index


Message-ID: <46930asstr$1077887404@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: "Night Hawk" <nighthawk2000@sympatico.ca>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Subject: {ASSM} RP Kelly 13 {Night Hawk} (revised, polished FF FM)
Lines: 2443
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2004 08:10:04 -0500
Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail
Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d

I realize that many of you grab a copy of this story from a
newsgroup and read it in plain text format.
However, if you have the time, follow one of the links below
and do us both a favor...

Read this chapter as it was written!
Either on line as HTML or download it.
Available in both PDF and DOC files at:
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Night_Hawk/www/
To download the PDF and Doc versions,follow the above link to
the News page where there is a link to the stories in PDF and
Doc formats.

or look for "The Night Hawk" at http://storiesonline.net/

Kelly
=====
By: Night Hawk
Copyright 2003/2004 by Night Hawk

(Inspired by Mike C, based on characters in his novel: "James"
Characters and situations copyright by Mike C, 2002)

Chapter 13
__________


Slowly waking, Kelly rolled over.  The light from the windows
brought her mind up from the depths of sleep, the thoughts of
their lovemaking the night before bringing a smile to her lips. 
She sighed with contentment at the memory of both her lovers
suckling her at the same time.

She opened her eyes to see the sun well up, and checked the
time on the bedside clock.

Ten o'clock!

Moving quietly so as not to wake Todd she slipped out of bed
and padded silently to the bathroom where she relieved herself.

She didn't bother dressing.  She was looking for Laura.

Laura was on the balcony wearing nothing but a smile.  She was
lost in thought, her eyes closed, basking in the morning
sunlight, when she felt soft hair caress her face and softer
lips attach themselves to hers.

"Mmm.  Good morning, Sweetheart," she said opening her eyes and
kissing Kelly back.

Kelly straddled Laura's lap facing her lover.  She held Laura's
face with her hands, "How'd I get so lucky?" she asked with a
kiss.

"Gosh, Kell, with all the shit you've had to put up with."
Laura's eyes moistened.  "I wish I could have been there for you
when you needed me."

"Shush now, Laura.  No tears from you for me.  I've shed enough
and I have you now."

The two girls hugged tightly.  Laura rested her head against
Kelly's chest.

"What time did you wake up, Sweetie?" Kelly asked.

"Just after 8:00.  I thought I was going to burst, my bladder
was so full!"

Kelly laughed.  "So why didn't you come back to bed?"

Laura sighed.  "I got thinking of what you told me about Todd's
childhood and yours, and how lucky I've been.  Life's not fair,
is it?"

Kelly kissed Laura on the forehead as she slid off her lap. 
"Fair?  Maybe it isn't, but think about this, Honey...  If I
hadn't gone through this life the way I have, we might never
have met.  Don't you believe in kismet?"

"I guess I never really thought about it till now.  What do you
believe, Kelly?"

"What do I believe, or what do I believe in?"

"A little of both I guess," said Laura.

"Hold that thought," said Kelly who went in and grabbed her
cigarettes.

After lighting one up, she sat facing Laura putting her feet
into Laura's lap.

"I believe there is a Supreme Being, but I also think that She
is too busy with the rest of the universe to bother watching me
all the time."

Laura laughed.

"As you've probably discovered, Todd follows the Buddhist's
philosophy of moderation in all things."

Laura nodded.

"While I agree with Todd on the moderation, I also believe that
life goes in cycles and what we do to, or for, others comes back
in the form of karma.  That's why I try hard not to screw
anybody over or hurt somebody even unintentionally.  I believe
that how I live my life will in some way affect how others treat
me."

Laura was silent for a minute, remembering what Vanetta had
told her. "Kell, would you like a cup of tea?  No, no, you stay
put, I'll make us a cup."

Laura went inside and prepared tea for the two of them.  Her
mind was busy trying to remember exactly what Vanetta had said
to her.  They had been talking about an old Jamaican
fortuneteller that Gloria had gone to see.  Vanetta had told
her: "He said something about you being the missing piece of the
puzzle and now that you are here, you'll make both Todd and
Kelly whole again."

Her head was spinning.  She knew that she often 'saw' things or
'felt' things others didn't but wow...  A chill ran up her
spine.  That man had said this before the three of them had
become so involved!  Maybe she was with both of them to make up
for the suffering both had endured when they were younger.  She
hurriedly finished making the tea and took the two mugs out
seeing Kelly looking peaceful and content sitting there.

"Tell me more, Kelly."

"Okay," Kelly took a sip of the tea, smiled at Laura and
continued on with her story.  "I'm not sure how much you know
about Judaism, but they have this yearly ritual called Yom
Kippur.  It means 'Day of Atonement' and on that day they fast
and spend the day in reflection of all they have done in the
past year.  They are very critical of themselves and look for
guidance on how they can be better people.  From those they can,
they seek forgiveness for any wrongs or slights they may have
committed, and where they can't, they vow to God to set things
right.  They also forgive all wrongs done to them in the hopes
of understanding."

"That's a pretty heavy trip," said Laura.

"Yes, well, I guess it helps you to face up to and deal with
your own shortcomings.  I really liked the idea, but a year
in between...  That wasn't going to work for me, so at least
once a week I set time aside to reflect on what I might have
said or done to hurt someone and then I set out to rectify it if
possible.  I'm not saying that I'm a better person for it, but I
often think twice before I speak."

Laura nodded and sat back thinking as Kelly lit up another
cigarette.

"Hey, Sweetheart...  don't get bummed out by my belief system
okay?  It works for me, but I don't try to convert others."

"It isn't that, Kelly.  I know both you and Todd well enough
now to know what kind of people you are.  You're both kind and
generous to a fault.  You do so much to help other people and
you don't brag about it like most people I know.  If it hadn't
been for my dad, I wouldn't have even known about the summer
camp you guys sponsor, and I'm willing to bet that there's a lot
more you guys do that I haven't even heard about."

Kelly laughed and shrugged.  "We do what we can."

Laura looked deep into Kelly's soft brown eyes.  "Maybe God was
watching you." She leaned further forward and gave Kelly a soft
and sensuous kiss. "Now it's my turn to watch over you and keep
you happy."

Kelly's eyes instantly filled with tears.  "I'm so afraid,
Laura," she said.  "I've never been this happy and I pray like
I've never prayed before that you won't just walk out of my
life."

"What about Todd?" Laura asked.  "He's your best friend and now
you two can be so much more."

"Oh Honey, I love Todd, and it took you to show me just how
much, but this thing we have going...  It wouldn't work without
you."

"I agree with Kelly," said Todd from the doorway.  "We might
have become lovers eventually but I'm afraid it might have ended
our friendship." He sat down with the girls after giving each a
good morning kiss.

"Growing up, I never learned what love was.  Over the years, I
just figured that it was for other people and not for me.  And I
know that Kelly has never been so free in expressing emotion as
she has been since the two of you got together.  You are the tie
that binds us together, Laura."

Laura grabbed both of her lovers and squeezed them in a tight
embrace. "Then I'm going to make sure this tie is double knotted
and never lets loose.  I love both of you so much!"

They hugged and kissed for a long time.  Finally Laura said,
"But you, Sir, have an appointment to keep and we need our 'mins
and something to eat before you can face a hectic day." 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

It took a bit of coaxing to get Kelly into a bathrobe before
room service brought up a fresh fruit plate of chilled melon
slices, mango and more, along with blueberry crepes and a large
pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Conversation was light and easy, and they probably would have
stayed in the room all day if Todd's phone hadn't rung.

It was Peter.  He wanted to know when would be a good time to
shoot the Monster Cuddy.

"The best time would be between 12:00 and 2:00.  After that I
have to work around the shadows.  Can you arrange it?  Good,
I'll see you down at the marina then."

As he disconnected from the call, he told the girls that if
they wanted to come along that he was going to meet Peter in
half an hour.

The girls said it would be fun to watch the world's best
photographer at work.

Todd blushed at the compliment.  "Let's just say one of the
best," he said with a laugh. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly had decided to wear the new Starfleet issue underwear
when she got dressed.  It was nicely form fitting but as Laura
pointed out, it left little to the imagination when it came to
defining her "Final Frontier."

"No problem," said Kelly as she tied one of the 'Property of
Starfleet' sweatshirts around her waist.  "Now the arms cover my
'Twilight Zone' and I have something soft to sit on."

Laura sighed as she slipped off her T to put a bra on.  "Damn,
I hate wearing these things now.  I wish I could go free like
you all the time Kell."

"But Honey," said Kelly as she cupped the two full mounds,
"they give you lift as well as support.  Guys will notice you
coming before you make it round a corner!"

Laura laughed and gave Kelly a soft kiss.  She did project in
the expensive bra, severely deforming the lines of Todd's T-
shirt which otherwise hung loose on her.  A pair of very short
shorts and sandals like Kelly's completed her wardrobe.

Both girls carried small clutch bags.

"If we do go bicycling later, we'll have to change again," said
Kelly.

"Gosh, after last night, I'm not sure I could ride a bike
today!  I'm still so sensitive down there that even the thought
of rubbing it on a bicycle seat is making me horny!"

Todd, as always, was dressed in less than a minute.  Scrub
pants, one of his new T's and moccasins.  It took him longer to
brush his teeth.  He had the camera bag over his shoulder ready
to go but had to wait for the girls to carefully brush their
hair so it wouldn't look like they had worked on it.

They walked to the marina at a leisurely pace, the girls
getting plenty of attention on the way.  Kelly and Laura flanked
Todd and the three held hands all the way.

As they approached the office more than a few young couples had
waved at them, but now, more and more were wearing caps, and
dancing and waving on boat decks as the trio passed by.  Kelly
and Laura waved back good-naturedly with pleasant smiles.  Todd
blushed.

"How many people did you say were at that restaurant?" he asked
Kelly.

"I'm positive the sign said licensed for 100."

"And of course they all ended up here, at this very spot, at
this time," grumbled Todd.

"Don't pout, Todd," Laura said with a smile.  "Look at the way
the guys are looking at you.  Envy doesn't begin to describe it!"

"I told you," added Kelly, "some legends are born but others
are laid!"

She and Laura were still laughing at the joke when they reached
the security gate.

Peter was just coming out of the marina office with Al and
Sara.  The two men were in deep discussion about something with
Sara.

"Hi, Peter, Sara," said Kelly.  "Good afternoon, Al."

After pleasantries and introductions were made, Todd started to
question Peter about the boat.  Kelly and Laura drifted away
looking for a seat while Todd did what he did best.

Todd had put down his case, totally at ease in his own element.

"So, I see a boat," he said.  "It looks nice, but obviously
there's something special about this one or I wouldn't be here
and the stock wouldn't be climbing through the roof."

"It is?" said Peter with feigned innocence.

"Let's cut the bullshit, Peter," said Al.  "Todd and Kelly
already know the market's been moving on IC stock.  Let's get to
what the man wants to know.  How to show the performance of the
Cuddy."

"Okay," said Peter.  "Then you also probably know this boat is
a speed demon, faster than anything else in its class.  I know
you can only show so much in a still picture, but that's what we
need.  A still image that will show off the power!  Have you
seen the wing JamPC designed?"

Todd shook his head.  "Nope.  I take it this is something under
the boat? Like a hydrofoil?"

"Ah, you've got the idea, but it's not a foil.  Hell, Sara,
help me out here."

Sara laughed.  "No Todd, it's not a foil.  That would lift it
out of the water.  It's a small stabilizing wing that's mounted
under the hull to prevent the boat from getting sloppy or hard
to handle under all the power she now has."

"Okay, cool.  I think I'm getting the drift.  It holds the bow
down, right?  Does this 'wing' ever ride on the water?"

"Only if I want it to," laughed Sara.  "But seriously, it shows
well if it's cutting through waves or somebody's wake."

"And you don't want a showroom picture then," Todd said to
Peter, "you want to show it in action."

"Exactly!"

"I can do a head on shot," said Todd after looking at the boat
a while, "maybe do a close up of the wing when it comes out of
the water, but otherwise, you're going to be seeing a lot of
bow.  I've got a lens that will get me good and clear and close
up from..." Todd did some math in his head.  "Probably 100
yards.  Can this thing turn away in time in that short a
distance?  And can you get me on something stable so I can set
up a tripod?"

Sara looked at Todd.  "I can clear you with less distance than
that if you're on a stationary platform."

"Something stable I can get you," said Al, "but only 100
yards?  Damn. That boat's going to be doing around 70 barreling
down on you.  But the girls did something else yesterday when
they were checking out the course. It put a rooster tail behind
that boat that looked like fireworks.  I think that would be a
great shot."

"A show off shot.  Okay, I can take a few of those, but if you
want to show the wing and the boat properly, I'd say get me down
to water level and I'll catch it at a 30 degree angle." Todd
looked up at the sun and then at the channel.  "Is this where
you want the pictures done?"

Peter nodded.

"Okay, let's get moving on the angle shots first while the sun
is directly above.  The channel runs east to west, so I can do
the close up afterwards.  Now can somebody show me how this
thing actually runs?"

"Todd, I can guarantee the 100 yard safety margin, but not if I
have to throttle back to pull the bow up," said Sara.

It was Todd's turn to laugh.  "How about we make some waves
then?  I wouldn't want it to look like you were easing up. 
Defeats the purpose of this picture.  Besides," he added with a
wink and a stage whisper, "these guys want to sell power!"

Sara laughed with him.  "Okay, how about we get a decoy to run
a wake at the 100 yard mark?  All I need is something over six
inches to slice through." They walked off together discussing
the best ways to create the effects that Todd would shoot. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Sara was still laughing when they returned.

"Are you sure about this, Todd?  I was only kidding when I
suggested it."

"No.  It's a great idea!  The only problem I see is that when
word leaks out, and you can bet it's going to, you're going to
become hot property.  There aren't a lot of female stunt drivers
in this line of work.  I'll bet that in less than three months
you'll be offered more video work than you can dream about, IF
you and I can pull this off."

"Okay.  If you're sure."

"The only thing that does concern me is a possible conflict
with Chuck." Todd said.  "He's putting a lot of money into a
magazine spread that clearly identifies you.  Definitely not
just by your name, as you saw on the pictures Chuck sent to
you.  You are very photogenic."

Sara sighed.  "The price of fame and glory.  Not to worry,
Todd, before we left Max's, Peter was there with a video crew
and James had me put a racing suit on with a helmet."

"That's good Sara, but a racing suit isn't going to look quite
right on a boat this size for publicity shots.  And a helmet
might scare some people off."

"Well, I saw that Al has nylon windbreakers and caps for sale
in his office.  They've all got IC embroidered on them."

"That would be good!  This won't be as close a shot of your
face as Chuck's so if we get that blonde mane of yours tucked
up, or maybe pulled through the back in a ponytail, and a
windbreaker will conceal most of your body..."

"Why is everybody trying to get me dressed these days?" she
pouted.

Todd laughed.  "Well, I won't insist that you have to wear
panties.  Brenda and Amanda seem to think you're allergic to
them or something."

"Those big mouths!  Wait until I catch them." But her blush and
grin gave her away.

Todd called Al and Peter over and explained what they would need.

It turned out to be quite a list, and Al was on the phone
scrambling to get the needed supplies.

"I'm also going to need about 10 people for the test runs,"
said Todd. "I'll need them along the shore at 50 foot intervals
from the position that I take." He held a special zoom lens
spotting scope in his hand.  Military issue. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd picked a spot that would allow him to stay clear of people
and underbrush, but level with the water line.  Al had supplied
him with a two-way radio that Kelly now held as he had told the
girls that he needed help with this shot.  Kelly would relay his
signals to Al who was coordinating things with Lucy who they had
decided would ride as Sara's co-pilot and relay instructions. 
On Todd's word, Laura would note the position of the person who
was standing closest to the point where Todd thought the boat
would be captured best in a still life "action" shot.  The
background would be perfect from this location if Todd's
calculations proved to be correct.

"Okay Kell, tell Sara to let it rip.  When they pass our first
human marker, Sara should be doing the speed they'll use for
these shots, so make sure that they don't vary once they've
settled on it.  I want to run this twice before we actually
start shooting."

Kelly relayed the information to Al and minutes later they
heard the rumble of the Cuddy's heavy-duty engine.

Timing was critical.  Sara was up the channel, and a Coast
Guard tug conscripted by Al to create a good size wake started
up, ready to cut a diagonal swath in the general direction of
the marina office.

"They have to get the timing just right to avoid an accident
and still to get the wake deep enough to let this wing come out
of the water."

"Have you seen this wing, Todd?" Kelly asked.

"No, the boat was in the water when we got here, but Sara says
it's gleaming silver."

"That's what Celeste brought them yesterday," said Kelly, "I
thought at first it was some kind of trophy or a real shiny
model.  But JulieAnn explained what it was and what it was made
of.  Now that I think about it, I guess that it did look like a
wing, but not a standard airplane wing."

Todd was looking through the spotting scope and he could see
Sara coming down the channel.

"Sara promised me that as soon as she spotted me she would veer
off at full speed to show that she could safely miss me.  That's
why the diver's buoy is here," he explained.

The tug ran across, coming from Todd's left from the far bank
and was just as quickly out of sight from the center of the
waterway.

As Sara tore through the course she hit the first leading wake
and the boat remained stable as it tore through it and the next
and then the first flash of silver shone beneath the hull.  As
she broke through the next, Todd hollered "Now!"

Laura quickly stepped to the closest human marker and held her
spot.

Sara veered as promised and with no more than a ten degree
course correction showed Todd that he would be pretty safe on
the pontoon boat Al had commandeered.

"Have one of the guys drop a diving buoy into the water where
Laura is standing and secure it."

Kelly relayed the information to Al as Sara, who had powered
down after changing direction headed back their way.  She waved
at Todd who gave her the thumbs up.  Sara throttled up and
headed back to her starting point.

It took another ten minutes before everybody was back in
place.  The human markers were now gone and Laura stood with
Todd and Kelly.

"Tell Al to let her go."

The second run went as successfully as the first so Todd
unpacked his gear and secured the tripod and camera.  He focused
on the marker buoy, compensated for the diagonal cut and set the
aperture to hyper focal.

The trial runs were over and this time when Sara cut through
the wake, Todd had his eyes glued to the viewfinder.  With the
sunlight reflecting off the water, he had compensated his
exposure time to 1/250.

"Snap!" went the camera.

"At the speed she's going I can't even use the auto winder to
try for a triple exposure," said Todd.  "Sara's only going 60
for my benefit, but she said that this boat has topped 85!"

"That's probably why the rush for the picture and why the stock
is climbing," said Kelly.

The radio crackled and Al asked if they were ready for another
run.  Todd nodded and Kelly relayed the information.

Ten minutes later and a small adjustment to the 'Blad and
another shot was in the can.  Sara ran the gauntlet six more
times before Todd said to Kelly, "have Al tell Sara that we'll
be ready for her special run in 20 minutes."

Kelly relayed the information as Todd pulled out large rain
slickers.

"Here you are ladies," he said with a grin.  "Better put them
on and cover up!"

"Todd Ayres...  Just what have you got up your sleeve?" Kelly
demanded.

"Peter and Al want a show off shot, and Al was gung ho on this
thing that Sara and Sherri pulled off Friday.  Peter hasn't seen
it, but knows the terminology.  I figured if it was that common,
I'd want to do something uncommon, so Sara and I arranged for a
little surprise."

"Todd..."

"Don't worry, Kell, Sara asked me if I trusted her.  You can
see that she handles boats with a natural skill and we came up
with something really spectacular." He laughed a wicked little
laugh.  "Why don't you ask Al and Peter to join us down here."

Kelly radioed Al and passed on the suggestion, and soon, Al and
Peter were on their way.

The thought of Sara asking Todd if he trusted her ran through
Kelly's mind while she waited.  That seemed to be a key line
with the James Gang and every time Kelly heard it, she thought
back to Brenda.  Whatever was going to happen, she already knew
it was going to be an experience nobody would forget.

"Just make sure you get those slickers done up tight or we'll
have to go change."

"But Al and Peter aren't wearing slickers," said Laura.

"Yeah," Todd chuckled.  "I know!" 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Are you sure this is okay?" asked Lucy.

"Trust me, sweetie.  I know what I'm doing.  Just be sure you
hold on real tight."

"Okay.  If you're sure."

"We're just going to have a little fun, that's all.  We've been
running the same course for over an hour and this will be the
last time before we change for the head on shots."

Peter asked why the girls had the heavy rain slickers on.

"We've been catching a little bit of spray," said Todd with a
straight face, "and the girls aren't really dressed for it."

"So why do YOU have one on now?" asked Al.

"You'll notice that mine isn't done up," said Todd, "I'll drop
it over the camera just after I take the shot. Wouldn't want me
to ruin this camera, would you?"

Both Al and Peter allowed that was good thinking.  What they
didn't know was that Todd had slid the lens back to a wider-
angle mode.

Peter and Al stood close to Todd and on his word, Al notified
Lucy and the tug.

The tug plowed by once again and seconds later Sara came
barreling down the straightway but more towards the bank where
Todd was standing.

"Sara...  you're going too fast." Lucy shouted out.

"Ya think?" Sara shouted back.  "Maybe I'll have to make an
adjustment here."

"Has Sara been running this close to shore every time?" Al
asked.  "From the office it looked like she had been right down
the middle."

"Listen to that engine!" said Peter.  "That sounds faster than
what she was running before."

Todd didn't reply, he had his eye locked on the viewfinder
waiting for Sara's next move.  With one hand on the shutter and
the other holding the slicker ready to drop it over the camera,
he waited.

As Sara hit the leading wake she checked for the buoy, and
goosed the throttle to full open as she yanked on the wheel
pulling away from Todd.  As James had done on the ride over, she
bounced off the next wave and pulled the boat into a sideways
skid exposing the starboard side to Todd. "I hope you get this
on the first take," she thought to herself as a wave of spray
shot up and away from the Cuddy.

"Yes!" Todd thought before he pulled down the slicker.  He had
the boat perfectly in his sights when Sara had cranked the
wheel.  This really was stunt driving!  The wing was mostly
exposed as was much of the hull, and Todd had gotten his shot
just as the fountain of water started to cascade up and towards
them.  Todd had caught it just as it was forming, and then
yanked the slicker down to protect the camera.  He felt the
water hit like a wave.  He knew that Peter and Al were going to
be soaked.  What he had failed to tell them was that by dropping
the slicker over the camera, his own shoulders and front were
well protected from the torrential onslaught!

Kelly and Laura, having been clued in by Todd as to what to
expect had quietly slipped off their sandals and moved them
along with all of the other camera equipment and Todd's
moccasins out of harm's way.  They watched as long as they could
as the wall of water came at them like a tidal wave and turned
at the last minute to protect their hair, but could hear Al and
Peter cussing like sailors.

"Jesus Christ!  What the fuck was that stunt?" Peter asked.

"God damn it, I'm soaked right to the bone," said Al.  Then he
started to laugh.

"What's so fucking funny," Peter demanded.

"Did you see the boat?" Al asked him.

"Yeah, I saw the fucking boat.  I was damn near in it!"

Al grabbed Peter by the shoulders.  "No.  I asked you if you
saw the boat!"

"Yeah, it skidded..." slowly it began to dawn on him.  Brushing
the wet hair from his forehead, he asked Todd, "Did you get that
on film?"

Todd just smiled.

"You are one crazy mother... " He stopped himself as he
realized Kelly and Laura were standing there.

"Anybody can do a rooster tail," said Todd.  "Now how about we
get set up on the pontoon boat so I can get a few head on
shots? "

Sara radioed in as she motored back at a moderate pace, "Got to
fuel up!  Give me half an hour!"

Todd gave her a big two thumbs up, then picked up his camera
and took it to where his moccasins and case were lying.  The
girls had already shed the slickers and Laura handed hers to
Peter.  "You might need this if you intend to stand so close to
the water, Peter."

Kelly laughed. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

It was nearly two o'clock by the time the Cuddy was refueled
and the pontoon boat was in position.  They couldn't overcome
the rocking of the boat caused by the tug so Todd decided to
shoot by hand without the use of a tripod.  It was a bit
trickier, but with a shorter, lighter lens, Todd was sure that
he could make it work.

They had all the details worked out regarding the tug and the
speed so it was just a matter of repeating the same motions,
except this time Todd would concentrate on the silver of the
wing.  With the sun behind him it really gleamed in his
eyepiece.  He had switched the large open viewfinder for the
single, closed eyepiece when he decided to change the lens.

It took less than an hour to complete the shots, the last of
which was one of Sara's ideas.  The tug dug in deeper and
faster.  Instead of the diagonal line it had run towards Sara on
an opposing path before, now it was cutting and swerving seconds
before Sara hit the huge whitecaps it had churned up, sending
the Cuddy up and out of the water with barely the screws
touching.  It was an excellent shot showing the Monster Cuddy
handling heavy waves with ease, remaining nearly parallel to the
water.  Todd was sure he could see water running off the wing as
he snapped the shutter.

Sara headed in to dock the boat and the pontoon boat, though
faster than most, took more time to reach the pier.  Todd used
the time to unload the film and had it safely on ice and the
camera packed away when they tied up.

Kelly and Laura had waited on shore for this series of pictures
and greeted Sara as she pulled the boat into its berth.  A crowd
of onlookers had gathered and cheered as Sara and Lucy got off
the Cuddy.

"That was pretty impressive, Sara," said Laura.  "Do you have
to apply for a special pilot's license to fly that boat?"

Sara laughed.  "You know, I've never gone that fast in a car! 
Well, except maybe one time when Celeste was driving.  But on
the water...  I can't explain the rush."

"So," asked Todd walking up, "what do you do for your next
number?"

"Actually, I've got to catch up with Celeste and Sherri.  We're
doing a few numbers during the amateur talent time while the
'cook-off' is taking place this afternoon."

"What kind of numbers?" Laura asked with more than a bit of
curiosity.

"Well, Sherri plays the keyboard and Celeste kills cats," Sara
said laughing.

"Celeste does what?" Todd asked.

"I think she means Celeste plays the violin," said Laura, to
which Sara nodded.

"And I pretend I can sing.  Aren't you guys going to be
coming?" Sara asked.

"We never heard a thing about it," said Kelly.

"You've got to come!" said Lucy.  "Sara's been helping Dave out
with a secret recipe!"

Al and Peter were walking towards them after discussing some
business plans.

"Dad, you've got to invite them to the 'cook-off,'" Lucy
demanded.

"Actually," said Al, "I just assumed they were coming, but now
that you mention it, Kelly, you're a pretty big name celebrity. 
How would you like to be on the judging panel?"

"Well Al, I'm..."

"Please, Kelly," said Al.  "It will give the entire affair more
glamour... and if you would do this for me I would be really
grateful.  And I'll be sure that Todd can keep his hat on."

"Oh God, is there anybody who doesn't know that line now?"
asked Todd.

"I'm sure there are a few people staying by the wildlife
preserve who haven't heard yet, but I'll be happy to send
someone over there and pass along the good news."

Al was smiling at them.  Kelly shook her head.

"Okay Al, but just for you."

Sara had been watching the entire scene unfold.  "I haven't
heard," she said, then noticed the time.  "Sorry, I've got to
run.  Need to rehearse."

"Hold up, Sara," said Laura, "I'll go with you and tell you all
the tawdry details!" She gave Kelly and Todd both a chaste kiss
goodbye, promising to catch up to them at the cook-off.

"I better get this equipment back to the room," said Todd.  "No
use in lugging it around all afternoon."

"Er, how soon can I see the prints?" asked Peter.

Kelly turned back and looked at him.  Todd had seen that look
before and remained quiet.

"If I recall, Peter, you forgot to book this session and called
Todd and I away from a very pleasant vacation that we haven't
had for a long time. You said you needed photos taken this
weekend.  Seems to me Todd has gone far out of his way to do
just that."

"Ah, come on, Kelly," Peter pleaded.  "This is something really
big for IC, and my career especially."

Kelly eased up a bit from her stare.  "Well, you did introduce
us, in a roundabout way, to the 'James Gang' so you get some
brownie points for that, but even under normal circumstances it
would be a week before Todd could print them properly.  We were
sort of hoping to stick around here for a while longer and pick
up on our vacation time."

"Well, can I take the film?  Maybe I can find one of those one-
hour photo shops to print them up?"

"Jesus Christ!" spat Todd.  He glared at Peter for a moment,
then turned and walked away, while Kelly regarded Peter with a
shocked look on her face.

Peter sighed.  "Is this about money?"

"You don't understand, Peter," Kelly explained patiently. 
"Todd doesn't give a damn about the money.  You pay a fair rate,
but we have other commitments to customers who have been with us
from the beginning.  Todd's going to be working 18 hours a day
in the next week.  He only has a few days left before his
vacation is over.  And I know there is NO way that Todd would
ever trust his film to a generic chemical bath even if you could
find a place that could handle that size film."

"I'm sorry, Kelly," Peter said.  "What can I do to make things
right with you and Todd?"

Kelly thought about it for a few minutes.  IC had some clout
and Kelly would rather have them for customers, but still, TKO
was not a part time or even a small time operation.  "A trip,"
Kelly finally said.

Peter looked at her blankly.

"A vacation to make up for this one.  We'll give you plenty of
notice. A vacation to Jamaica on one of your biggest boats."

"Ah, but Kelly...  we don't make anything over 30 feet, and you
are talking about two days cruise time."

"So?  Are you saying you can't arrange something for a group of
us?" Kelly asked.

With a sigh Peter said, "I can arrange something."

"That's the spirit, Peter!"

"That's it?" Peter asked.  "You don't want my first born?"

Kelly laughed.  "If I wanted a child I'm sure I could manage
without you, Peter.  A vacation will do just fine."

Al laughed and slapped Peter on the back.  "I don't understand
why you don't have these kids on a permanent retainer, Pete. 
You know Todd is the best, why wouldn't you have him doing all
of your advertising and publicity pictures?  That little stunt
he and Sara pulled off there where we got soaked?  Just imagine
how that's going to look on the cover of  'Marine Quarterly'
magazine!"

"I better catch up with Todd," Kelly said.  "I'll see if I
can't get him to rush these through for you.  Monday midnight,
how does that sound?"

"That would be great, Kelly!" Peter said.  "The papers will be
here tomorrow but they won't run it till Tuesday, so if I can
get the prints by Tuesday morning, my ass will be covered."

"And the vacation?"

"Hell, I don't see any problems at all.  Let me set it up so
that you have a full crew and lots of good food!"

"Okay.  I'll want that in writing of course, but otherwise, we
have a deal," she said shaking hands with him.  "Al, I'll catch
up with you later at...  where the hell am I supposed to be?"

Al laughed.  "Yes, we have some more to talk about as well. 
The 'cook-off' starts in an hour, so how about I have Lucy come
and pick you up at the hotel?"

"That would be good, Al.  See you gentlemen later." 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Sherri and Celeste were working out an arrangement that Sara
wanted to try out during the "cook-off" entertainment hour.

"If it doesn't work with the violin, Celeste, I'll pick another
number," Sara said.

"It'll work," replied an exasperated Celeste.  "It's just that
it's basically an acoustic guitar piece, light drums and a
harmonica."

"Which song?" Laura asked.

"It's 'Stay A While' by The Bells," answered Sherri.  "I've got
the synthesizer set for the acoustic guitar and the drum tracks
laid in.  I can even do the harmonica piece cause it's only one
chorus, but it's not written for more instruments."

"And you want this song because..."

"I want to sing it for James tonight," said Sara.  "Actually,
it'll be my voice but the three of us want to do it for him."

"I think I understand why," said Laura with a gentle smile. 
Turning to Celeste she asked, "Can you make that fiddle talk,
girl?"

Celeste tilted her head as if trying to see what Laura was
getting at.

"Okay, sorry, that's my country roots showing," Laura laughed. 
"Look, I know the song.  I remember it as a duet.  Why don't you
just take the man's part, you know, really drag that horse hair
over the catgut and make it talk."

Sherri arched her eyebrows as if she had been listening to an
alien, but Celeste started to nod, understanding.

"Start playing, Sherri," she said.  "Let me try this out."

Sherri played the opening verse and chorus of the song and
backed off a bit when it came time for the second verse. 
Celeste had been standing quietly with her violin at her waist
tapping the bow against her leg.  As the first chorus ended, she
raised the violin up and on cue, pulled out the most beautiful
if somewhat mournful sound ever.  Her eyes slowly closed as she
got further into the piece.  She continued on through the chorus
and as the third verse started, Sara joined in.  It made for a
lovely combination, and after a repetition of the chorus, all
three instruments, violin, acoustic guitar, and voice faded out.

Sara and Celeste had played beautifully off each other on the
third verse.  It made for a powerful and deeply emotional love
song.

"That was a great idea, Laura!" Sherri said.  "I guess I was
thinking too much in the classical sense."

"The violin is used more as a single voice in country music, so
I automatically think of it as another singer," said Laura.  To
Celeste she said, "You ought to try 'Faded Love' sometime. 
That's my favorite piece for a singing violin."

The three girls of the "James Gang" went through the song once
more from top to bottom.  Sara started right after the lead in
riff from Sherri.

As the song wound to the end Laura was clapping.  "That was
great!  Are you guys doing all the music this afternoon?"

Sara laughed.  "No, we're special guest performers doing this
for Dave. We plan on doing three songs and getting off stage. 
Finalists and runner-ups from the talent contest will be filling
the rest of the time.  Why did you ask?"

Laura blushed.  "Well you know how you guys are doing this one
song for James?  I was kind of hoping I might get a chance to do
one for Todd and Kelly.  I didn't realize that all the time had
been allotted or that it was only going to be for finalists of a
contest.  When Sara said it was going to be amateur
entertainment, I thought I might try and slip in."

Sara looked at Sherri and Celeste.  "Nobody said how many songs
we were going to do, right?"

"Not that I heard," said Sherri.

"Me neither," echoed Celeste.  "Which song do you have in mind
Laura?"

"You guys ever hear of Rod Stewart?"

"Yeah, my dad still listens to him once in a while," said
Sherri.  "Something about a girl named Maggie?"

"Yep, that's him, but that's not the song I'm looking for. 
He's still recording, you know, and he has this great love
song..."

The girls talked it over and realizing they only had a half
hour to prepare, ran for the nearest computer and downloaded the
lyrics and music.

"This will work out great!" said Celeste.  "I can fill in for
the cello and Sara can help with the harmony...  If you want us
to that is."

"That would be great!" said Laura.  "And I would love it if you
guys helped me with this.  You realize that if it hadn't been
for you guys, I probably wouldn't even be here right now."

Sherri and Sara just nodded.  They remembered how Kelly was at
the Regan shoot, and how different she was now.

They had time enough to go through the song three times and
each time it sounded better and better.  Celeste packed her
violin away and carried it off stage with her as a crowd was
slowly starting to form.

"So," said Sara, as they sat at a table with large cups of iced
tea, "tell us all about this tawdry night and Todd's hat. 
Sounds interesting!"

Laura explained the whole story of how Todd, being as shy as he
is, didn't want to get on the dance floor with Kelly and her and
how they had finally convinced him to get out of his chair.

"I think he was more hoping to escort us off the dance floor
before we got arrested for indecent exposure," Laura said, "but
once he was on the floor, well, Kelly and I just trapped him and
then he got right into the groove of it with us and the band
played that song from 'The Full Monty' and all day long people
have been reminding him of his little show and tell last night!"

"It sounds like you guys are really getting along fantastic,"
said Sherri.  "We're so happy for all of you."

More people started to arrive and Laura started to look around
for Todd and Kelly.  "Hmm...  I wonder what's keeping them?"

"So when you see us get on stage, you pay attention, okay,
Laura?" asked Celeste.  "We'll set it all up for you after the
second song and you be ready to come on up."

"Okay, Celeste."

"You aren't nervous about this?" asked Sara.  "The first time I
did it I was literally shaking."

"Nah, in my family it was a given that you would sing for your
supper. All four of us girls were in choir, the younger three
still are.  Daddy got us all into the Christmas pageant by the
age of five and we went with the Policemen's choir every year to
nursing homes and such singing carols.  Singing is as common
around our house as talking is!"

"You've got three sisters?" Sherri asked.

"Yep, Cathy, she's sixteen now, and the twins, Sam and Jen. 
They turn fourteen in September."

"Wow," said Sara, "I hope you guys have a lot of bathrooms in
your house!"

Laura laughed.  "Nope, just the one, but it should be a bit
easier now that I'm not living at home anymore."

"Are the twins identical?" asked Celeste.

"So much so that even I have trouble telling them apart,"
laughed Laura. "And don't think they don't use it for all it's
worth either!"

People were starting to set up the big Texas style BBQ.  A long
row of halved oil drums, with palmetto and mesquite over oak
logs was fired up by workers from various restaurants with help
from the island maintenance crews.  Picnic tables arrived on the
back of a flat bed trailer pulled by a tractor and soon an area
large enough and comfortable enough to easily handle over 200
people was all set up.

"We better get a move on," said Sherri.  "See where Jules is
and get ready."

"Remember to keep an eye out, or maybe I should say an ear out
for us," said Celeste to Laura.  "We'll bring you up in style!"

"Thanks guys!" said Laura as she waved goodbye to them.  She
sat back sipping on her ice tea wondering where Todd and Kelly
were. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly never did manage to catch up with Todd but found him
sitting on the balcony with his feet up.

"Hi Honey, I'm home," she said as she stepped out on the balcony.

Though he was pissed off with Peter, he couldn't hide the smile
from Kelly.  For the past three nights, she had given of herself
to him in a way that could only be described as love.  And Laura
had been the same, giving and not demanding nor expecting
anything other than to be loved.  He was sure it was love and he
basked in it.  Not even the Peters of this world could take that
feeling away from him.

"Hi, Babe," he said as he pulled her into his lap.  He kissed
her soft and gentle and then held her against him in a snug
embrace.

For minutes they sat quietly just holding each other.

It was Todd who broke the embrace by giving Kelly a loving slap
on her butt.  "Okay boss...  what did you get me into?"

Kelly laughed as she got up from his lap and perched herself in
a chair facing him.  Taking her time, she lit up a cigarette. 
"How would you like a real vacation, Todd?  Not just a weekend
away but an extended one, back to Jamaica where we first met?"

Todd smiled.  "That would be nice.  What's the catch?"

"I mean a real long vacation.  No flying."

Todd looked at her quizzically.

"An all expense paid cruise courtesy of IC, complete with a
full crew to attend to our slightest wishes."

Todd laughed out loud.  "For real?" he finally asked.

"Absolutely.  In writing even.  And with proper notice, any
time at all we want to go."

"Okay, that does appeal to me, but what do I have to do?"

"Develop what you shot today to get one really excellent shot
for IC for Monday midnight."

Todd leaned forward and rubbed a hand over his face.  "I really
do need to get an assistant, Kell," he said.  He sat silently
for a minute.

"Not a problem, Sweetheart," he finally said.  "I'm only sorry
that we'll have to leave here tomorrow morning."

Kelly looked at him.  Todd was generally an easygoing guy, but
one of the reasons he had been ready to quit shooting models was
because of the pressure and unreasonable demands by agents and
clients.

"I'll hate to go too, Todd, but you seem to be taking this a
lot easier than I expected."

"Oh, I was good and pissed when Peter asked for the film," said
Todd, "but as I was walking back here all I could think about
was that I had two gorgeous women who love me and nothing else
really mattered."

Kelly smiled a gentle smile, her eyes getting a bit moist.  "I
do love you, Todd.  And I know what you're talking about. 
Nothing else does seem to matter, does it?"

"And if I'm not wrong, marriages performed on international
waters are legal," he added.

Kelly laughed.  "You are incorrigible, Todd Ayres!"

"Honey, just out of curiosity, how come you're not using the
digital back for the 503CW?  I thought that would cut down on
your time in the darkroom," Kelly asked.

"Ah, it's okay if all you want is some test shots," said Todd,
"but the quality and definition isn't up to par yet with real
film.  It's like an MP3 compared to an original recording.  Most
people can't hear the difference, but when you want to expand
it, that's when you find your limitations."

"Oh, okay, I can understand that."

"That's what 'Stan the Man' was using at 'Reliving History,'"
Todd said. "He was using a 4 gig Minolta dImage.  It's fine for
his kind of instant print tourist shots, but if you ever wanted
to enlarge it, well, the quality would really degrade."

"But it's not like I'm ruling it out for the future," he
continued, "Canon is going to start shipping their new EOS-1Ds
near the end of September.  Now that's a camera I want to try
out.  It's an 11 mega pixel with a full 35mm frame.  It'll shoot
three frames a second for up to ten shots.  I sure could have
used that this afternoon!"

"Did you place your order yet?" Kelly asked with a grin.

Todd laughed.  Kelly knew him too well.  "You bet I did,
Sweetheart!  The body alone is going to cost me 8 grand, but I
can use all my 35mm lenses with it."

"So you'll have a new toy to play with in the fall and forget
all about me," Kelly pouted.

"There's no way that any camera is ever going to come before my
ladies," he said swatting her playfully on the butt.

"Promise?" she asked.

"Would I lie to my wife to be?"

"Argh...  Dream on, lover!"

"You better call Chris and have somebody pick us up in the
morning," Todd said.

As Kelly went inside to call Chris's office, Todd thought to
himself, "It could happen.  I know I could make it happen." 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

As promised, Lucy picked them up at the hotel, calling from the
front lobby.  Together they strolled down to where the "cook-
off" was getting underway where they found Laura sitting at a
picnic table under an old leafy tree talking with Al.

"Sorry, Laura, but we have to leave tomorrow morning," Kelly
said.  "And Al, as soon as I have a figure for you, I can fax it
over with all the details.  I'd prefer to discuss it in person,
but like you say, duty calls."

"That sounds great, Kelly," he said.  "I really appreciate that
you would even consider the job after seeing what Todd can do
with a camera.  If you got one of those shots of the wing, IC
stock is going to soar!  But I'm sorry that you have to leave so
soon."

"So are we, Al," said Kelly hugging Laura.  "We really wanted
to spend more time here, but as you heard..."

"Yeah," Al sighed.  "Sometimes work gets in the way of the life
we want to live."

"Hey guys," said Laura.  "Why the gloomy faces?  We'll be
coming back, right?"

Both Kelly and Todd laughed.  Leave it to Laura to show the
positive side.

"I'm quite sure we will be," said Kelly.  "So Al, when is the
judging and where do you want me?"

"The preparations are underway now," said Al, "but the actual
judging won't take place till 5 o'clock.  We've got some live
entertainment performing shortly, and I'll call the judges up on
the PA when it's time."

"Just out of curiosity, Al, how can you guarantee fair judging?"

Al laughed.  "All prepared dishes will be delivered to me and
Lucy's mother in a private secure room.  There will be nothing
to identify the cooks by, and a number will be assigned to mark
each sample.  You just write down the number of the one you
think tastes best, and then I compare the numbers from the
different judges and announce the winner.  Wouldn't want anybody
to think we were biased in any way."

"That sounds fair," said Kelly.

"I'm curious," said Todd looking around.  "There's no admission
price, I see all kinds of people cooking up a storm, so who's
picking up the tab?"

Al shrugged his shoulders, "It's part of the tax program on the
island. Sort of a recreational fee for times and events like
this.  Then the restaurant chains with franchises here, they
donate their time and food, it's one of the conditions before we
even consider letting them open a place here.  The big hotels
help out with staff and food as well."

"It sounds like you've got a great community growing here Al,"
said Todd.

"We want it to be a family," Al said.  "Things like this bring
people closer together.  Now, if you will excuse me, I have to
get back to it.  I'll see you in a while," he said to Kelly,
"and I hope to see all of you before you have to leave."

As Al walked away with Lucy, the girls from the "James Gang"
came up to join them at the table.

"James is going to go nuts if he doesn't get back in time,"
said Jules.

"In time for what?" asked Laura.

"In time to eat copious mountains of ribs!" said Sara.  "That
man of ours sure likes to eat!"

"Where are the parents sitting?" asked Todd looking around.

"Oh...  They all left this morning after a final round of
golf," said Sherri.  "My dad still can't decide what he'd like
more.  An autographed picture of Kelly from that SI Swimsuit
Edition or a PhaseMetal driver for my snotty brother!"

Kelly laughed.  "If I remember correctly, it sounded like your
brother would be better off with a putter!"

A guitarist got up on the bandstand and after getting some help
adjusting the volume levels managed to wrestle out a version of
"Wind Beneath My Wings."

Another singer got up and with the help of a Karaoke tape
mangled a song by Dido.

"I guess we should start moving up," said Celeste picking up
her violin. "See you guys later."

"You've got to hear this," said Laura, "they're doing a song
for James, and he isn't here to hear it.  What a pity."

"They'll probably do it again tonight then," said Jules.  "I
hear you helped them arrange it this afternoon," she said to
Laura.

"No, they had it, they would have figured it out by
themselves," said Laura.

A man got on the stage, told a few jokes and then announced
that the other finalists of Salty Dave's amateur contest would
be up shortly to entertain them but now by special request of
Salty Dave himself, "Sherri, Sara and Celeste!"

The girls took to the stage and Celeste took out her violin as
Sherri seated herself at the synthesizer.

Sara, with microphone in hand, said, "We'd like to thank Dave
for his wonderful taste in music." She waited for the laughter
to die down, then continued "We'd like to dedicate this number
to someone who is near and dear to us.  It's called 'Stay A
While.'"

Sherri opened the riff and silence descended on the crowd as
Sara began, her voice soft yet strong and vibrant.


Into my room he creeps...

Without making a sound,

Into my dreams he peeps...

With his hair all long and hanging down.



How he makes me quiver,

How he makes me smile,

With all this love I have to give him,

I guess I'm gonna stay with him a while.



When Celeste picked up on the second verse after the chorus, it
sounded like an angel had come to earth to weep.  As Celeste and
Sara worked their way through the third verse and a double of
the chorus, the crowd was whistling and clapping and shouting
for more, but none were clapping louder than the table where
Kelly, Todd, Laura and Jules were sitting.

Sherri and Celeste did a duet together of "Orange Blossom
Special." Sherri had set the synthesizer to a harmonica like
sound, and Celeste made "Sweet Girl" sound just like a mournful
train whistle.  It wasn't the conventional version of the
"Orange Blossom Special" as Sherri added more instruments yet
and laid on a drum track that had Celeste sawing her bow at a
frantic pace.  When they ended their version, Celeste wiped her
forehead.  As the applause started to settle down, Sara came
back on stage with bottled water for Celeste and Sherri, and
once again took the mike in hand.

"We have a special treat for you this afternoon as well,
something Dave doesn't know about, something that we have been
fighting to keep a secret from some other very close friends."

Laura got up and walked towards the stage.

"We have a special guest vocalist with us today, Miss Laura
Williams!"

Though the crowd had never heard of her before, the
introduction made it seem like they should have, so they
applauded loudly while Kelly and Todd just looked at each other
with an expression of "did you know what this is about?"

Jules just smiled smugly.  The other three had told her what
was going to happen.

Laura made it up the steps and took one of the microphones from
Sara.

"Thank you," she said to the crowd.  "It's an honor to be
performing with these talented ladies." The applause rose again
for the three girls of the James Gang.  "I'm proud to call them
my friends, they've been very 'instrumental,' no pun intended in
helping me find my dreams."

"I'd like to dedicate this song to two very special people who
made all of my dreams come true.  Todd, Kelly, this song is for
you.  I love you guys."

Laura looked to Sherri who keyed in a single note to start the
music and with a voice as pure as mountain dew Laura began: 



It's been a long road

Getting from there to here

It's been a long time

But my time is finally here



Celeste joined in with her violin, 



And I can feel a change in the wind right now

Nothing's in my way

And they're not gonna hold me down no more

No they're not gonna hold me down



Sara joined in on the chorus, wrapping an arm around Laura, 



'Cause I've got faith of the heart

I'm going where my heart will take me

I've got faith to believe

I can do anything

I've got strength of the soul

And no one's going to bend nor break me

I can reach any star

I've got faith

Faith of the heart



By the time the four girls had reached the last two choruses,
Sherri had added celestial effects to the instruments on the
synthesizer.

The applause was thunderous.  It was a song that many people
could relate to whether or not they recognized it as the opening
theme from Enterprise or just as a Rod Stewart hit.

Laura gave a small bow and then pointed to her co-conspirators
that resulted in a lot of table pounding.  Looking to the table
where Todd and Kelly sat, she blew a kiss and then blushing
slightly got off the stage.

Kelly sat with tears in her eyes as she and Todd waited for
Laura with open arms. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

After a few more numbers by other finalists, Dave himself came
out and called for a big round for all the performers and a
special thanks to his guest performers.

"And if you want to catch them live again, I hear they will be
at Carnegie Hall sometime soon.  Just stop in at Salty Dave's
for details!"

Al came on to the stage and announced that the "cook-off" was
complete and asked for the judges to come forward and render
their verdicts.

It was Kelly's turn to head to the front of the stage where
four other visiting dignitaries were waiting.

Even with hot burgers and ribs, roasted corn on the cob, hot
dogs and cold drinks and so much more food, the crowd seemed to
want a bit more.  A quick thinking Al sent Lucy scurrying back
to the table where the girls of the "James Gang" were sitting
with Todd and Laura having a great laugh as Todd told the story
of Sara's little slide to Jules, Celeste and Sherri.

"I would have loved to have seen that," said Sherri.  "We did a
spin yesterday that got the crowd wet but that was from a
distance.  I'll bet this was like a monsoon!"

"Kelly and I turned at the last minute," Laura laughed.  "We
saw this wall of water coming and decided not to get it in the
face!"

"Poor Al," said Celeste.  "That was really naughty of you
guys!" but she couldn't hide her smile.

"Al thought it was great!" said Todd.  "He's the one that had
to explain to Peter just what the boat did."

Lucy was nearly out of breath when she reached the picnic
table.  "Dad asked if Sherri and Celeste and Sara could do a few
more numbers...  the crowd is asking for more live music."

"Care to join us Laura?" Celeste asked as she picked up her
violin case.

"Thanks, Celeste, but it's you three who should be up there. 
Maybe we'll do another set together another time and place."

The trio got up and moved quickly to the stage, leaving Lucy
and Jules with Laura and Todd.

"I wonder how Kelly is making out?" Jules said.

"Why do you ask?" said Laura.

"We made a new friend here, you saw him on stage.  Dave from
Salty Dave's.  He's one of the competitors in the 'cook-off'
today.  He used to be the reigning champ until one of the other
restaurants won the title last year.  He thinks this is a thing
of honor now."

"Redeeming his honor?" Todd asked.  "Sounds like he would make
a good Klingon!  Of course if he were, he would have skewered
the p'Tag and roasted him over a slow fire last year, but I
guess that's frowned on by humans."

Jules and Laura laughed.

"Maybe we should get something to eat while she's judging,"
Jules suggested.

Laura looked at Todd.  The smell of the open barbeque drums was
enticing. He nodded. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Since the "James Gang Trio" was on stage at Dave's request,
Jules suggested they grab some burgers from him.  Lucy who was
helping out quickly spotted them.

"Come here guys!" she waved them over.  To Todd and Laura she
said, "this is Dave and his girlfriend Janet."

Dave handed over the grill to one of his staff and he and the
lanky brunette slipped away so they could talk.  He shook Todd's
hand with a firm grasp.  "You're the photographer," he said.

Todd nodded, "And you're the cook who's looking to redeem his
honor.  Q'pla!"

At Dave's puzzled look, Laura translated.  "He's wishing you
success in Klingon."

Janet laughed, lightly punching Dave in the shoulder.  "Told
you that song was from Enterprise!" To Laura she said, "You
really did a great job on that song.  I never thought of it as a
love song before."

"Thanks," said Laura blushing at the compliment.  "I wanted to
tell the whole world how I felt about Todd and Kelly.  This
seemed to be about as big a piece of the world I could find!"

Janet looked at Todd who was beaming.  "So...  you two are?"

"This is my girlfriend Laura." Todd said.

"But I thought your girlfriend was one of the judges," Dave said.

"Yep!  That gorgeous one at the end is Kelly," said Laura.

Janet put a hand to her forehead.  "I think I need a drink."

"I'll get you one," said Lucy running off.

"She's a sweetheart, but she won't get the kind of drink I need
right now," said Janet slowly sinking to an open bench seat.  "I
should have stuck to my turtles.  They're a lot less
complicated."

Jules turned to hide her smile.  If only Janet knew!

"Life is only complicated if you let it become that way," said
Laura.

"You're going to tell me that you don't get jealous?" Janet
asked.

Laura shifted her eyes from side to side as if waiting for a
punch line. "Am I supposed to?"

"God, I need a double!"

"Al was telling us about a turtle sanctuary on the island.  Is
that where you work?" asked Todd.

Janet looked up.  "Yes.  We actually recover the eggs after the
female has laid them and hatch them ourselves.  We've been quite
successful at it, but we'll never bring the population back to
what it was."

"Why not?" asked Laura.

"Because people don't give a damn about turtles," said Todd.

Janet's head whipped around.  "Yes they do!" she hissed.

"I'm sorry, Janet, but I've been around the world a few times. 
You might give a damn, your friends might, but people in general
couldn't care less. If they did, you wouldn't have to hatch eggs
to try to save the species."

Janet looked like she was going to cry.  Dave was about to say
something but Todd held his hand up to him.

"I'm sorry, Janet, I remember people like you from university. 
I love what you try to do, but as long as people buy drums made
from turtle shells, or think that soup made from a turtle is a
status thing, you're fighting a losing battle."

"So you think I should just quit?  Is that it?"

"No," said Todd in a softer voice.  "Never quit.  We all have
to keep fighting, not just for the turtles but also for the
whales and the dolphins and the rain forests.  It's better to
die on our feet fighting then to kneel in submission and accept
defeat."

"I'm sorry," she said.  "I know you're right...  It's just we
could do so much more but it always comes down to money."

"Well, I'll tell you what," said Todd, "we're quoting a job for
Al for a new brochure for the island.  He's proud of what you
do.  If we get the job, I'll work with you on some pictures that
will show just what can be done."

"Thanks, Todd.  I'd really appreciate that."

"But I'll tell you something else," Todd added.  "You need to
talk to more people, the way you just talked to me.  Make them
listen.  Appeal to their good nature.  While it won't create a
miracle cure, these people," he waved his arm in a sweeping
motion over the crowd, "they will help.  Most people are
basically good and want to do the right thing."

Dave nodded in agreement.

Lucy came back with a box full of cups with iced tea and
started to hand them out.

"Honey," Dave said.  "Todd's right.  People want to do the
right thing. It's just sometimes they need to be shown what the
right thing is.  I know you've been avoiding the club cause you
think it's just a bunch of teenagers that hang out there, but
they're the ones that you should be talking to.  Make them
believe that hope for the future lies with them.  You'd be
surprised at how many are interested."

"You really think so, Dave?" she asked turning a hopeful eye
towards him.

"I know so, Janet.  I'll even prove it to you after the BBQ is
over."

Todd and Laura took a couple of burgers and some corn and
headed back to their table after saying goodbye to Dave and
Janet.  Jules had loaded up a plate for herself and asked out
loud, "I wonder how Dave's going to prove it?" 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly was having a hell of a time.  There were six plates of
ribs in front of her with numbered tags.  From the small tastes
she had of each, rinsing her mouth out between tastes with
Perrier, she had quickly eliminated two.

The first to lose out was one that was so heavily spiced with
various peppers it nearly burned Kelly's tongue.  Somebody had
gone a bit heavy with the Scotch Bonnet peppers.  Kelly
remembered the distinctive taste from her time in Jamaica.

The second one to bite the dust was one where the chef had
killed the taste with too much dry mustard.  It might be a
unique flavor, but Kelly felt it was not properly utilized on
the ribs.  This left her with four that were rather good, two of
which were actually very good, but even though she knew one of
the recipes she was tasting had been helped along by Sara, she
had promised herself to be a fair and impartial judge, and if
asked, would be able to state why she had turned down the "also
rans."

She gave number six a failing grade for being overly dry, and
number four, though a good mixture, had used too much honey
trying to emulate an oriental flavor.  Kelly felt it took away
from the taste of the meat.

Having definitely eliminated the four from competition, Kelly
tried both numbers five and three again.  Both had a similar
flavor on the palate.  A pleasant taste, though as she looked
closer at the two remaining plates, she noticed a distinctive
orange tinge to both plates.  It took some will power but Kelly
forced herself to overcome the memorized taste of saffron.
Scraping the meat of all sauce she instead focused on the other
tastes.  Without the sauce, one was rather normal with no
distinctive flavor at all, but the other had just enough kick to
it to appeal to her sense of taste; spicy, but not overly so. 
The meat was tender and easy to chew.  Rinsing her mouth after
each bite, she tried both again to make sure her decision was
accurate.  It was definitely number five she preferred as her
choice of best ribs.

Slipping her personal comments into her purse, she marked
number five as the winner and sat back from the table.  She was
surprised to find that she was the last of the judges to finish,
but satisfied herself that neither Emeril nor Jamie could have
done a better job!

Seeing she was done, Al came and collected all of the judging
cards.  He thanked the judges for their efforts and announced to
the crowd that the winner would be announced a bit later but for
now, the food was going on the grill!

Kelly realized she had really been into a mindset with the
tasting of the ribs.  While she had been aware of music playing
behind her, she hadn't realized it was Sara and Sherri and
Celeste.  She gave a thumb's up to the girls and headed back to
her table. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Are we too late?" asked a familiar voice.

Todd looked up and gave James a friendly handshake.  Jules and
Kelly had their backs to him and hadn't seen him and the three
girls approach.

JulieAnn jumped up and hugged James.  "You're never too late,
Sweetheart, especially when it comes to food!" Since Jules was
the only one who knew everybody at the table she made the
introductions.

"Kelly, Todd, this is Erin, James' sister, and these two ladies
are Cara and Ami.  We'll leave you to get acquainted while we
get this big lug a few pounds of ribs!"

Todd leaned back and scrutinized the two gymnasts.  Cara was
about 5'7" with a natural gymnast's physique.  A bit gangly, but
he knew enough about gymnastic competition to realize she had
gone into a growth spurt.  "How bad is it?" he asked her.

Cara blushed.  "I could have kept competing, but it would have
meant surgery, and the doctors said that I'm still growing.  I
won't qualify for the nationals this year, so rather than
getting scarred for life, my coach suggested I quit now."

"Smart coach," said Todd.  Her hair was tied back in a ponytail
but was a nice rich brown.  She had some nice curves, but her
muscles detracted from them.  "Can you still hold a pose on the
major equipment?  If you don't have to worry about a dismount or
any maneuvers?"

"I was still doing it all last week," she said.

"Welcome aboard, Cara," said Kelly.  "All I can promise right
now is this one shoot but if you are interested, I could find
more work for you."

"Actually, I'm not sure if I want to pursue it as a job.  I've
got plans to go into sports medicine, but I thought this would
be fun and a great way to close out my years of training."

"Smart choice," said Todd.

"So Ami...  What's your story?"

Ami was just a bit shorter than Cara but with more curves. 
Shorter, darker hair but very nicely built.

"I won't make the national team this year either, and I'm
getting a bit too old to continue trying to make it again.  This
year I was plagued with a rare disease in gymnasts."

"A disease?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah," said Erin.  "She caught a bad case of the Klutz!"

Todd laughed.  "Well that won't prevent you from being
photographed.  What are your plans for the future?"

"I'm not sure yet.  I want to stay near the action but I don't
want to be involved the way Cara is planning.  Actually, I was
thinking of going into sports photography."

"Well, that's a lofty goal," said Todd, "but there aren't too
many women in the field, so you could corner a niche market. 
But it's not instant pictures."

"Oh, I know that," said Ami.  "I'll have to finish school and
then hope someone will take me on as an apprentice."

"Ooff," said Todd as Kelly's elbow hit him in the side.

"You understand that we'll need you in Charlotte for at least
four weeks, right?" asked Kelly.  Both girls nodded.

"Can you be ready to go in a few days?  We're already running
behind schedule."

"We're ready when you need us," said Ami.  "But where will we
stay and how will we get there?  Our folks don't want us
traveling alone."

Kelly turned to Laura, "Would you mind another flight to pick
these girls up?"

Laura smiled.  "I'd be glad to help."

"Okay, how about Laura comes to the Summerville airstrip on
Wednesday and picks you up at your homes so your parents can see
that you have an escort to take you to Charlotte.  As for a
place to stay, if you don't mind sharing a room, I have a guest
room you can camp out in."

"That would work!" said Ami.  "Cara and I are used to sharing
quarters. It's like a professional necessity."

Kelly shook hands with the two girls, "Then we'll see you on
Wednesday!  Maybe you want to go and grab some food and come
back and join us here.  I know that James and JulieAnn will be
back shortly."

With a laugh and giggles the three girls ran off in search of
food.

"Don't you want something to eat, Kelly?" Todd asked.

"Not now, Sweetheart.  I had so many bites of ribs that it's
all I can taste." She sat back and lit a cigarette.  "I told you
that your assistant would find you!"

"Who?  Ami?" Todd asked.

"Why not?  You were younger than she was when you started,"
Kelly said.

"And she might as well apprentice under the best," added Laura,
"Besides, she can do home study and be free to really give you a
hand when you get busy."

"I don't know," said Todd.  "Maybe I'll let her try some film
on a 35 and see if she can develop it.  A lot of people think
photography is just snapping off pictures."

"Trust me, Todd," Laura said.  "I've got a feeling about her." 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

James and Jules came back to the table.  James was carrying two
plates of ribs.

"You're going to eat all that?" Kelly asked.

"This is just his appetizer!" Jules laughed.

"Hey," said James as he dug into the first plate.  "Did you
hear the girls on stage?"

Kelly laughed.  "They've been up there most of the afternoon. 
They seem to be a big hit with the crowd."

"I was just getting my first plate loaded when they started on
this one song..." His eyes drifted away.

"Laura was up there earlier with them," Jules said.  "You
should have heard the four of them!  Laura did a special love
song for Todd and Kelly."

Kelly wrapped her arms around Laura.  "She's such a sweetheart!"

Laura gave Kelly a kiss.  She sat back and looked at James with
such curiosity that he stopped eating.

"What?  Have I got rib sauce all over my face again?"

Laura laughed.  "No, it's just that I've heard so much about
you that I wondered what you would look like.  Now I'm just
comparing the physical you to the one I had pictured in my mind."

"And do I measure up?"

"I'm not really sure," said Laura.  "I think I was mentally
prepared for a Brad Pitt/George Clooney combination but now I
think you look more like Matt Damon."

"It's not his outside appearance that attracts us girls," said
Jules, "it's what he's got in here," she said tapping his heart.

"Now that, I can understand," said Laura.

"I wonder what's going on with Dave and Janet," James said. 
"When I got my ribs, Janet was acting a bit strange.  Actually a
bit dazed."

"Oh," said Todd, "that might be my fault."

James looked at him for an explanation but it was Laura who
explained to Kelly and James what had happened.  "She might love
her turtles, but I think she realizes now that without people to
support her, she's fighting a losing battle."

"She's got to get people involved," said Todd.  "And Dave told
her that she needed younger people as they were the ones that
would take up the cause, and then Dave said something about he
was going to prove that point to her after the barbeque was
over.  I'm curious as to what he has up his sleeve."

The music stopped and Al got up on the stage.  Taking the mike
from Sara, he announced that the rib cook off winner had been
determined.  Cara, Ami and Erin made it back to the table in
time to hear the results.

"I'm pleased to say that all the participants gave a good
showing, but in the end there can only be one winner... 
Reclaiming his title as the grand master of ribs is Dave Michon
of Salty Dave's!"

The applause was loud and gratifying.  Sara, still on stage,
was beaming from ear to ear.

"Dave, get up here to pick up your trophy and say a few words."
Al said.

Dave got up on the bandstand gently pulling a reluctant Janet
with him. He thanked Al and held his trophy up high.  He looked
to the side of the stage and gave a nod to Lucy who took off
running.

"I'd like to thank the judges first of all," said Dave, "but
also my fellow contestants.  You made me try harder!" This
brought another round of applause from the audience.

"But," he said in a more somber voice, "I learned a valuable
lesson this year as well.  I'm not perfect.  And I can't do
everything alone.  We are all, all of us, dependent on other
people."

Lucy scrambled up the steps carrying a wooden box the size of a
shoebox.

"Sometimes we have to let others help us carry the load.  This
box is the result of a year's worth of donations from teens that
have spent a few nights at my club.  Nobody asked them to
donate, we just told them what it was for, and they gave of
their own free will."

"Janet," he said turning to her, "this is just a small offering
from the young people who live on or visit Brookhaven to help
save the turtles."

Janet's eyes misted over and a tear ran down her cheek.

"How much?" someone from the audience hollered.

Dave turned back to the crowd with one arm around Janet.  "I
have no idea.  We were going to count it tonight, but someone
told us this afternoon that this was as big a piece of world as
she could hope for in one sitting.  Al said there's over 200
people here right now, so I'm saying that we need to do more!"

Kelly looked at Todd who whispered in her ear.  She quickly
climbed on to the top of the picnic table and hollered out,
"Whatever is in that box, TKO will match it!"

Jules looked at James who nodded.  She too climbed on to the
table and hollered out, "And JamPC will match it as well!"

Peter, vice president of InterCoastal, shook his head and said
a silent "what the fuck," got up and said "And InterCoastal will
match it!"

The applause got louder and louder as one after another,
various visitors who represented corporations also vowed to
match it.

The tears were running down her face as Janet tried to thank
everyone. Al brought a screwdriver up on the stage and cracked
the top of the box open for every one to see.  Sherri started
playing Queen's "We Are The Champions" in the background as
Janet and Al carefully counted out the money in the box.

Al stood up and taking the mike announced that all those who
had volunteered to match the generosity of the teens that
visited Brookhaven were now responsible for $428.73 each!

Laura, who had always been good with numbers, did the math
quickly in her head.  She confirmed the numbers with Jules and
announced to their table that Janet had just lucked her way into
9,850 dollars and 79 cents.

As Janet and Dave left the stage, Al waited for the crowd to
quiet down. "I would ask for everybody's cooperation tomorrow. 
Short Creek Channel will be closed to all boat traffic starting
at 9:00 A.M.  InterCoastal will be running speed tests between
11:00 A.M.  and 1:00 P.M.  You're welcome to come down and
watch, but please, stay out of the channel during that time."

"Where are you going, James?" Jules asked.

"Back for more ribs!  It's probably the last good meal I'll
have with you giving all our money away."

"I shouldn't have asked," said a smiling Jules. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

The "James Gang Trio" did two more numbers, thanked everyone
for the applause and got off stage.  On the way back to the
table they picked up some food and drinks and caught up with
James on his way back with two more plates of ribs.

Janet and Dave stopped by a few minutes later and sat to talk
with the group that now occupied two picnic tables.

Laura introduced them to Kelly.

"That was really something special you guys did," said Janet as
she sat down.

"Actually," said Todd, "what we did today was try to prove
something to you.  What's really special is what this will do
for you next year."

"What do you mean?" asked Janet.

"This was a drop in the bucket as far as fund raising goes. 
What we, and JamPC and IC and all those other corporate heads
gave is nothing.  Next year...  That's when it's going to cost
us!" he said laughing.

Janet looked at Todd like he had grown a second head.

"I know what he means, Janet," said Laura.  "Dave had a
donation box up in his cafe.  Teens that dropped money into it,
well for them it was just pocket change, but it came with good
intentions.  What they saw happen today, and what they will hear
about over the next year if Dave prints out a good sign to go
with the box, is they will put in more money cause they're going
to want to beat whatever today's total was.  And they'll know
Janet, they'll understand that the companies only matched what
they contributed."

"She's right, Janet," said Dave.  "Those kids will work even
harder at it now!"

"And you can put it right on the sign, Dave," said Todd, "TKO
will again match whatever they contribute.  Sight unseen.  Make
it a challenge for them!"

Dave laughed.  "You don't mind if I tell some of the other
companies that you've already committed yourselves?"

"I'd be surprised and shocked if you didn't!" said Todd.

Dave and Janet got up to leave.

"If you'll excuse us," said Dave, "I find people more
approachable on full stomachs."

Todd laughed.  "That's the spirit.  But Janet, remember what I
said.  It's you who has to talk with the same passion as you did
earlier."

As they walked away, Kelly said, "They seem like a nice couple."

JulieAnn and Laura smiled at each other and then at Todd. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"I wish we could stick around a bit longer," Kelly said to the
group.  "I'd love to be able to fill Cara and Ami in on what
they'll need to bring and what they won't need..."

"It's okay, Kelly," said Ami, "We'll just bring our stuff that
we took to the camp with us if that's okay.  We're used to
packing light."

"That would probably be all you need," said Kelly, "anything
else we can pick up in Charlotte for you.  Contrary to how it
looks, we don't work all the time!  Just remember that Laura
will be picking you up Wednesday morning."

Todd stood up.  "James, ladies, I guess we'll see you next
weekend."

Laura gave each of the "James Gang Trio" a hug.  "Thanks guys. 
I really appreciate you letting me do a number with you."

Kelly sighed.  "JulieAnn, would you like an advance peek at the
pictures? I know that you guys were the driving force behind
this IC venture, and I guarantee that no news photo is going to
compare to what Todd shot off this morning."

Sara laughed.  "Damn right it won't come close.  Todd's a pro,
and we planned it all out before we tried it and then ran test
runs.  It's not something I would try with anybody else."

"That would be great, Kelly.  You've got our email address, and
then I can let Al have a look as well."

Kelly smiled a warm smile at the group.  "Till next weekend
then."

After the goodbyes Todd and Kelly and Laura strolled off back
to their hotel to get ready for an early morning flight out. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"You told her WHAT?" asked an incredulous Kelly.

"Well," said Laura defensively, "Janet asked and I saw no
reason to hide the truth.  At least she only thinks Todd is the
lucky one to have two girls.  I didn't tell her that you and I
were involved as well!"

Kelly laughed.  "No wonder James thought she looked a bit dazed!"

"Well, at least she wasn't at the restaurant last night," said
Todd.  "Then there would have been no doubt in her mind!"

Both Kelly and Laura laughed at that.  "I'm sure that she'll
hear about it soon enough."

"I take it then she doesn't realize all the other girls are
with James!" Kelly said.

"Wouldn't that blow her mind?" said Laura.

Kelly was laying out the clothes she would be wearing in the
morning and packing the rest away.  Laura decided to help.  Todd
just picked out another t-shirt and concentrated on making sure
his ice packs were well frozen and that his camera equipment was
all packed up tight.

It was still fairly early but Todd had gotten enough
information about the size of the island and all of the
businesses and activities available from the Hampton's manager,
plus a couple of the older brochures.  As usual for Todd, with
all things taken care of, he flopped down in front of the TV to
catch up on the latest news.

"How about steak for supper?" Kelly asked.  "I really feel like
chewing some protein tonight."

"Just steak?" Todd asked.

"Smothered in mushrooms." Kelly added.  "If you want fries or a
baked potato with it, I'll be glad to order one for you, but I'm
just going to have a Caesar salad with mine, and a deluxe jumbo
size Pina Colada!"

"That sounds great!" said Laura.

"Yeah, that would do it for me too," said Todd.  "But how about
we slip the drinks into the freezer when they come and have them
on the balcony afterwards?"

"Now you're talking.  And while we're waiting for the food, I
better call Vanetta and let her know we'll be coming home
earlier than we planned."

"Are you sure she'll be at home?" Todd asked.

"No, but I do know that she'll be at the studio."

"At the studio?"

"Yep.  She thinks we don't know, and obviously you didn't, but
whenever we're out of town she stays at the studio 24/7."

"Why would she do that?" Todd asked.

"She's trying to protect the place.  By having lights on and
off at different times it looks like there is someone there all
the time, which there is."

"Doesn't she have a social life?" Laura asked.

"I can't see how she can," said Todd.  "She's always studying
or at work."

Kelly just smiled as she dialed the studio's private number. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly and Laura and Todd were sitting on the balcony again
after a delicious meal of steak and mushrooms.  The Pina Coladas
had stayed nicely frozen in the freezer and after their meal,
all three had stripped off what little clothes they had left on
and were just enjoying being in each other's company while
sipping on their drinks.

"What was the proper name of that song," Laura asked looking up
from her straw.

"Which song is that, Honey?" Kelly asked.

"I know!" laughed Todd.  "She's thinking of 'the Pina Colada
song,' right Babe?"

"Yeah!  That's the one," Laura said.

Kelly laughed as well.  "It's called 'Escape' by Rupert
Holmes.  Why did you want to know that?"

"Before yesterday, I'd never had one of these," Laura
explained.  "Maybe that's why the song didn't really mean that
much to me.  Or it could be because now I understand the other
stuff he sang about."

They sat silently for a while contemplating what Laura had said.

"My boobs are a bit tender tonight," Laura said.

"I think they're always tender," laughed Todd.

"Are you due?" asked Kelly.

Laura did some thinking and finally nodded.  "But usually I get
bloated and get cramps just as I come due," she said.

"I told you the vitamins would help," said Kelly.

"Wow!  They've really made a difference," said Laura.

"I know," said Kelly.  "I have to keep an eye on the calendar
myself to avoid little accidents."

"If you two will excuse me for a minute, I think I better slip
something in."

"You know, Todd," said Kelly, "as well as I thought I knew you,
I have no idea if you have any hang-ups about sex with a woman
on her period."

"Not me," said Todd.  "It's just a part of life.  I haven't
done it often, but it's nothing that washing won't take care of."

"Did somebody mention washing?" asked Laura.  She was wearing a
pair of panties now.

"Yeah, I was just asking Todd if he had hang-ups about having
sex with a woman while she's menstruating."

"Oh, gross!" exclaimed Laura.

Kelly laughed.  "I never thought I would see anything about sex
that would turn you off."

Laura finally grinned.  "Maybe it's because I've never done it,
or because of the whole society thing."

"That's what I was trying to explain to Chuck the other night,"
said Todd.  "We let North American mores and rules dictate a way
of life to us when in reality we are part of a much bigger
social system."

"Well, I've been brought up on those standards and rules," said
Laura, "so maybe we can just let me adjust to it slowly before I
try it, okay?  I mean, I went to school where everyone still
refers to it as 'the curse.'"

"Really?" asked Kelly.  "I haven't heard that since I was
twelve.  But then again, I can understand your view.  When I was
in Europe, there were a lot of women who didn't shave their
legs.  I thought that was going extreme!"

"How about the ones who don't shave their pits?" added Todd.

Kelly turned to him.  "Ladies don't have armpits, Sir, we have
underarms!"

Laura and Todd both laughed.

"I know that when I first started growing hair under my arms,
my sister Cathy used to call me Chia-Pet!"

"Well, I won't rush you into trying anything new," said Todd. 
"When and if you want to, I'm sure you'll let me know."

"But that doesn't mean I can't..." and with that Laura sat in
front of Todd and dropped her mouth over his cock.

Not bothering with preliminaries, she sucked until the head was
deep in her mouth, then tongued the vein at the base, drawing
back slightly as his cock grew rapidly, almost penetrating her
throat.  Slowly, she drew her teeth lightly down his shaft then
laved the head, drooling spit so it ran down his shaft and onto
his ballsack and suddenly dived back down engulfing the full
length of him.  She couldn't quite deep throat it all and pulled
back to suckle on him, her tongue working against the sensitive
underside of his throbbing head.

Kelly had been surprised by Laura's spontaneous action, and,
smiling, she leaned back against the railing giving
encouragement.

"Suck that cock, Laura, make him cum.  Oh, he's feeling it
already, I can see his balls tightening up!"

Todd was moaning out loud as Laura cupped his balls with one
hand and with the other gently twisted on the portion of his
shaft not currently in her mouth.  Laura started to hum as she
continued to suck sending even stronger sensations into his
glans and seconds later Todd could hold off no longer and shot
his load into her eager mouth.

Laura got up and shared her reward with Kelly, the two girls
mashing breasts against each other as they shared a deep soul
kiss.

"Something about this place..." said Todd.

"What's that Honey?"  Kelly asked.  "Because the three of us
are naked outside basking in the moonlight?"

"Yeah, we couldn't do this at home," he said.  "Maybe on the
roof of the studio, but that would be risky."

Laura sighed.  "I guess we'll have to wait for times when we're
out of town then, someplace a bit more private."

Kelly laughed.  "You should have arrived at Chuck's the night
before.  All the girls were skinny dipping!"

"Now that would be cool!" Laura said.

Kelly was sipping at the last of her jumbo Pina Colada. 
"Laura, I'm not trying to be pushy or anything, but if you have
an issue with sex during your period, how are we going to give
you any pleasure?"

Laura thought on that a moment.  "Like we do with each other in
the shower?" she ventured.

"I'd do that with you anytime," laughed Kelly, "but what about
Todd?  You know he wants to pleasure you as much as I do."

"Jesus.  I've never had to think of any of this before.  Maybe
it will be okay as long as you're okay with it, Todd."

"You already know that I'm okay with it, Sweetheart."  Todd
said.  "But don't worry about it.  When the time is right, let's
just let it happen."

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd fetched bottles of Evian from the fridge and they shared
some of the fruit from Chuck's basket as they sat on the
balcony, listening quietly to the sounds of summer.  The rest of
the evening was occupied with small talk, touching and smiles as
they thought of their return to Charlotte the following day.

 "I wonder when I'll meet Nicole," Laura said.  "I'm curious
now to meet the last member of the 'James Gang.'"

"Probably at the grand opening of Celeste's 'Wheel' next
weekend," said Todd.  He yawned.  "I'm about done in.  Anybody
else ready for bed?"

"You go ahead Babe," said Kelly.  "I think Laura and I need a
shower first."



To be continued.

__________________________

Read this story the way it was originally written.
Available in PDF and DOC files at:

http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Night_Hawk/www/
To obtain the PDF or Doc files for this chapter, follow the
link above and go to the News page.  There you will find a quick
link to the files in PDF and Doc format.

Or look for "The Night Hawk" at http://storiesonline.net/

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!
The moderated story site you read my ramblings on is run
totally by volunteers.  From the authors to the editors and
moderators, no one receives a penny for their services. 
However, it does cost money to keep the servers up and running
and to that end, if you enjoy what you read, how about
considering a small donation to help offset the costs?  It
doesn't have to be much, every dollar helps.  Here's the link:

http://www.asstr-mirror.org/donations.html

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| alt.sex.stories.moderated ------ send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com>|
| FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderators: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|ASSM Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org>   Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org> |
|Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d; look for subject {ASSD}|
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+