the hot beef injection."

"Bumped uglies," Kendall said.

"Bumped _uglies?_" Gina asked, trying to suppress a giggle.

Kendall merely shrugged. "I read it once."

We all laughed at her blithe expression. Then Gina looked 
seriously at the other girl.

"We have got to be the best girlfriends in the history of the 
world," Gina said.

Kendall nodded.

"Why's that?" I asked, a little confused. "Not that I deny it, of 
course. You _are_ the best girlfriends in the history of the 
world, but what are you talking about?"

"You're a goof," Gina said. "I love you, but you're a goof."

"Yeah, but why _this_ time?" I asked with a grin.

"It's not every pair of gorgeous, sexy women who'll let their 
boyfriend spend time--" she and Kendall shared a knowing grin "--
with another woman. Especially one as sexy as Susan."

Wisely, I kept my mouth shut and simply nodded gratefully.

"Are you okay?" Kendall asked, serious once more.

"Yeah," I said with a sigh. "I'm gonna have to call Amy and tell 
her something she doesn't wanna hear, but I'm cool. I mean, I 
don't wanna do it, but I know I gotta."

They both nodded in understanding.

"I'll tell you about the letters later," I said to them, "but do 
you mind if we change the subject?"

They shook their heads.

For a moment, we were awkwardly silent. In a burst of 
conversational insight, I explained about the phone calls from 
Mom and Stacy.

"So I'm eating dinner with you and Susan?" Gina asked.

I nodded. "And I was kinda hoping Kendall could eat with us," I 
said. "So was Susan."

Kendall blushed prettily.

"D'you want me to go with you to ask your parents?" I asked her.

She quickly nodded, but then looked at Gina.

Instead of looking jealous, Gina grinned in reply.

"Okay," I said. "Gina, we'll meet you at Susan's in a few 
minutes."

"_Hopefully_, it'll be a we," Kendall added.

With that, we picked up our towels and other sunbathing 
paraphernalia (books, sunglasses, tanning oil, etc.) and headed 
up the hill.

Kendall's parents were sitting in lounge chairs when we reached 
the Winnebago. Adam was drinking a beer, and Kendall's mom had 
her eyes closed. When I saw her, I was reminded how much Kendall 
looked like her mother. Melissa had the same large breasts, but 
she was fuller than Kendall, the obvious effects of having 
children. She was still a beautiful woman, and if Kendall looked 
anything like her when she got older, she was going to be very 
attractive indeed.

I was nervous as we greeted her parents. Her mom lifted her sun 
visor and then smiled when she saw me. I smiled in return, then 
shifted my gaze to Kendall's father. I politely inclined my head 
to him and he returned the gesture.

"Daddy," Kendall said respectfully, "Paul's mother is still in 
town, and he was going to eat dinner with Susan. He wanted to 
know if I could join them. May I?"

"You already ate lunch with them," he said. When his wife looked 
at him, he seemed to change his mind. "But I think it would be 
all right if you ate dinner there too," he said slowly, studying 
me for any reaction.

"Yes," Melissa said brightly, "that sounds like an excellent 
idea."

"Thank you, sir," I said to him, purposefully forgetting to call 
him by his name. When he cocked his head to the side, I smiled 
bashfully. "I'm sorry. Thank you, Adam."

"That's better, son," he said.

"Thank you, Daddy," Kendall added.

"You're welcome, baby," he said, smiling fondly.

"You kids have fun," his wife said cheerfully.

"Thank you," I said. "I'll make sure to have her home by 
midnight."

"I know you will, son," Adam said. "I know where you live."

For a moment, I began to panic. Then he smiled jovially and 
laughed at my expression. In return, I grinned sheepishly.

"Quit teasing the poor young man," Melissa said. Then she turned 
to Kendall and me. "You kids run along. You have fun now."

With that, Kendall and I said goodbye and turned to go.

"Now I _know_ he likes you," she said when we reached the main 
camp road.

"I hope so."

"You'd better," she said playfully. "He's got a gun."

I looked at her sidelong, not daring to react more than that. 
Then she burst into laughter and hugged herself against my arm.

"You're so much fun to tease," she said.

"Um... thanks?"

-----

Dinner was incredibly enjoyable, even though all three women 
teased me good-naturedly. I bore it in good humor and tried to 
give as good as I got. To my amazement, the girls actually teased 
Susan about how relaxed she looked. We all knew the reason for 
it, but it surprised me that anyone mentioned it.

"What can I say?" Susan asked with a shrug. "He relaxes me."

"Yeah," Gina said wistfully.

"No kidding," Kendall said at the same time.

Then they all looked at one another and burst out laughing.

After we cleaned up our dinner dishes, we took our drinks and 
headed out to the courtyard. Susan lit two torches, filled with 
citronella oil to keep the bugs away, and we gathered around the 
wrought iron table. Susan and the girls did most of the talking 
while I was content to listen.

About ten o'clock, we heard voices nearing the courtyard, and 
looked up to see Mom and Elizabeth walk into the lighted area. I 
fetched chairs from the kitchen table and they joined us. Then 
they laughed as they told us about their day, describing their 
new dresses and talking about their trip in general.

Soon after, Gina, Kendall, and I took our leave. Before we 
reached the camp proper, I stopped and turned to them.

"Thanks for understanding about Susan," I said earnestly.

"She loves you too," Kendall said.

"I wish we could've all... um... you know," Gina said. "But I guess I 
understand." Then she turned to Kendall. "You know I'm not upset, 
don't you?"

"Yeah," Kendall replied. "I could tell you were disappointed, but 
I know you weren't mad at me. But thanks for saying so."

"Do you think we could... um... maybe slip away for a little while?" 
Gina asked. "Before we all have to be home?"

Kendall nodded enthusiastically.

"Slip away and do what?" I asked, trying not to grin.

"Slip away and thank us for being understanding," Gina said with 
feigned heat.

"Thank us how?" Kendall asked playfully.

"Long and hard," Gina said with an almost serious expression. 
"Long and hard."

"You don't think he's too worn out?" Kendall asked.

"C'mon, you two," I said with a chuckle. "I'll show you how worn 
out I am."

"Oooooh," Gina cooed, "he's in a lively mood."

"Just how we like him," Kendall replied saucily.

"Are you coming?" I asked, turning to head toward the lake.

"Hopefully," Gina said.

"Soon," Kendall added.

They giggled as we walked, but they certainly didn't tarry.

-----

Shortly before midnight, I dropped Kendall off at her camper. We 
weren't exactly hiding our three-way relationship, but we all 
knew it wouldn't be a good idea to be too obvious about it, 
especially around her parents. So Gina waited a short distance 
away while I delivered Kendall to her doorstep and kissed her 
goodnight. When she shut the screen door behind her, I turned to 
rejoin Gina. She linked her arm through mine and sighed 
contentedly.

"I'm going to miss you when we have to leave," she said at her 
cabin door.

"I'm going to miss you too. But we'll see each other as soon as I 
can convince my parents to let me fly over for the weekend."

"Do you think my parents'll let you spend the night in my room?" 
she asked excitedly.

"I dunno. Maybe."

"I hope so. I want to wake up with you."

"Mmmmm," I said. "Morning hard-ons and morning sex."

"Shhhhh," she hissed. "You'll make me horny again, and you know 
what'll happen then."

I nodded with a grin and kissed her goodnight.

When I finally climbed into bed, I was exhausted, both mentally 
and physically. What had begun as a fretful, trying day had 
turned out all right. I still didn't look forward to talking with 
Amy, or to Gina's family leaving for the summer, but at least I 
knew what I needed to do about both. Gina and I wouldn't have a 
repeat of the previous year's problems as long as we communicated 
and trusted each other.

And I knew I'd have to make the most of my final week with 
Kendall, which was sure to be bittersweet. I loved her as much as 
Gina, and as I drifted off to sleep, I vowed to make sure she 
knew it, mind, body, and soul.

-----

Copyright (c) 2003 Nick Scipio. All rights reserved.

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