Kelly
=====

Chapter 16
__________


Kelly woke, completely and instantly, totally unlike her usual
return from the land of Nod.

She lay quietly for a while, reveling in her lovers' touch.
She knew that Todd's hand was on her ass, that she held Laura's
panty clad cheek.  She could feel how their legs tangled, and
Laura's warm breath on her breast.  Feeling mischievous, she
slid a finger under the elastic and stretched it out.

"Do that and I'll bite!" said a quiet voice from under her
chin, and sharp teeth closed around her nipple, sending goose
bumps down her spine.  She teasingly stretched the waistband and
felt the teeth bite harder, so quickly slipped her hand under
the panties to caress the warm flesh.  Instantly the bite became
a kiss, then a suckle.  It felt good, so fulfilling to have her
lover at her breast, and she nuzzled her lips in the soft hair.

Laura pulled away with a pop and tilted her face up for a kiss.

"Mmmm, good morning, honey."

When they broke the kiss, Kelly looked at Todd over Laura's
head, seeing him totally relaxed, a little drool at the side of
his mouth.  "God, I love you," she thought.

She looked down at Laura.  "Love you, Babe.  But I have to go."

It took a while to untangle themselves without waking Todd, but
eventually both had extracted themselves and pulled on T's so as
not to embarrass their houseguests.

As they headed for the kitchen, they heard the TV with its
sound turned low in the living room.

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

Cara woke shortly after 8:00, feeling Ami wrapped snugly around
her.  The feeling was comforting, intimate, then she felt Ami
tense.

"Oh!  I'm sorry Cara, I'm so sorry!"  Ami tried to push away,
but Cara held her close.

"It's OK, it's no big deal!  If I hadn't been here, you would
have been wrapped around a pillow!"

But the truth was.

Ami liked it.  She liked waking with Cara in her arms.

The girls didn't know what time Kelly, Laura and Todd would be
getting up and had decided, based on Laura's comments about
breakfast, that they would check out the TV.  Grabbing a couple
of bottles of Evian, they sat in front of the barely audible
TV.  Just in case the threesome in the other bedroom weren't
early risers, they didn't want to disturb them.  And following
Kelly's comments from the night before, they hadn't bothered
dressing but sat in their own nightshirts watching Women's
Volleyball on TSN when Kelly and Laura popped in.

"Good morning, ladies," said Kelly, "I trust you slept well?"

Laura said "Hi," and continued to the kitchen.

"Very well, thank you," said Ami.

"It's a real comfortable bed," said Cara wishing she was still
in it feeling the warmth of Ami's body.

"So are you girls ready to start a modified diet?"  Kelly
asked.  "Since you won't be working out as often or as
intensely, now is a critical time not to let 'fab' turn to flab."

"I suppose," sighed Ami.

"Don't you girls worry.  I know it's going to take a bit of
time to adjust, so let's just start slowly.  Have more meals,
but less carbs, and after breakfast, we'll go out bike
shopping.  That will help through the transition period."

"Cool!" said Cara, turning off the TV.

Laura was laying out the vitamins and bottles of go-juice when
Kelly, Cara, and Ami walked in.

"And for breakfast we have," said Laura smiling, "grapefruit
slices, fresh orange juice, celery and carrots."

"And don't forget," added Kelly with a laugh, "it's an all-you-
can-eat buffet!"

Both Cara and Ami groaned.

"What?  Not satisfied with the 'Continental Breakfast' supplied
by this fine establishment?" asked Todd, smiling as he entered
the kitchen.

Todd had woken up shortly after Kelly and Laura had left the
bed.  He had dressed and relieved his bladder and stood in the
hallway smiling as he heard the discussion in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Sweetheart," said Kelly giving him a kiss.

Laura came around the table to plant a kiss of her own as she
greeted her other lover.

Todd sat down, swallowed his vitamins, and downed his go-
juice.  As he chewed on a celery stalk, he looked at Kelly and
sniffed the air.  "Not smoking this morning?"

Kelly shook her head.  "I think I'm going to cut down," she
replied.  "G suggested that I shouldn't smoke as much.  She
wouldn't tell me why, but you know she wouldn't have said it
without a reason, so this morning I decided "No more smoking in
the house!"

"Jesus.  I wonder what brought that about?" said Todd.  "It's
not like you smoke a lot to begin with.  What?  Maybe 10 on a
bad day?"

"On a really bad day," nodded Kelly in agreement.

"And didn't you tell me that smoking is a part of your...
uhm... lifestyle that you can't change?" asked Laura.  She had
nearly mentioned Kelly's obsessive-compulsive disorder before
remembering that the two gymnasts knew nothing about Kelly's
personal demons.

"It's not a big deal," Kelly said.  "So, I'll just take the few
extra steps when I really want one, and maybe I'll decide I
don't really want it that bad."

Laura found herself thinking of the Obi-Man - what else did he
tell Gloria?  What else hasn't she told Kelly?

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

Todd grabbed the cordless phone and called the studio.  Vanetta
answered on the first ring.

"Hiya, boss lady," he said jokingly.  "Anything going on that I
should be aware of?"

"Uh huh.  Okay," said Todd in response to what Vanetta was
telling him.  "I'll give him a call from here.  I meant to do it
yesterday, but I was too tired to bother.  And can you call
CrossTrain Sports for me and ask them to ship down a big box of
chalk, priority?"

He listened for a moment and then turned to Cara and Ami.  "Is
there a special kind or size you need?  Or anything else that we
don't have that you need for your work on the equipment?"

Cara looked to Ami.  From what they had seen, Todd had it all.
"Nope, all we need is the chalk, just say a case of 24, and
they'll understand."

"Did you hear that, Vanetta?  A case of 24, yeah that's right.
Okay, I'll probably be in later this afternoon.  We're going out
for a while this morning."

Kelly took over the phone from Todd.  "Vanetta, did you get
Laura's new cell number added to the speed dial?  Good.  That
way you'll always find two of us anyway," she laughed.  "If I
don't see you later, you have a good day."

Kelly disconnected and sat down to have another grapefruit,
while Todd punched in a number he had pulled out of his wallet.
As he waited for his call to get patched through, he explained
that Peter had called and left a message asking him to call when
he came in.  He paused for a moment as he was transferred to
Peter's private secretary.  "Since I won't be going in until
later this afternoon, I figured I might as well give him a call
now."

"Hello, Peter!  I hear you're looking for me."

Todd listened to the VP of InterCoastal explain why he had
called.

"Yeah, someone pointed them out to me, so we grabbed a copy of
the Journal on Tuesday."  Todd said.  "It looks like they were
impressed with the wing.  Nice story too.  What's that?"  Todd
laughed.  "No, we haven't looked at the price other than what
the Journal said.  Really?  Well, I'm glad we could help you
out, Peter.  Yeah, okay...  I'll talk to you later.  Hang on."
Todd handed the phone to Kelly.  "Peter says he has to talk to
you."

"Hi, Peter," said Kelly.

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

Peter apologized for not having called sooner but with the
coverage the press had given the Cuddy's new speed record and
the innovative design of the wing, he had been deluged with
calls.  Dealers from all over were clamoring for copies of the
pictures that had shown up in the major papers and other papers
had picked up on the story and wanted regional slants.

"The board was very impressed," Peter said.  "The results of
what JamPC designed and the speed record they set has everybody
talking, but with Todd's picture to visually show how and why,
well it's just got the whole boating industry talking."

"That's great, Peter.  We're really happy for you," Kelly said.

"But the reason I had to call was that I told the Board on
Wednesday about our little agreement.  After I showed them what
kind of pictures the news people had taken and the extra effort
TKO gave to really push the story, they said to name the time
and how long you want to go for and IC will set you up in the
best boat available, fully staffed!"

Kelly looked at her lovers before answering.  "How about the
last two weeks of September, Peter?  Three weekends.  Leave on
Friday and return on Monday after the two weeks.  That will make
it 17 days."

"Leave it to me, Kelly.  I'll get back to you on the details
and specifics."

"Thanks, Peter.  Talk to you soon."

Kelly walked over and wrapped her arms around her lovers.  "My
darlings, clear your calendars for the last two weeks in
September...  We are going on a sea cruise to Jamaica!  A real
vacation!"

Todd looked up.  "Really?"

"Absolutely, Sweetheart.  No work.  Just relaxation."

"Oh my God!" said Laura.  "An ocean voyage, out of the country,
to Jamaica!"  She squealed with delight.

"And now I think I will go for a cigarette," said Kelly
grabbing a bottle of mineral water.  Things were going so well.
For the first time in a long time she felt that everything was
perfect and it all felt right.  Her professional life and her
personal life were all in order and she had never been happier.

As Kelly sat back in the lounger, before she lit up, she
remembered her first real kiss from James, and the night with
Brenda.  That had been the start of this new life, a life with
not one, but two lovers.  She smiled as she remembered the first
time she met Laura.  Nude, on her butt on the darkroom floor,
cum on her face.  A lifetime ago, so much had changed.

She lit her Cameo and took a deep drag.  It was hard to
remember how life had been before the happiness she enjoyed now.

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

Cara and Ami joined her in the back yard.

Ami spoke up.  "We were wondering, Kelly, if you guys wanted to
work out with us while we do our exercises.  It will do wonders
for toning your body."

Kelly cocked her head.  A good exercise routine might be a
smart idea.  "I'm game," she said, "but I can't speak for the
other two."

"Oh, we've already convinced them," said Cara.

Kelly laughed.  "I can see that you two will fit in very nicely!"

"The only problem is space.  We don't want Todd to move your
living room furniture every day, so if you don't mind, before we
go out to do the other things we have to do, Todd said we could
do it right in the studio," said Ami.

"That won't be a problem," said Kelly.  "We're not on any
timetable, and besides the dressing room there's a shower in the
studio itself.  And ... lots of clothes to change into when
we're done!"

They headed into the house to get dressed for the day.

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

Kelly, with Cara and Ami in her car, followed Todd's Tracker
and Laura's Accord in a cute little parade to the end of her
street and then Todd and Laura turned right, heading for the
studio, while Kelly made a quick detour to the outdoor fruit
stand.

As she got back into the car with a large bag of fresh fruits
and vegetables, she said, "I hope you girls like beets."

Ami just made a face.  Cara laughed.

"Don't worry," said Kelly, "you won't even taste it once it's
been juiced."

As Kelly pulled into the studio, she noticed that Laura had
parked her Accord around the back.  It made good sense.  With
the three of them spending nearly every night together, there
was no need to have three vehicles running around.

"I didn't think I'd see you today," said Vanetta as Kelly
entered the studio.

"Well, it seems that Cara and Ami have decided we should
participate in their morning workouts," said Kelly.

"Oh, this I have got to see," said Vanetta laughing.  "You're
not usually awake at this hour much less exercising!"

"Well," said Kelly grinning, "sometimes things change."

Vanetta took the bag from Kelly and said she would prepare the
fruits and vegetables while they worked out.

Todd ran upstairs to change into a set of sweats.  Laura and
Kelly had decided to wear their Star Fleet issue underwear for
the work out, and had brought clothes with them to change into
afterwards.

The five of them lined up on the tumbling mat after Cara had
clearly made the point that no shoes or socks were allowed on
the mat.  Ami was on one end and Cara at the other with Todd in
the middle sandwiched by Kelly and Laura.  Before starting, Ami
had asked if it would be okay to turn on some music and when no
one objected, Vanetta showed her the CD collection and how to
adjust the stereo.

Ami selected a compilation CD of timeless Rock and Roll tunes.
As she explained to the group, this was a low impact workout to
promote tone and limber up muscles, then on a count from Cara,
the two started their regular routine showing the other three
how and what to do.  Most of it was stretching and reaching,
reminding Kelly of the Yoga classes she had taken.

"Remember," shouted Ami, "if you feel a muscle going tight,
don't push it any further.  Just try to hold it at the tight
point for a minute.  You'll get farther every day we do this."

By the time 20 minutes had passed, Cara and Ami were into full
splits on the mat.  Kelly eventually made it all the way down as
well, and Laura was just a few inches off, but Todd, as flexible
as his Tae Bo exercises had made him, was having trouble
spreading his legs that far.  Thankfully the next move allowed
him to drop on his butt as they all pulled their feet in to
their groins trying to keep their knees flat on the floor.  This
was of course no problem for Cara and Ami who quickly slid into
place and proceeded to bob their heads and shoulders down to the
mat.  Surprisingly, Todd could get his feet into his groin and
keep his knees on the floor but it was an area where Kelly and
Laura were having difficulty.  Ami told them to rest their
elbows on their knees and then as they bobbed up and down with
their upper torsos, the elbows would stretch the leg muscles.

Another 15 minutes passed and Todd was flat on his back, wiped
out.  Laura soon joined him, simply rolling from her position to
flat on her stomach.  Kelly managed another five minutes and
then gave it up as well.  Cara and Ami kept at it but with more
intensity for another 20 minutes.  Jumping up, Ami said, "That
wasn't so bad, was it?"

"You guys are in better shape than we thought," added Cara.

Todd just groaned.

Ami clapped her hands.  "Time to hit the showers, kids."

As Todd crawled up the stairs, followed by Laura, Vanetta
laughed and turned on the juicer.  Kelly showed the girls where
the shower was along with the towels before she headed upstairs
as well to join her lovers in a warm shower.

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

Ami was soaping up Cara's breasts as the water from the shower
beat down on her back.  "If camp had been like this," she said,
"I might have enjoyed it a lot more."

Cara sighed and pulled Ami against her, letting her well
lathered boobs squish into Ami's.

"Cara," Ami whispered in her ear, "you realize this is a step
farther than just showering together."

"Mmm hmm."

Taking that as an affirmative, Ami wrapped her arms around Cara
and hugged back, gently nibbling on Cara's ear.

"God, I'm so hot," said Cara.

"I can fix that," said Ami turning and changing the temperature
of the water to icy cold.

"Argh," screamed Cara.  "That's not how I thought you were
going to fix it!"

Ami rinsed off and stepped out of the shower.  "Remember what I
said last night about being careful what you wish for?"

Cara nodded.

"Well, I...  I really need you to think about this, Cara.  The
next step . it really takes us to the point of no return."  Ami
caught Cara's eyes.

"I know what I want, I've wanted it for a real long time, but
if you're only playing, well."  She looked down at her hands, "I
don't want to lose you as a friend - but I don't want to get
hurt, either..."

Cara dropped her towel and hugged Ami.  "I couldn't hurt you,
Ami.  You're my best friend."

Ami's eyes got wet and she felt tears running down her cheek.
"But will you still be my friend if we go farther and you decide
you don't like it?"

"Oh, Ami.  I can't believe that I won't like it.  I feel so
close to you.  But no matter what, I will always be your friend."

"Then let's wait a bit, Cara.  When the time is right, we'll
know it."

The girls reluctantly broke their embrace and got dressed.

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

Vanetta finished whipping up a large pitcher of juice and
poured out six large glasses over crushed ice.  She was clapping
as Kelly, Todd, and Laura came down the stairs.  "I never
thought I would see the day," she said.

"What day?" asked Todd.

"The day that you conked out from exercising for one, and Kelly
moving so much so early in the morning!"

"But they did good," said Ami as they entered the kitchenette.
"I didn't expect any of you to make it past the first ten
minutes."

Kelly raised her eyebrows.

"It's because they're special exercises for gymnasts,"
explained Cara.  "It's easy to see that Todd works out, but not
for doing back flips, and while it's easy to see that you and
Laura are in good shape, there's a reason why there are so few
gymnasts over 20.  That was our regular routine we went through,
and you guys managed to keep up for most of it!"

"All of a sudden I'm feeling old," sighed Kelly.

"I'll never get those splits down to the ground," said Todd.

"Ah, that's a defeatist attitude I hear," said Ami.  "I bet if
you keep doing this with us every morning you'll be doing splits
like you've been doing them all your life."

"I kind of liked it," said Laura.  "It made me feel alive.  My
legs are still warm from the tension, but I could feel myself
getting just a bit further when I held my position."  She looked
at Todd, "just think what fun we could have, Honey, if I can sit
in that position!"

"I swear, Laura, I think you were born horny," said Vanetta.

"Nothing wrong with that," said Kelly.

"Ha!" said Laura, looking at Vanetta.  "I didn't see Robert
complaining when you had your arm around him yesterday!"

 "Who's Robert?" asked Todd.

Laura blushed suddenly remembering that Robert had said he had
never met Todd.

"He's a friend I met at school," said Vanetta.  "We've been
dating for a while."

"Oh," said Todd.  "I didn't know."

"You'll meet him at the company party," Vanetta added.  "He's
looking forward to meeting you."

Kelly decided it was time to change the direction of the
conversation.  She knew that Vanetta was concerned about the
race issue.

"So, Ami ... You think you want to be a photographer?"  Kelly
asked.

"Yeah, but there aren't many schools that offer photography as
a full time program any more."

"What got you interested in photography to begin with?" asked
Todd.

"A couple of years ago, we were competing in Europe and an
American journalist was covering the event.  He was sitting just
behind our bench and had this fancy camera, but he didn't know
when to shoot.  I saw the article afterwards and realized that
he couldn't anticipate what was going to happen next.  Then I
started looking through the sports magazines, and except for
'macho' sports, most pictures of female athletes were really
pathetic.  I think there's a good opportunity for someone who
has been in sports, and especially women's!"

"You realize it's more than just taking pictures," said Todd.

"Oh yeah, for sure!  After I saw what had happened, I got a few
books on photography and even took a few courses, but it cost
too much money to get further than a pinhole camera, so I had to
let it slide.  It might look good when we win medals, but most
people don't realize how much money our parents put out for us
to stay on the team if we even qualify."

"You made a pinhole camera?"  Todd asked somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, it was easy," said Ami.

"How did you develop the film?"  Todd asked, now really
interested.

"Well, there wasn't much to develop," Ami said.  "The idea was
that it was supposed to be a one shot deal, but I figured out a
way to tape down a roll of film in the box I made and pull the
film out a section at a time.  I weaved the start of the film on
a thin needle that I glued a button to.  It was too thin though
so I only managed to move the film forward six times before it
jammed on me.  After that, I went to the local newspaper and
someone in the film department helped me take the box apart and
develop it."

"What did the end result look like?"  Todd asked.

"Ah, you know.  You have to figure out how long to expose the
film and you've got to do it by pulling back the tape over the
pinhole.  I took pictures of my mom's flowers, and you could see
that they were flowers.  Two of the negatives were too dark from
over exposure and the last two, well I guess that a pin hole is
only good for one pull on the tape cause they got really fuzzy
when the hole got ragged edges around it, but I got one that was
pretty clear."

"And you liked it?  Taking all that time just to get one
picture?"

"It was great!  I'd probably have taken on a summer job so I
could buy a real camera, but for the last year it's been
practice, practice and more of the same."

"Want to see my darkroom?"  Todd asked.

"That'd be cool!"

As Todd and Ami headed for the darkroom, Vanetta said she was
going to get back to her schoolwork.  Kelly headed over to her
own desk to check on the mail and file the reports from New
York.  Cara helped Laura clean up the kitchen.

"Laura, do you mind if I ask you something personal?"

"No, go right ahead, Cara," Laura laughed.  "If it's something
I don't want to answer, I won't, but you should always feel free
to ask."

Cara shyly said, "Okay, I was just wondering, you know, how you
knew that you liked girls."

Laura paused and turned to face Cara, leaning back against the
counter.  She looked at the ceiling as she thought of how to
answer the younger girl.  Finally she said, "I didn't know.  If
somebody had told me six months ago that I was going to be
turned on by another woman, I would have laughed at them.  But
you have to realize, we're not talking about another girl here,
we're talking about Kelly."

"What difference does that make?"  Cara asked.

"I fell in love with Kelly the first time I saw a picture of
her, and when I met her the next day, I felt all warm inside."

"Did you fall for Kelly after a bad relationship with a guy?"

Laura laughed.  "I did have a really bad experience with a guy
before I met Kelly, but before I met her, I was already making
it with Todd, and believe me, that was no bad experience!"

"So, are you now bisexual?"

"I'm not sure, Cara.  I think about that occasionally.  I guess
technically I am, but I'm also monogamous, sort of.  I have a
male lover and a female lover, and I wouldn't cheat on either of
them."

"So...  If I have this right, you're in love with two people.
And the gender really doesn't have anything to do with it."

"Yeah!  I guess that would be as good an explanation as any,"
said Laura.  "I mean, I can look at other people and appreciate
their beauty, and now, I look at both men and women."

"Are you ever afraid that Todd and Kelly might want to fool
around with somebody else?"

"No.  If it should happen, then it happens.  All I ask for is
that they continue to love me the way I love them.  Jealousy is
a dangerous game."

"So it all boils down to love?"  Cara asked.

Laura thought about that for a minute and then said, "Yeah, I
think that my love for them allows me to be free with them and
to enjoy both of them as friends and as lovers."

"I think I understand," said Cara.

"Is this about Ami?"  Laura asked softly.

"Is it that obvious?"

"It is to those of us who have been down that road," said Laura.

"She's gay, or at least she says she is, though she's never had
a relationship with a girl.  Is that possible?"

"Very," said Laura.  "We're born with our desires.  When they
show themselves is just a matter of timing."

"I love her, you know," said Cara.  "She and Erin have been my
best friends through all the years we've been training, but I
don't have the same feelings for Erin as I do for Ami.  There's
something about her that really makes me want to love her."

"So what's stopping you?"

"She is," said Cara dejectedly.  "She says that when the time
is right, we'll know it."

"Well, I have to agree with her on that," said Laura.  "You
don't want to rush into a relationship.  The worst thing you
could do is pressure her into doing something that she's not
ready for, and the best thing that you can do is be supportive
and understanding and remain her friend."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

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

Ami was overwhelmed by Todd's darkroom.  "Wow, this is even
bigger than the one at the newspaper!"

Todd laughed.  "That's probably because the newspaper doesn't
have to worry about the fancy stuff."

Ami took her time looking around, checking out all the various
chemicals and equipment, when she spotted the posters of Kelly
and Laura.  "Wow," she said.  "They really look hot!  I hope my
body turns out as well."

"You've got a lot going for you already," said Todd.  "Now if
you watch your diet and stick to the vitamins that Kelly put you
on, you'll just continue on to grow more beautiful."

Ami looked at Todd.  "You know I'm gay, don't you?"

"Does that mean something special?"  Todd asked.

"Well, I just meant ... I mean ... I wanted you to know right
off the bat."

"Okay.  I pretty well knew it, but I don't see what difference
that makes."

"It means that I will never have a male lover," Ami said.  "And
I guess that what I'm also saying is that if you're thinking of
having a group of girls like James does..." she looked at the
floor blushing, "I won't be one of them."

Todd realized how difficult that had been for Ami to say.  "Not
to worry, Ami.  James is a nice guy, I like him, and he does
have a few more girlfriends than most guys have in a lifetime,
but I'm not looking to be like him.  I'm very happy and
satisfied with Kelly and Laura."

Ami sighed with relief.

"But does your sexual preference exclude having male friends?"
Todd asked.

"No ... I suppose not.  I never really thought about it that
way.  I guess I figured that being a lesbian meant I would only
hang around with girls."

"It seems to me that you're limiting yourself, then.  There are
lots of guys who you could be friends with and they wouldn't
expect anything more from you."

"You think so?"

"Sure, why not?  You have a pleasant personality and you're
easy to talk to.  I bet there's lots of guys that would love to
be friends with you."

"Why?"

"Because in a lot of ways, you're a safe friend of the opposite
sex.  Once the issue of sex is out of the way, they can let
their hair down and talk openly and honestly without worrying
that you're measuring them up.  Friendship is more important
than a sexual relationship because good friends stick around
when life gets rough."

"Is that why you get along so good with both Kelly and Laura?
Cause you guys were friends first?"

"Well, Laura is fairly new in my life, but I knew from the
first day I met her that she was a girl I could really enjoy as
a friend, and Kelly I've known as a friend for years.  We just
became lovers this summer."

"Wow.  How long have you and Kelly been friends?"

"Since 1995 when we met on a shoot in Jamaica."

"And it took all this time before you guys got it on?"

Todd laughed.  "Yeah, and it was Laura who convinced us that
our friendship wouldn't be damaged if we did."

"You guys are something else.  We heard you laughing in the
shower last night and I was thinking how much I would like to
have a relationship like that.  You know... laughing and joking
and still be intimate."

"Is this about Cara?"  Todd asked.

Ami blushed again.  "Yeah, I guess.  We've been friends for
years and she's suggesting that we go farther, but I'm afraid
that if we do, that the friendship will suffer and I don't have
a lot of friends to start with, so I can't afford to lose one."

Todd sat down.  "I know what you mean, Ami.  That's why I
wasn't willing to risk Kelly's friendship over sex, but now, I
have it both ways."

"The best of both worlds.  I wonder if I'll be that lucky."

"And sometimes that's a risk you've got to take," said Todd.
"Only you know if taking the next step will change things.  Take
your time and figure it out.  Your heart will know when the time
is right."

Ami gave Todd a hug.  "Thanks, Todd."

"Any time, Ami.  Now we better get back out before they send a
search party after us."

"Are you afraid that Kelly or Laura might think we're up to
something in here?"

"No ... they both have a good idea which way you lean, but they
wouldn't question it one way or another.  There's no jealousy in
our relationship."

"Does that mean you would consider having another lover?"  Ami
asked.

"No, not really.  I love both of them and I intend to marry
both of them.  I've had my share of lovers, and none have ever
made me as happy as the two I have now, so I'm not looking any
more."

Ami shook her head.  "I hope I can be as happy as you guys are
one day."

"You're a nice person, Ami.  I'm sure you'll find that
happiness with somebody."

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

Kelly was on the phone to Mistress Helga.  The club didn't
allow girls under the age of 18, something that Kelly already
knew, but since both girls needed some special care, she had
called asking for a reference for a good, discreet place where
they could get the bikini wax and some special attention to
their nails and calluses.

Mistress Helga gave her a number and said to give her name as a
reference.  Kelly made that her next call and set up an
appointment for the girls later that afternoon.

Todd decided to stay behind and clean his cameras and reload
his film magazines.  He had shot a lot of film over the weekend,
and with the rush to develop it on Monday and the exhaustion
after the rush of preparing the studio, he was glad to let the
girls go off on their own to do their shopping and whatever else
they planned.  Besides, he wanted to order more film and he had
other things planned for the day.

Kelly and Laura kissed Todd goodbye and arranged to meet back
at Kelly's for supper at 6:00.

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

"Well, girls, I've made an appointment for you today to get
waxed," Kelly said.  "I know that it can be a bit embarrassing
having somebody else between your legs, but the woman who did
Laura's first waxing recommended a very professional yet quiet
place.  I hope you don't mind.  It's just that it will be
quicker and less painful than trying to do it yourselves even
with our help."

"We can deal with it," said Ami.  "Right, Cara?"

"Yeah, I suppose.  It's not like we'll be meeting these people
for lunch afterwards, right Kelly?" she asked hopefully.

Kelly laughed.  "I know what you mean, Cara.  It's like going
to lunch with your gynecologist... you'd feel a bit awkward
knowing how much of you she really knows!"

All of the girls laughed at the thought of what you would
discuss over lunch with a gynecologist.  "See any good pussy
today?" quipped Laura.

"Oh god!  Could you imagine!" said Ami.  "It would be like
asking for referrals!"

Kelly burst out laughing.  "Yeah, I'm in the market for
something new!  Anybody you'd care to recommend!"

They were still laughing when they pulled up to a popular
sports store.  An hour later, they had purchased three bikes and
three sets of roller blades along with helmets and all the
protective gear with delivery promised to the studio that
afternoon.

"Safety first," said Kelly when they were being fitted.  "And
this way, while we wait for the shooting to start, we can take
some nice leisurely rides or blast around the industrial park on
the blades.  It's too nice to sit inside all the time."

After the sports store, they headed to Victoria's Secret to
pick up a couple of pairs of thong underwear for Cara and Ami.
"I don't recommend these for full time wear," said Kelly, "but
if you wear them this afternoon, you won't have to expose all of
yourself to get waxed."

"It's funny," said Ami, "I wouldn't have a problem dropping my
drawers at your place, but to have somebody work on me down
there, it just feels so clinical."

"No kidding!" said Cara.  "It's like the difference between
showering with the girls at camp and visiting the doctor.
Somehow, even with the gown and all, I still feel more exposed
with the doctor."

"I could even see myself posing for Todd like you and Laura
did," said Ami, "cause that's art!"

"Oh, that's right," said Kelly, "you were in the darkroom."

"Pose how?" asked Cara.

"In the buff!" said Ami grinning.  "You ought to see the way
these two look through Todd's eyes and camera!  I hope one day I
can be that good.  He really made them look sensual!"

Kelly and Laura laughed.

"Yep, in those pictures he made us look sensual, but he can
also make us look like something raunchy!" said Kelly.  "You
should see the pictures he took of us at Brookhaven!"

"That's the first thing I'm going to buy with the money I
make," said Ami.  "A good camera!  Then I can take those kind of
pictures of Cara!"

"You wish!" said Cara, but her blush betrayed her.  Ami wanted
to photograph her nude!

"All in due time," said Kelly.  "Now, how about some lunch?
There's a great deli where Laura and I ate on Tuesday.  They
have a hot Pastrami on rye that is piled high with real meat!"

"Yeah!" said Ami.  "I could go for that!"

"Me too," said Cara.  "Not knocking your healthy breakfast, but
I would love to shove my face into some hot steamy meat right
about now!"

The double meaning was not lost on anyone in the car, and they
giggled all the way to the deli.

Five minutes later they were seated in a booth at the deli on
Euclid with big sandwiches piled high as Kelly had promised.
Tall ice-cold glasses of watermelon juice topped off the meal.
Kelly looked at her watch.  "After lunch, we can browse around
for a while if you girls like.  Your appointment isn't till 2:30."

After a very satisfying lunch filled with laughter, they hit
the street.  For the next hour, after making sure there was time
on the parking meter, the foursome browsed the nearby stores,
mostly window-shopping.  Cara and Ami picked up a pile of
postcards which they intended to send home to their parents and
friends, and then it was time to go.

Kelly had gotten directions when she made the appointment, and
with ten minutes to spare pulled into the nearly empty parking
lot.  It was a combo salon for hair, sun-tanning beds,
manicures, and of course hair removal.  Cara and Ami used a
tanning room to change into their thong underwear.  A private
screened booth occupied one corner of the shop.  It contained
little more than a reclined stylist's chair, modified with the
stirrups you would see on a gynecologist's bed.  With the
referral having come from Mistress Helga, Joanne, the owner,
took on the task of the waxing herself.

It was a small confined area and all four girls could not fit
in it at once.  Cara asked Laura to stay with her, and Kelly
said she would go with Ami.  Cara went first as the result of a
coin toss.  It was clear that both girls were nervous.  Kelly
and Ami waited in the hair salon proper as Cara and Laura went in.

"I don't get it," said Cara, her eyes moist.  "I've broken
bones and sprained muscles that would have most people howling
in pain but I'm afraid of this!"

Laura held her hand softly.  "It's okay, Cara.  The first time
I went, Kelly took me and they did my vulva, my legs, and even
my underarms!  I think they could hear the scream down in
Florida!"

"Did it hurt that bad?" asked Cara.

"No, that was the funny part.  It barely stung, but the shock
is what caused me to scream.  I promise that all you'll feel is
a quick tug, a small rip and you might walk a bit gently right
afterwards, but it's just hair."

"I'm glad you're with me, Laura.  I didn't want to show Ami I
was afraid."

Laura smiled gently at the young girl and patted her hand.  "I
know, sweetheart.  It's like sex.  The thought of doing it the
first time is scary."

"My first time was awful!" said Cara.  "He just wanted bragging
rights for his friends."

Laura gave a wry smile.  "Maybe that's why we hit it off so
well.  My first time was lousy and his attempts afterwards got
even worse.  He just wanted someone to do his homework for him."

"And you weren't afraid to try it again?"

"Hell no!  What he couldn't do for me, I did for myself
thinking that he was just inexperienced and it would get better,
but he just didn't care.  Then I met Todd, and he cared.  Then I
knew how wonderful it could really be, and I haven't regretted a
single day since!"

Just before Cara could ask about how Laura had gotten involved
with Kelly, Joanne came in, checked the temperature of the pre-
treat and the wax and asked if Cara was ready.

With a sigh of surrender, Cara said she was and the beautician
pulled a small round stainless steel stool up between Cara's
spread legs.  Laura helped adjust the thong to preserve Cara's
modesty, and then Joanne spread a topical ointment on Cara's
tender skin, waited as it was quickly absorbed and then applied
the warm wax with multiple strips of precut gauze.  Cara kept
her eyes focused on the ceiling but her grip on Laura's hand
intensified.  It was a long three minutes while the wax cooled
and adhered to the hair and the gauze and then with a quick yank
it was gone.  Cara hadn't made a sound, but her grip on Laura's
hand had tightened to the point where Laura was sure she would
have bruises.  A tear ran down Cara's cheek, but not from pain.
It had been an emotionally charged few minutes and after the
quick snap that removed excess hair, Cara could release her pent-
up emotions.  Joanne then applied a liberal lathering of a
soothing balm to the red area and Cara finally released Laura's
hand.

"I'll give you a few minutes to settle down," said Joanne,
"then you can get dressed and I'll do your friend."

Cara laughed suddenly.  "If there was nobody else in the shop,
I'd let out a blood curdling scream," she said.  "Then try to
convince Ami that it doesn't hurt!"

Joanne smiled a wicked smile.  "You know, we don't advertise
it, but we also do body piercing here for those who are into
that kind of thing, and that usually gets a scream, so...  If
you want, I've only got a few clients in right now, and they're
all regulars, so..."

"Oh, Laura, can I?"

Laura couldn't hide her own smile.  She knew that Kelly would
wonder, but she liked a good joke.  She shrugged.  "She's your
friend, if you want, go for it."

Cara warned them to plug their ears and took a deep breath
before letting loose with the loudest, most piercing, glass-
shattering scream she could manage.

Joanne and Laura had to cover their mouths to stop from
laughing.  They waited another five minutes before Laura stepped
out followed by Cara who walked out of the booth bow legged and
with tears in her eyes.  They were tears of laughter, but
combined with the way she walked and the scream, she could see
the fear in Ami's eyes.

Kelly came rushing over, hugged Cara, and asked Laura, "What
the hell happened?"

Laura winked at Kelly out of Ami's sight as Ami was now also
trying to comfort Cara.

"No ... Really, Ami," said Cara between sniffles.  "It doesn't
hurt."  More sniffles and a few cautious steps.  "You'll be
okay, Ami, really."

Kelly was biting the inside of her cheek as she led Ami into
the booth, trying her best not to smile.  "Cara should have been
an actress!" she thought to herself.

Minutes passed slowly, then a voice called out:  "Cara, god
damn it... you had me scared shitless!"

No one could hold in the laughter any longer.  Even Ami,
realizing she'd been had, was soon laughing as well.  Cara
hugged her as she emerged from the booth.  "I'm sorry, Ami, it
was just too good to pass up.  Maybe if I hadn't been treated to
a cold shower this morning I might not have thought of it!"

Ami gave Cara a soft kiss.  "I'm sorry Cara, it was the only
thing I could think of at the time.  Things have been happening
so fast."

"I understand, Ami."

"Okay girls," said Kelly.  "Joanne has agreed to fit both of
you in for haircuts as well.  So let's save the smooching till
later and get the full treatment, shall we?"

Joanne knew well who Kelly and TKO were, and would love to have
some of Kelly's business.  Charlotte might be a big city, 25th
largest in the US, with over half a million people who call it
home, but the privately owned business community was still small
enough that they knew each other well, or knew of each other.

Joanne spent an inordinate amount of time on the two girls
sculpting their hair in such a way that with their respective
styles, it would still easily fall into place without a lot of
work.  During the time she worked on their hair, a manicurist
worked on the girls' finger and toe nails, cutting, trimming and
buffing them until they shone while a second girl wore half a
pumice stone away removing the thick calluses from their feet.
Joanne suggested a solution for their hands to soften up the
calluses there, or as she explained to Kelly, at least remove
the discoloration.

It was 5:30 by the time the foursome drove away from the
salon.  Kelly made a quick stop at the health store for enough
"Dead Sea Mud" to do two facials and they headed home.

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

Todd had finished cleaning his cameras and had his magazines
loaded with fresh film long before the girls had even reached
the salon.  Vanetta went home at 3:00 leaving Todd to check his
lighting equipment.  He was amazed by the silence.  Prior to
Laura's entering his life he had been much of a loner, keeping
company with just Kelly.  Although he had never lacked for
female company when he wanted it, none had ever shared his life
or heart as Kelly and Laura now did.

Now a strange feeling overcame him.  He felt lonely.

Wandering around the studio, he tried to pinpoint when this
change had occurred in his life.  He liked solitude and really
didn't care for social events, but he did enjoy having Kelly and
Laura around, and not just for the sex, although it was the best
he had ever had!  He felt emotions building up inside him
totally unfamiliar.  Fear.  Fear that he might lose this good
thing he had.  Finally, realizing that he had no say in what may
lie ahead for the three of them other than his actions, he
decided he would do whatever was in his power to keep both of
them happy.  Whistling a little tune, he went through his
equipment storage closet until he found what he was looking
for.  Checking through the bag to make sure everything was where
it should be, he put the bag by the door.

Todd knew he was going to be spending more nights at Kelly's
while the gymnasts were staying there.  While switching days
between the studio and her house was possible if it was just the
three of them, he knew that currently, it wasn't feasible nor
fair.  He knew how Laura and Kelly felt about each other, and he
couldn't even think of not sleeping with both of them now.  So
Todd filled a gym bag with some scrubs, underwear and more T's,
and placed it by the door as well.  Just one phone call to make
to his film supplier and Todd was set to leave.

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

The ringing of the phone stopped him at the door.  For a minute
he contemplated just letting it ring, but some instinctual,
primal feeling told him to answer the phone.

Reaching over Vanetta's desk, not even bothering to check the
caller ID, he answered: "TKO, Todd speaking."

"Hello, Todd," said a deep, smooth aged voice on the other end.

"Hi, Chuck!  How are you doing?"

Chuck laughed.  "Just fine, Todd, how are you and Kelly?"

"We're fine.  Actually, Chuck, we've never been better!"

"I'm glad to hear that.  I called to apologize."

"Apologize?"  Todd asked.  "What in the world for?"

"For not calling sooner with my deepest most sincere thank you."

Todd was wondering why.  "But you already did that, Chuck, when
we were out at your place last week."

Chuck laughed again.  "Been a busy week for you has it?  I saw
the pictures for IC with your name on them.  Nice job!  I have a
small interest in seeing them do well, but I was calling about a
package I received from you on Tuesday.  I was out in the
afternoon and my secretary signed for it and Wednesday was a
mite hectic so I didn't see it until this morning."

"Ah," said Todd.  "Yeah, it's been a week all right.  I even
forgot about it."

Chuck's voice turned very sober.  "Todd, you are an artist.
That picture of Anna ... I look at it and see three faces
looking back."  Chuck stopped for a minute, and Todd could feel
the other man's emotion and remembered his reaction when he had
seen his granddaughter after Kelly had done her makeup for the
open-air portrait.

"I see Anna, her mother, and her grandmother all in those eyes."

Chuck paused again.

"I'm glad you like it," said Todd.  "She's a beautiful girl.
And hey, what did you think of the shot of yourself?"

Chuck laughed again.  "That, my young friend, was very sneaky,"
he said sounding pleased.  "Brenda suggested that I use it with
the brochure, you know, to show who Regan Boats really is, and
then Anna and Brenda started to rearrange my living room trying
to make me the center of the wall.  And so all we've done all
afternoon is move pictures around until I told them they had to
stop so I could order frames."

"I'm glad you like them, Chuck.  I really enjoyed taking them."

"Well, the other reason I'm calling is to see if I can get a
reprint of the one of Anna.  I'd like to get a 16 x 20 of that
one; I already have the perfect frame for it.  Just bill me
whatever you want.  I can't put a price on art."

It was Todd's turn to laugh.  "Well, Chuck, as tempting as that
sounds, and I don't come cheap, but when I do pictures for my
friends, they're always free.  I'll get it out to you the
beginning of next week."

"I'm not going to argue with you, son.  Just promise me that
you and Kelly and your other friend will come visit us soon for
a weekend.  We'll sit on the dock, drink beer, and ruminate on
life.  No work, just friends sharing some quality time."

It was Todd's turn to choke up and his eyes got moist.  "We'd
like that very much, Chuck.  We're tied up for the next six
weeks, but real soon after, okay?  I'll tell Kelly and Laura to
keep their schedules open.  Then in a few weeks we'll call and
see what's good for all of us."

"Thanks again, Todd.  I'll wait to hear from you and hope to
see you soon."

"Thank you, Chuck.  You take care of yourself and say hi to the
girls for me."

As Todd hung up the phone he wondered why his own parents had
never appreciated him.  He shook his head rapidly to clear the
thoughts.  He didn't want to think about them.  Refused to let
even the thought of them intrude on his happiness.

Taking a deep breath, Todd was nearly set to go out the door
again when he remembered that Delton had left a package for
him.  Vanetta had said she had put it in the crisper in his
fridge upstairs.  Taking the stairs two at a time, Todd opened
the drawer and carefully placed the foil package on the table.
Opening it he saw a kilo of pure bud, vacuum-sealed in 12
individual bags.  Todd laughed.  This was nearly two and a half
ounces per month for the next year!  (Life could be good!)  It
was way more than he and Kelly would use, but since Delton grew
it only once a year, it was better to have a bit too much than
not enough, and this was good shit!  No stems or seeds ever.

Todd resealed the foil and stuck the package back in the
crisper minus the bag he had taken out to leave at Kelly's.

It was 4:30 when Todd finally pulled out of the studio parking
lot.  A quick stop at a local smoke shop where he bought a pouch
of tobacco and five packs of rolling papers.  He would toss the
tobacco out later, but it was a lot less suspicious buying
papers when you bought something to roll.  Another stop at the
drug store Kelly frequented where he bought ten rolls of Kodak
Gold 200, a four pack of AA batteries, and then drove straight
to Kelly's.

His clothes were already put away and Todd was sitting with a
beer watching one of the movie channels when he heard the door
open.

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

"Hi Sweetheart," Kelly said as she kissed him hello.

"Hey Babe," said Laura with her own kiss for him.

"Ladies," Todd said rising and greeting Cara and Ami as he
hugged and kissed both Kelly and Laura.

"Did you get everything done that you wanted to?"  Kelly asked.

"All done and even more," he said.

"Are you hungry?"

"Definitely getting that way," he said.  "What are we having
tonight?"

"I thought I might make up some Nasi Goring," Kelly said.

Todd smiled.  It was one thing from his Dutch past that he
didn't mind revisiting any time.  Kelly had seen Todd order it
once, and watched in awe as he devoured two enormous helpings of
the Indonesian rice dish.

Wanting to surprise him, she had called the restaurant before
they left town and gotten a recipe from them that would be
relatively easy for her to make at home.  Using a Conimex dried
spice pack that she bought by the dozen from the international
grocery store downtown, all she had to do was boil the rice and
add the meat.

"So can you hold out for another hour?"  Kelly asked with a
smile.

"I sure can!"  Todd said.  "Besides, I've got something to show
Ami, so if you don't need her, I'll take her out back."

"No," said Kelly with a smile at Laura.  "We can manage without
her."

Todd picked up the camera bag he had sitting on the floor and
led Ami outside.

When Todd and Ami were safely out of hearing distance, Kelly
said to Laura, "I knew the minute she started talking about that
pinhole camera that he would do this.  He likes passion."

Cara looked puzzled.

"Don't worry, Cara," said Kelly sympathetically, "Todd's not
going to try and make a move on her.  He knows she doesn't swing
that way.  She just won't have to wait to buy a camera.  He's
going to let her use one of his to see if she really likes it,
and if she has the eye for it."

Cara sighed in relief.  "Well, then I'm happy for her.  I'm
sure that she has the talent."

"You really love her don't you?"  Kelly asked.

"That obvious is it?" asked Cara with a blush.

"Maybe just to us," said Laura.

Kelly put the spice mix into a saucepan to re-hydrate the
mixture of vegetable slivers, and in another pot put 8 cups of
wild rice.  She pulled four quick fry pork cutlets and a pound
of liver out of the freezer.  Laura volunteered to fry the
meat.  She was curious what this would taste like.

Cara asked if she could help with anything.  After being told
that there really was nothing to do until the meat was cooked,
she parked herself on a chair.  "Can I ask you guys a personal
question?"

Laura smiled, remembering the conversation from earlier that
morning.

"Sure," said Kelly, "fire away."

"Well... see, I've loved Ami for a long time.  We've been
friends since we were four.  Her and Erin and me, we were the
Three Musketeers.  We've been training together for as far back
as I can remember, and while I love Erin, it's more like a
sister.  With Ami, it's something else.  I get all soft inside
and..." she blushed a bright crimson.  "Ami really turns me on."

"Sounds like sexual attraction to me," said Kelly, watching the
rice.

"Yeah, I know it is, but last summer I did something stupid
with a guy cause I didn't want to... couldn't deal with the idea
that I might be gay.  Now Ami thinks I'm just curious, and she's
afraid that if she goes beyond just friendship with me that
she'll get hurt."

Kelly turned to look at Cara.  Saw the pain in her eyes.

"That's understandable, Cara.  That's why you can't rush into
these things."

"I think that Cara is looking for help in seducing Ami," said
Laura.

"Oh," said Kelly.  "I'm not sure that I have an answer for that."

"That's why I wanted to ask you guys how you got to the point
you're at."

Kelly looked at Laura who nodded.

"Laura and I were attracted to each other," Kelly said, "but
except for a very brief weekend fling, I had never been with
another woman.  However, that weekend showed me a lot more about
love than I had ever learned on my own.  It didn't happen
overnight with Laura and me, we kind of built up to it.  I think
the first time we showed any sign of being turned on around
another woman was the night we masturbated together while
watching a movie."

Laura smiled at the memory and picked up the story.  "The next
time, we masturbated each other, and from there things just
picked up until we got to where we are now."

Cara's eyes were big as saucers.  "You guys masturbated in
front of each other?"

"Well," said Kelly, "it wasn't quite that blatant.  We had
towels over our laps."

"It was a sign of beginning to trust each other," said Laura.

"Well, we sort of masturbated together last night, only Ami
didn't know that I was awake and I did it after she fell asleep."

Kelly laughed.  "Are you sure she was asleep?"

Cara blushed again at the thought.

"The only thing that you can do if you're serious about wanting
to pursue a relationship with Ami is to be loving towards her
and let her set the pace," said Kelly.  "You can show more
affection, but if she backs off, then don't push yourself on
her.  Give her time and space when she needs it."

"And talk to her," said Laura, "not just about your desires but
what you like about her and things you have in common."

"Thanks, guys," said Cara.

"Okay," said Laura.  "The meat is ready, what do you want done
with it, Kell?"

"If you could cut it into real small cubes that would be
great," said Kelly, who had turned the heat off the rice and had
a towel over the top to keep the moisture in.

As Cara and Laura cut up the meat, Kelly added the spices to
the rice and then transferred the entire batch to a wok where
she started to lightly fry it up.  When Cara and Laura had the
meat cut, she added it to the mix and took a jar of super hot
dried red pepper paste out of the fridge.  She added a
tablespoon to the mix and with chopsticks stirred it all around
mixing it all in.

Laura and Cara set the table, and Kelly suggested beer to go
with the meal.  "It enhances the flavor," she said with a
smile.  "Then we can call the shutterbugs in and we can eat."

Cara got five beers out of the fridge and Laura got the
vitamins as Kelly quickly fried up five eggs, one to go on top
of each plate.  The smell in the kitchen was delicious.

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

Todd and Ami sat down facing each other in the yard.  Opening
the bag he said to Ami, "this is the camera that paid for my
university education.  It's a Pentax K1000, considered to be the
workhorse of the professional photo journalist."

"Wow," said Ami.  "You paid your entire university tuition with
this camera?"

"Not just tuition," said Todd, "but also my living expenses and
money to put into the bank."

"God, I'd have it gold plated or something and put on a mantel!"

Todd laughed.  "It wouldn't be a working camera any more if I
did that.  Besides, it's just a camera.  It's just a tool.  It's
your eye that decides if you have what it takes to be a
photographer.  That's why I'm going to let you use it.  Let's
see if you have what it takes."

"Oh my God!"  Ami squealed with delight, "You don't mind?  I
mean, what if I screw it up or something?"

"Then it would be a broken tool.  No more, no less."

Ami hugged Todd and kissed him on the cheek.  "Thanks, Todd.
I'll take really good care of it, I promise."

Todd laughed again.  He loved seeing the joy in her eyes.
"Okay, there's two zoom lenses with the camera.  The one that's
on it now is good for distance.  It's a 70 -210mm with a macro
on it as well.  The other is a 28 - 85mm which is good for
indoors and close ups, and it also has a macro on it."

"What's a macro?"

"It's like a close up setting.  Like if you wanted to take a
picture of a penny, and you didn't want a lot of background,
just the penny.  You switch to macro and it lets you do super
close ups.  It's a bit tricky, but you'll get used to it."

Ami was peering through the viewfinder.  It seemed like she was
born to hold a camera as her right hand cradled the body with
her finger over the shutter release and her left hand twisted
the lens to focus and zoom at the same time.

"Wow!  This is so cool," she said.  "There's a squirrel on that
branch over there and he's all I see through the lens.  Is that
what would come out in the print?"

Todd smiled.  "Yep, what you see is exactly what you'll get.
Notice the little bracket in the middle on the right?  It has a
little bar above or below it.  That's the light meter.  You need
to get that bar inside the bracket all the time if you want the
correct exposure.  Otherwise your pictures will either be too
dark or too light."

"I see it," said Ami.  "It's just below the bottom of the
bracket now.  How do I adjust that?"

She was looking intently at Todd, eager to devour the knowledge.

Todd went on to explain about shutter speed and aperture,
focus, and then the basic mechanics of loading and unloading
film.  He took her through the basics of 'depth-of field,' and a
little about how to compose a picture.

The entire time he was talking and showing her, Ami had blocked
out the rest of the world.  She absorbed all he was saying like
a sponge.  Todd looked up, saw her rapt attention and said,
"You'll probably forget 90 percent of what I've said before you
go to bed."  But he was smiling as he said it.  "There's more to
this than I could explain in a day, but I sometimes teach basic
photography at UNC, and a couple of years ago I even wrote a
small book on the basics of using a manual camera for my
students.  I'm sure that Kelly has one around here and if you
read it, and practice, I'm sure that you'll get the hang of it
in no time."

Ami was speechless.

Todd pulled out a flash from the bag and showed her how to
mount it on the hot shoe.  He helped her put the batteries into
the flash and walked her through the most basic settings for
flash photography.  Then he talked her through loading her first
roll of film.

"Well, Kiddo, you're now a lethal weapon.  You're loaded for
bear!"  Todd said handing her the bag.  "Read and study, but
more importantly shoot.  That's how you learn.  There's ten
rolls of film here to get you started, and you'll develop your
own film in my darkroom."

Ami hugged the camera close to her body slipping the neck-strap
over her head.  She had no intention of taking it off!

Todd sat back and finished his beer as he watched Ami go from
one point to another, quickly adjusting the aperture before
focusing in on her target until Laura called them in for supper.

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

Kelly saw Ami waltz in with the camera around her neck and with
mock dismay said, "Oh no, even in my own house there will be no
escaping the dreaded lens!"

Ami quickly raised the camera, focused and fired, capturing
Kelly in a burst of white light, spatula in hand lifting an egg
onto a plate of steaming spiced Nasi.

"I think you created a monster, Sweetheart," Laura said to Todd.

As they sat down to eat, Kelly asked Ami if she was going to
take the camera off.

"Oh," said Ami.  "I've turned it off and put the lens cap back
on.  I just want to get familiar with it around my neck."

Todd tried hard not to smile as he broke the yolk on his egg
and mixed it in with the rice.  After the fifth mouthful he
looked at Kelly and smiled, expressing his appreciation for his
favorite meal.

Cara panted.  "Whew... that's spicy!" and picked up her bottle
of beer and took a long drink from it.

FLASH!

"Gotcha!" said Ami with a self-satisfied smirk.

"I don't think it's going to be safe around here for a while,"
said Laura.

"Okay, okay.  See?  I'm putting the cap on and turning the
flash off," said Ami with a pout as phony as a three dollar bill.

As she put the camera down in her lap, Todd could hear the
flash charging again.  The little minx had already figured out
where the controls were without looking, and he would bet the
cap was off again as well.

During a delightful dinner, interrupted only three more times
by unexpected flashes, Todd told Kelly and Laura about the phone
call from Chuck.

"That's nice of him," said Kelly.  "I like him, and he seemed
really taken with you, Todd.  It's a pity about his daughter,
but who knows?  Maybe he's already started to look for her."

"I hope so," said Todd, "for both his and Anna's sake."

"Do you think they'll be at the opening of Mueller's Wheel?"
Kelly asked.

"Damn, I had forgotten about that with all the rush stuff.
Guess we better do some real office work tomorrow, Kell.  Get us
rooms and all that stuff and we still have to do a quote for Al
for his new brochure."

"Okay," said Kelly, "then why don't you make the print for him
tomorrow and we can give it to him on the weekend."

"Good thinking, Batman," said Todd.  "Cara and Ami can check
the equipment out proper tomorrow, and I can discuss some ideas
with them for the poses.  What about you, Laura?"

"I'll be around if you need something, otherwise I'll just be
doing my course online," said Laura.

"Okay, then," said Todd.  "A leisurely evening, a day of work
and then off to see the 'James Gang' on the weekend."

"What are we going to do on the weekend if you guys are gone?"
Cara asked.

Kelly laughed, "You're coming with us, of course.  I'm sure
that Erin will be there as well."

"Road Trip!" yelled Ami and Cara.

Todd rolled his eyes.  "Where do these kids get their energy
from?"

"Suppressed sexuality," said Ami, straight-faced.

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

Cara and Ami had volunteered to clean up, so Kelly, Todd, and
Laura found themselves in the back yard again clutching ice-cold
bottles of Evian.

"Do you know what Ami told me this morning?"  Todd said.  "We
were in the darkroom and she wanted to make sure that I knew she
was gay.  Said that she didn't want me to entertain any thoughts
of adding her to my bed."

Kelly laughed softly.  "She's a sweet kid, Todd.  I like her
straightforward approach to life."

"Can you imagine how little social life these girls have had?"
asked Laura.  "To hear them talk about training and practice...
it must have taken up most of their lives."

"I've seen it before, Laura," said Todd.  "It's a lot like what
models go through except gymnasts start earlier in life.  In
every city, thousands try, maybe a hundred will last through the
first year.  From those, who give it their all, and stick to it,
they might find a dozen good enough to compete and then they
have to compete hard against gymnasts from other cities and
other states, and in the end, every four years, we might get to
send eight to the Olympics.  It's a real bitch if you have a bad
day at a regional competition and you get disqualified or cut
from the team.  Or you're born just one year too late and by the
time the next Olympics rolls around, you've gone through what
Cara did.  A growth spurt and all of a sudden, nothing works the
same any more.  And injuries... athletes are more prone to
injuries that can destroy years of practice and dedication in
one misstep.  At least these two can say they made it to the
Nationals, and have some medals to show for it.  Now they've got
to learn to adjust in the 'normal' world.  In a way I think it's
unfair to do that to kids."

"Don't they want to do it?"  Laura asked.

Todd laughed.  "Hell, by the time they're old enough to realize
what kind of life they're into, they believe it's what they
want.  Look at Tiger.  His dad started him off with a putter
before he was three.  You think he became the most famous golfer
of our time because one day he woke up in his crib and decided
that golf was going to be his life?"

"Wow.  I never realized.  But what about models, Kelly?  You
started when you were 12.  I know you were forced into it, but
couldn't you have gotten out of it altogether, Kell, at the time
you gained your freedom?"

"I suppose I could have," said Kelly lighting a cigarette, "but
by the time I really knew that I had a choice, I had been doing
it for two years and had no real money to show for it.  I
couldn't go back home, so, since the work was there, I decided I
would make as much as I could.  I had well over a million in the
bank before I was 17, and no living expenses since I was always
on some location.  I had no idea what an average annual income
was.  Then when I got it all figured out, I just kept on getting
more for my time and I hoarded it.  Made some smart investments
with the help of friends and pulled it all out again when I
decided to take Todd's advice.  Since then, I've never looked
back."

"You guys must really find me naïve," said Laura.  "I mean...
I'm so dull.  The most exciting times in my life have been with
you."

"No, Honey," said Kelly.  "You're not dull.  You're exciting.
With your looks and your brains, you would have ended up doing
something special with your life.  But you know...  I'm glad
that we found you first.  You're our rock!"

"My thoughts exactly," said Todd.

Laura blushed.  "If I'm anything it's because of the two of
you.  I love you both so much."

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

Ami was devouring the book Kelly had found for her.  "Todd
Ayres: Introduction to Photography."

She was hunched over the book with the camera in one hand,
flipping pages with the other.  Cara sat across from her,
content to read the latest John Sandford novel, and every few
minutes looking at her friend.

That's how Kelly and Laura found them.  Todd had mentioned
bringing over the goodie bag courtesy of Delton, but Kelly had
suggested that with Ami's newfound passion for taking candid
shots, it might be better if they saved it for the bedroom.

"Are you girls ready for a mud bath?"  Kelly asked.

"A mud bath?"  Ami had asked.  "I thought we were only getting
facials."

"You are, dear, but you'll probably want a bath afterwards and
we have a nice big Jacuzzi if you haven't noticed."

The girls were led to Kelly's bedroom where not so long ago,
Laura had applied the same treatment to Kelly.

Ami insisted Cara go first, and Kelly and Laura applied a thick
coat of "Dead Sea Mud" to her face.  On Laura's advice they had
changed into t-shirts since they would be easier to wash
afterwards.

They had just finished putting the mud on Cara when Kelly
noticed Ami had left the room.  She realized what was coming
next and motioned for Laura to step back.

FLASH!

"What was that?"  Cara asked, her eyes closed due to the mud.

"What was what?"  Kelly asked suppressing the urge to laugh.

"I thought I heard a snap.  That better not be Ami with that
damn camera again!"

"I didn't hear anything," Laura said, "and Ami's sitting right
here while getting her own mask put on.  Now try not to talk
because the mud has to set.  You'll be a half hour with a face
that will feel tighter by the minute."

"Okay," grumbled Cara.

Then Kelly and Laura seriously put a layer on Ami.

When both girls were covered, Kelly said she was stepping out
for a smoke and by the time she came back they would start to
melt off the dried mud.

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

"How's it going?"  Todd asked.

"They're both covered in it now," said Kelly as she lit up.
"They look kind of cute with their hair pulled back and sitting
there with green faces and their tiny white T's."

"By now, they shouldn't even be able to talk," said Laura.
"But Ami managed to get a shot of Cara looking like the creature
from the black lagoon."

"Maybe you should turn some music on," said Todd with a
mischievous grin.

"To hide the sound of you snapping some pictures of your own?"
Kelly asked.

"You bet!"

Kelly turned on the stereo and Todd entered the bedroom after
retrieving the Pentax.  The bedroom was well lit, so they
wouldn't notice the flash, and if he cocked the camera away from
the girls, he could easily sneak in a few photos.

Three shots later, he put the camera back where he had found
it.  "Turn about is fair play," he said as he came back outside.

At 9:15, Kelly and Laura came back in with a basin of warm
water and two face cloths.  Gently they wet down the dried mud
and as it dissolved, two red faces appeared from beneath the
green coating.

As careful as Kelly and Laura were, there had still been some
dripping and both girls were sitting in rather wet T's, their
nipples clearly visible through the now transparent material.

"I would suggest you head right into the tub now," said Kelly.
"I'll show you how to adjust the water and the jets.  You might
as well take a nice leisurely soak while you're at it."

Laura headed out to join Todd while Kelly helped the girls pick
up fresh clothes and then showed them how to operate the
Jacuzzi.  Both girls peeled off their wet T's and panties while
Kelly was in the bathroom with them.  Kelly took a minute to
inspect the areas where they had been waxed.  "It looks like
you're still a little red," said Kelly.  "I'll add some good
moisturizing bath salts to the water and aside from the bubbles
and the delicious smell, it will help with the slight swelling."

Neither Cara nor Ami were the least bit embarrassed by Kelly's
almost clinical inspection and prognosis.

Making sure that the girls were comfortable, Kelly returned a
minute later with two fresh bottles of ice cold Evian for them
and told them to enjoy themselves.

Outside again with Todd, she said, "If you're still in the mood
to light up, Cara and Ami will be pretty occupied for at least
an hour."

Todd smiled and produced a fat spliff he had rolled earlier.
"Just one," he said as he lit it, "to help us relax."

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

Cara and Ami sat in the tub facing each other, their breasts
bobbing in and out of the bubbles as the jets churned the water.

"Ami," Cara ventured.  "If I said the sight of you like this
turned me on, would you be upset if I masturbated in front of
you?"

Ami nearly choked on her Evian.  "You want to masturbate?  In
the tub?  With me watching you?"

"Yeah," said Cara.  "I didn't think of that part, but yeah, I
guess if you wanted to, you could watch.  It's just that seeing
you naked, and feeling your legs brushing up against mine...
Hell, Ami, you know you turn me on, but I don't want to push you
into anything."

"Yeah, sure... why not.  If it makes you feel better, but I
don't think I'll watch."

Cara slid a hand down her legs, spreading them even wider.  Her
middle finger found her aroused clit instantly and she started
to flick it as her other hand grasped her own breast.  Her eyes
were locked on Ami who was very carefully reading the label on
the bottled water, trying very hard not to sneak glances at Cara.

Cara could see Ami watching, and smiled.  She was so close
now.  She slipped her middle finger into her slippery vagina,
and then added her index finger, thrusting them in and out as
her thumb strummed a beat against her rock hard clit.  Her
breath was becoming ragged and her body started to lurch.  A
last look at Ami before her eyes closed in bliss showed that
Ami's nipples had puckered and that Ami now had a hand in the
water as well.

Cara cried out in joy as her climax rode over her.  She had
always been silent when approaching orgasm, but knowing that the
object of her desire was watching her, she just let loose with a
groan and then a scream.  As she crested a second time, her legs
clamped shut and she squirmed and slid in the bath, her head
going under the water, from the bath oil Kelly had added.

As she came up for air sputtering she was surprised to see
Ami's head back as her elbow showed clearly what her hand was
doing under the bubbles.

Ami had only been able to take it for so long, watching Cara
masturbate and knowing she was the reason for her friend's
horniness.  Her own cunt cried out for attention and she had
slowly drifted her hand down to her own pleasure patch.  She had
toyed for a bit, just feeling her clit and sliding a finger over
her labia lips feeling the lubricant she was secreting.  She
wasn't even aware that her fingers had started to work their
magic in earnest, and no longer cared if Cara could see her
watching or not.

Hearing Cara's breath come in shorter and shorter gasps and
seeing her friend's face color with the onset of her climax
nearly drove Ami over the edge herself when she felt Cara's legs
clamp shut on her own, driving her finger inside!  Even as Cara
went under water, Ami beat a steady rhythm on her clit and
seconds later was rewarded with the rush that overtook her.

When Ami came down from her self-induced high, she looked at
Cara only to see her friend smiling back at her.

"Was it good?"  Cara asked.

Ami blushed.  "I got so hot looking at you that I got carried
away."

Cara took a long gulp from the bottle before replying.  "Ami, I
know that you don't want to get hurt, and I sure as hell don't
want to be the one to hurt you.  I don't know where I'm going in
life.  I'm too young to make life long commitments, but I do
love you and I want to make love to you.  I won't rush you or
push you into anything you're not ready for, but you do turn me
on so much..."

Ami slid forward in the tub, silencing any more from Cara with
her finger on her lips.  With one hand she cupped Cara's breast
as the other pulled Cara in close for a kiss.

It was a tender kiss, long and lingering.  Their lips parted
and Ami ran her tongue over Cara's teeth and the inside of her
lips.  Cara for her part allowed Ami to take the lead, but as
the kiss became more urgent, she reached out and drew Ami closer
to her, cupping Ami's butt cheeks and easily lifting her on to
her lap.  The kissing intensified and four hands explored two
bodies.

"God, Cara.  I love how you kiss," said Ami as they broke for
air.  Cara nibbled softly at the nape of Ami's neck.

"Maybe it's the way Kelly and Laura share so much love with
Todd that I don't feel so 'absolute' in monogamy any more."

"Well," said Cara, "look at Erin's brother.  He can't satisfy
all those girls every night and they came right out and said
they share love with each other.  I think we've been duped by
the movies and books into thinking everyone has just one perfect
partner."

"Maybe it's a society thing to prevent people from expressing
love with those they really care about," said Ami.  "I just know
that this feels good, it feels right, and right now, I'm not
concerned about who you might be with next week or next month or
next year.  As long as you really love me when you make love
with me."

Cara softly kissed Ami's eyelids and her cheeks and ears before
moving back to her lips.  Between kisses she softly whispered,
"When I say I love you, Ami, I really mean it.  When I make love
to you, you will know that I am loving you with every fiber of
my being."

Ami's eyes welled up with tears that Cara tried to kiss away.
"Then love me, Cara, love me now, love me tonight."

That finished their bath and they rinsed off in the shower,
washing their fresh cut tresses.  Drying off turned out to be a
contact sport as each used hands and lips on the other until
they just gave up, running for the bedroom holding their towels
in front of them.

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

Kelly, Todd, and Laura heard some of the screams of pleasure
coming from the guest room.

"Sounds like the girls are having a good time," said Laura.

Todd was feeling very mellow from the joint the three of them
had shared.  "It does sound that way doesn't it?  You think
we're a bad influence on them?"

"No," said Kelly shaking her head.  "They've been in love for a
long time.  Now they're just acting on it."

"Cool," said Todd.

"It's getting me hot just hearing them," said Laura.

"Then what are you waiting for?" asked Kelly.  "Let's get our
man hard and ready."

"But Kelly, I still have my period," said Laura.

"So what," said Todd.  "It's dark out here and we'll need to
take a shower before we go to bed anyway."

"Out here?"  Laura asked.

"Why not?" said Kelly moving closer to Todd, "I don't think
either Cara or Ami will be finished for quite some time."

Todd allowed Kelly to slide his pants off exposing his rapidly
inflating cock.  Sitting on the end of the lounger Kelly bent
forward to suck it into her mouth bringing it up to full
attention.

"I'm not sure," said Laura.  "What about the neighbors?"

"They can't see over the shrubbery," said Kelly as she pulled
off her t-shirt and shorts and panties.  "Besides, I'll only
share Todd with you.  They'll have to find their own stud!"

Laura finally shrugged and peeled off her own clothes.  She
stepped into the house for a minute to grab a box of tissues and
removed her tampon before stepping outside again.

Todd had pulled the cushion out of the lounger and laid it on
the grass.  Kelly was kneeling over his head as his tongue
worked wonders on her clit.  "Come on, Sweetheart," Kelly said
to Laura.  "You've gone too long without that hard cock inside
you.  Climb on and ride this cowboy."

Laura stood astride Todd and slowly sank down with her hands on
Kelly's shoulders, trapping his shaft between her vulva and his
belly.  Kelly cupped her full ripe breasts, teasing her nipples
into full erection under her thumbs and drew her into a wet
openmouthed kiss.

"Oh God, that feels good," she breathed as her puffy labia
spread over Todd's thick dick and rubbed her clit as she made
tiny movements with her hips that oozed her copious lubrication
over his shaft.

"Up a little, Honey," said Kelly as she reached down to grasp
the rod under Laura, mixed Laura's natural slipperiness with his
pre-cum and wiped it over his plum-sized helmet.  She held the
solid shaft upright, then Laura's hot cunt engulfed it in one
smooth stroke.  As she did, Kelly pulled out her hand and
flicked Laura's engorged clit causing her to jump a little from
the sensation, and then Laura took him in to the hilt.

Laura savored the feeling of Todd's stiff cock filling her,
then rose till she felt the head just penetrating her hot wet
hole then engulfed him in her once more, faster.  Todd lifted
his hips to meet her down stroke and their loins slapped
together.  "Oh, Honey," she wailed, and pulled her lover into a
crushing kiss with one hand behind her head, the other twisting
Kelly's erect nipple.

With Laura doing most of the work, Todd could direct his
attention to the cunt covering his mouth, licking, sucking, and
drinking down his lover's copious juices as she writhed above
him.  His hands held her cheeks apart giving him free access
from her trimmed bush to her hot brown star, and he used every
bit of it to tease her toward her peak.  He felt her stiffen as
she hit a crest, avoiding her clit as she cruised the wave for a
minute, then set about urging her toward the next.

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

Cara raised her head up from between Ami's legs.  Between them,
the girls had tried every position they could think of so far
and accumulated nearly a dozen climaxes.  Cara was just proving
her love for Ami again, with every fiber of her being.  When
they had hit the bedroom on the run, they had fallen into bed
kissing and hugging and stroking each other, but their lust soon
turned into humping against each other, bringing them both off.
After that, they had switched to a sixty-nine position allowing
them to lick each other for the first time at the same time
while still allowing their hands to stroke and caress the
other's body, showing both girls how satisfying physical love
could be when both partners were doing it out of love.

After the first few climaxes, Ami had pushed Cara onto her back
and with her hands on Cara's stomach finally had a close look at
her friend as she licked and sucked her to two more orgasms.
Her face wet with Cara's juices, she had crawled up beside her
friend and the two had rested in each other's arms, hugging,
kissing, and caressing each other.

Cara had just finished returning the same kind of love and had
used her fingers inside Ami's hotbox searching for and finding
her "G" spot bringing forth a copious amount of love juice and
leaving Ami squirming on the bed.  It was as Ami was coming down
from her latest orgasm that she had first heard the sound.  She
had gently patted Cara on the top of her head just as Cara was
about to try to bring Ami off again.

"Listen," said Ami softly.

Cara listened with Ami and they could hear someone groaning
outside.

Carefully and quietly they had slipped off the bed and turning
off the one light they had left on for their lovemaking, they
carefully and slowly opened the curtains.  Right there not ten
feet away was a naked Kelly riding Todd's face while an equally
naked Laura was humping up and down on his cock, and the two
girls were kissing each other as well as groping each other.

"Wow!" said Ami softly.

"Double wow!" said Cara.

They watched for nearly ten minutes hugging each other and
softly stroking each other until Kelly finally collapsed and
rolled off onto the grass, arms and legs splayed.

Laura continued to ride Todd until they saw him start to buck
back in earnest and the look on his face was clearly one of
pleasure.  They could hear him mumble something and then Laura
fell forward kissing the lips that had so recently been latched
onto Kelly's cunt.  Then Laura finally rolled off as well,
giving Cara and Ami a clear view of Todd's cock.

"I wonder why they did it outside?"  Cara asked.

"Hmm.  You know, if we could hear them, maybe they heard us,
and didn't want to interrupt us," said Ami.

"Maybe the sound of us having so much fun turned them on," said
Cara.

"We can always go out and ask them," snickered Ami.

The girls continued to watch as Laura cleaned Todd and then
herself with tissues and then both pulled pants on leaving only
Kelly in the buff.  They then put the cushions back on the
chairs and sat down relaxing with their drinks.

"C'mon, get your panties on and we'll go outside," said Ami.

"Are you serious?"  Cara asked.

"Why not?  Kelly said that most of the time she and Laura are
nude around the house anyway.  And you, my dear, have nothing to
be ashamed of!"

Cara blushed.  "Neither do you, Ami."

"Okay," Ami said.  "We'll just visit for a short time and then
come back and maybe we can pick up where we left off."

"I'd like that," said Cara.

"Besides," said Ami, "I want to get a picture of you just the
way you are."

"As long as you don't show it to anybody," said Cara.

"Well, Todd will probably see it, but if you're willing to go
out in just panties, it won't shock him, besides, you've got to
see the pictures of Kelly and Laura he has in the darkroom!"

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

"Everybody decent?" came Ami's voice from the kitchen.

"We're always decent," said Kelly, "though not always dressed.
Come out at your own risk," she added with a laugh.

The laugh however caught in her throat as Cara and Ami came out
into the yard wearing only the thong underwear Kelly had bought
for them earlier in the day.

"And here I was worried about me," said Laura looking at the
girls with an admiring glance.

"Yeah, well, after last night and what Kelly said about the
casual attire around here, we thought we would just join you for
a bit before we hit the hay."

Todd, still riding the high from Delton's good weed, and the
great sex, had his back to the girls but upon hearing the
direction of the conversation turned in his chair and looked at
the two half naked girls.  "Hi," he said as he turned back around.

"Hi yourself," said Ami, blushing slightly.

Todd turned around once more.  Looked up and down at Ami and
said, "Yeah, I guess I am."

Kelly giggled, Laura said, "Dean Friedman, circa 1976."

"Huh?" said Cara.

"Never mind Laura," said Kelly, "she's a music trivia buff.
I'm guessing Todd said something from a song she knows."

"Right you are, Sweetheart," said Laura giving her a kiss.
"And the song was 'Ariel,' quite a strong techno and synthesized
song for its time.  Now, who wants fresh water?"

Todd raised his hand.  Kelly nodded and Cara and Ami walked
into the house to give Laura a hand carrying them out.

"Thanks girls, they can be quite hard on the boobies if I carry
more than three at a time!"

Ami laughed.  "Bet that puckers the old nipples quick!"

"Is Todd, like, really stoned?" asked Cara.

"Nah, not really," said Laura.  "He's just really mellow now."

Laura stopped and turned on the stereo, setting the speakers to
low, and from her previous inspection found and retrieved a
golden compilation of hits of the 70's.

As the three headed back to the yard, Ami said, "I thought he
might just be sexed out."

Laura blushed.  "Did you...?"

"Yep," said Cara proudly.  "But we missed the beginning of the
show."

"Oh my god!" said Laura blushing.

"Don't worry, Laura, we won't tell Todd we saw you riding him,"
giggled Ami.

"Or Kelly filling his face!" added Cara.

Laura narrowed her eyes in mock sternness.  "Who would have
thought we had a couple of peeping toms in the house!"

"It wasn't our fault that you guys were making such weird
noises outside of our bedroom window," said Ami.

"Well, maybe if you had heard the noise coming from your
bedroom, you'd understand what got us all worked up," said Laura
with a smirk.

"The time was right," said Ami.

"And it was perfect," said Cara.

"And I'm happy for both of you," said Laura.

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

The five of them sat outside watching the stars come out until
the heavens were filled with pinpricks of light.

Finishing off the icy water, Cara and Ami announced they were
going in for the night, thanking Kelly and Laura for a great
day, and Ami giving Todd a special hug thanking him again for
the use of his camera.

Back in their bedroom, true to her word, Ami had Cara posed on
the bed, her pert breasts showing nicely, nipples nicely
extended thanks to Ami's willing mouth, and she shot off one
frame after another doing both close ups an and long body
shots.  For the sake of modesty, Cara kept her legs crossed
gently allowing just a slight sight of pubic hair in the
pictures.  Finally, the erotic nature of what they were doing
got the best of them and after putting the camera away and
turning off the lights, the two girls dove into bed to continue
what they had been doing earlier.

During a break in their lovemaking, Cara asked Ami how she had
felt sitting outside with Kelly, Todd, and Laura nearly in the
nude.

"Actually, Kelly was completely nude," reminded Ami, "and Todd
was wearing pants, so he had everything important hidden.  But
other than that, I felt quite comfortable.  Natural, if you know
what I mean."

"Yeah, I do know," said Cara.  "That's why I asked you.  I
noticed the conversation was a lot more insightful and honest.
Maybe without clothes to hide behind you can open up more."

"Well, dear, you can certainly help me out right now by opening
up more," said Ami.

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

Nobody had bothered setting an alarm, and Kelly was the first
to wake up to the smell of Blue Mountain coffee.  That meant
only one thing.  Gloria was here.

Looking at the clock Kelly was shocked to see it was past 10.
Gently shaking Laura, she explained the situation and slipped a
t-shirt on before slipping out of the bedroom.  Knocking softly
on the door of the guest room got no response so Kelly quietly
opened the door to find Cara and Ami, nude, asleep in a lover's
embrace.  She smiled gently and then tapped the girls on the
most convenient spots available.  Both girls slowly came awake
and with shy smiles pulled the covers up.

"I just wanted to let you know that Vanetta's mother is here.
She watches my house for me when I'm out of town and helps me to
keep it orderly.  I just thought you might want to slip on a T
before coming out this morning.  I wasn't expecting her, so
she's probably got something on her mind that she feels I should
know about."

"Okay, Kelly," mumbled the girls.

Kelly's next stop was the bathroom where she emptied her very
full bladder.

"Good morning, G" said Kelly as she entered the kitchen.

"Mornin', chil" said Gloria.  "Me must talk to you."

"I was wondering what brought you over this morning," said
Kelly as she sat down.

"Good morning, Gloria," said Laura as she entered the kitchen.

"Mornin' Laura," said G looking at the two happy faces in front
of her.

"Hiya Gloria," said Todd, stepping into the kitchen.  "Is this
girl talk or can I get a drink of something?"

Gloria smiled a big smile.  "Good mornin' mister Todd.  You wan
fer me to make you a cup of the good coffee?"

"No thanks, Gloria," Todd said.  "I'll put on a pot of tea.  If
I'm in the way just let me know."

"'Jus as well all tree of you is here.  Miss Kelly needs go see
the doctor.  Sooner the better."

Kelly's head snapped up with a start.  "See a doctor?  I was
just in for a physical four months ago, G.  I'm in perfect
health."

"You jus listen to old Gloria.  You ring up today - go see the
doctor."

The look on Gloria's face was determined and Kelly knew better
than to argue with her when she had her mind made up.

Sighing, she reached for the cordless phone and dialed her
personal physician, Dr. MaryAnn Myers.

The phone at the doctor's office rang only three times before
the receptionist picked it up.  Kelly said who was calling and
asked to be patched through to the doctor.

She was on hold for five minutes before Dr. Myers picked up the
phone.  "Hi, Kelly.  Jen said it sounded important.  What can I
do for you?"

"Hi, MaryAnn.  I know this might sound silly, but somebody is
insisting that I need to see you as soon as possible."

MaryAnn Myers had been Kelly's personal GP since she had moved
to Charlotte.  A pleasant woman in her early forties, she was
friendly and practical.

"Well," said MaryAnn, "sometimes other people see things in you
that you can't see yourself.  I take it this advice came from
somebody whose opinion you trust?"

"Yes, very much so," said Kelly.

"Well then, the sooner the better.  I was looking for an excuse
to get out of an insurance seminar this afternoon anyway, so I'm
free starting at two if you can make it in by then."

"Great.  Thanks, MaryAnn, I'll see you at two then."

After she got off the phone, she raised an eyebrow at Gloria.
"Satisfied now, mother?"

Gloria just smiled.  "Good!" and went back to sipping on her
coffee.

Cara and Ami came into the kitchen about that time, still
stretching and yawning.  It was Laura who made the
introductions, and Gloria treated them both to a big smile.

"Is good to see happy faces in dis house," Gloria said.  "Much
too lonely, much too long."

Finishing her coffee, G announced that she would talk to Kelly
later, said goodbye to everyone and was on her way.

Kelly was so stunned she forgot to go outside to have her
cigarette and lit one up out of habit.  "Now I wonder what the
hell that was all about?" she said to no one in particular.

Laura shrugged and proceeded to put breakfast out along with
the requisite vitamins.

Todd poured Kelly, Laura, and himself a cup of tea.  Cara and
Ami declined his offer sticking instead to orange juice.

After breakfast, the group got dressed and headed to the studio.

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

An hour after they arrived, and having gone through the
exercise routine again, and a fresh shower, they were gathered
around the studio kitchen drinking fresh juice.

Kelly explained to Vanetta her mother's unusual visit of the
morning.

"Well, you know Mom," said Vanetta.  "She tells it like it is."

"Yes," sighed Kelly reluctantly, "and her intuition hasn't been
wrong yet."  But deep down inside, Kelly couldn't help but feel
a certain anxiety.  Life was going so well now for her.  She had
never been so happy but now an overwhelming sense of dread crept
over her.  What if something was seriously wrong?  She blinked
back her incipient tears and pushing herself away from the table
said she had to check on the New York office and do the quote
for Al.

Laura could sense the pain Kelly was feeling, and while Todd
and the gymnasts tried some of the equipment out, she went and
put a comforting arm around Kelly.

"I'm sure it's nothing serious," said Laura.  "I would have
felt that from Gloria.  It's probably just a little thing.
Don't worry, just see the doctor."

Kelly held Laura in her arms and sobbed.  "Not now, Laura.  I
love you and Todd so much, I can't bear the thought of being
sick."

Laura stroked her head for a long time trying to comfort her.

Finally Kelly shook her head.  "You're right, Laura, there's no
use in worrying until I hear what Dr. Myers has to say.  But
will you go with me, Honey?  I might need you afterwards."

"Sure I will, Sweetheart.  Now why don't you do the things you
do best to keep your mind off of it until this afternoon?"
Kelly wiped her eyes and gave Laura a gentle kiss.  "Thanks,
Laura, for being so strong for me."

"I'll always be here for you, Kell, you know that!"

Kelly turned to her monitor just as the truck from the sporting
goods store pulled up.  She let Todd take care of the delivery
and oversee the custom fitting of the expensive bikes.  After
the bikes were assembled, Laura and Cara decided to go for a
test ride while Ami and Todd went into the darkroom to develop
Ami's first roll of film.

Kelly immersed herself in the quote for the Brookhaven project
and willed her mind to focus strictly on that.  Time would tell
what had caused Gloria to become so concerned about her health.

She had just finished off the quote for Brookhaven and had it
printed and ready for mailing when the FedEx truck arrived with
a box of chalk and a parcel for TKO from Ray, the T-shirt and
souvenir shop owner from Brookhaven.  Vanetta accepted and
signed for both parcels as Kelly sat back with another
cigarette.  It was nearing the one o'clock mark.

Todd and Ami had come out of the darkroom, both of them
laughing and poring over the prints Ami had made.  Ami was a bit
upset that Todd had caught her unawares under the mud pack but
as Todd explained it, it would help give her a better
understanding of how people felt being caught off guard and not
at their best.

Ami had gotten a great candid shot of Kelly with the spatula
and he was also quite impressed with the nudes she had taken of
Cara.  They were well composed and she had obviously read his
book cover to cover as she had set the depth of field to a mere
two feet, blurring the entire foreground and the background.

Kelly could hear him saying she was a natural with a camera and
encouraged her to take many more pictures practicing her
technique.  Ami promised that the next time she developed her
own film there would be at least five rolls to do.

Kelly had managed to say all the right things, but both Todd
and Ami could see that her mind was elsewhere.  They returned to
the darkroom so Todd could do the large print of Anna that Chuck
had requested.

"I feel bad letting her just sit like that," Ami said to Todd.

"I know, Ami, but it's heavy on her mind and to talk about it
will only make her worry.  We have to act normally or she'll
really work herself into a wreck."

Laura and Cara returned after a leisurely cruise around the
industrial complex, locked up their bikes and Laura went to
freshen up so she would be ready to accompany Kelly.

At two o'clock Kelly walked into the medical center, prepared
to hear the worst news of her life.

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

Kelly and Laura had been gone for about an hour when the phone
call came in.  Vanetta answered and called Todd out of the
darkroom.

Todd had been working on the large print of Anna and having the
large trays out had decided to do some enlargements of the best
shot of the Cuddy, the one where Sara had taken the boat into a
sideways skid.

He had shown Ami how to work the chemicals over paper to ensure
even coverage and saturation, and the two of them had gone on to
make a few larger prints of the ones of Kelly and Laura in the
bathtub in Brookhaven.  They were on the raunchiest of the
prints when Vanetta had let him know there was an important
call.  Todd saw he could leave Ami to finish off the print they
were working on and stepped out to take the call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Todd, it's Johan.  It took me a bit longer than I
expected, but I have completed the design.  I drew this one up
myself."

"That's great, Johan, can you send it to me?  I'm dying to see
it."

"Of course, Todd.  Can I send it to you email?"

"That would be great.  You've got the office address, right?"

"Yes, I have.  I haven't sent it in case you weren't alone.  Is
it acceptable to send now?"

"Send it, Johan, Kelly and Laura are both out of the office
right now."

"Very well, it's sent.  Shall I wait until you have a look at
it?"

"Yeah, that way I can tell you right now," said Todd.
"Vanetta," he said holding his hand over the mouthpiece, "I'm
expecting an email.  Would you check for it please?"

Vanetta switched the screen to Outlook Express and clicked
'send and receive.'  She told Todd a big file was coming in.

"So, Johan, it won't look too gaudy on their fingers will it?"
asked Todd.

"No my friend, I think you will like it.  I made a few changes
before I was satisfied with the design.  I can't have Kelly
wearing something from my company that looks garish."

"OH MY GOD!" said Vanetta, clasping her hand to her mouth.  She
didn't say anything else, just swiveled the screen so Todd could
look at the picture on it.

"Yes!" said Todd.  "I like it very much!  It's hard to tell
that's three rings, and that heart in the middle...  I guess
that says I love you."

"I'm glad you like it," said Johan.  "But I've also been
thinking that I would prefer to make them to size.  If you want
these, will it be possible for you to get the ladies' sizes?"

"I definitely want them," said Todd.  "Give me till Tuesday.
I'll have the sizes for you by then."

"Very well, Todd.  You want to hear the price now?"  Johan
laughed.

"Not that it makes any difference to me," said Todd, "but I'll
call the bank and have them transfer the funds to you."

"This is what I have in mind, Todd," said Johan.  "This was
your idea.  If I may market the finished design, I shall
discount your price by 30 percent."

"Think you'll sell a lot of them?"  Todd asked.

"I do not think so, but you know what customers can be like.
They will test-drive the expensive Cadillac, and then they will
buy the family sedan.  A perception of quality still counts for
a great deal."

Todd laughed.  "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"And," added Johan, "if you take a picture of it on Kelly's
hand, you know the way I like to display my rings..."

"Yes, a face, a hand and the ring in full focus..." said Todd.

"Then I will take another 20 percent off."

"That's very generous, Johan, but I won't use Kelly or Laura
for that.  I won't commercialize my promise of never ending love
for them."

"I understand.  You know, Todd, you are one of the last real
romantics.  Very well.  I shall make one in cubic zirconium if
you will take the picture yourself on one of your specialty hand
models.  One of the girls you used in the last catalog."

"That I can do for you, Johan.  So, what's the final price?"
Todd said laughing.  "I'll bet you've got the figures right in
front of you!"

It was Johan's turn to laugh.  "Imagine!  Two Dutchmen working
out a price.  No wonder you always get Kelly to do the figures!
That will make it 48 thousand dollars."

"Good deal, Johan!  I'll call the bank now and get the money
sent to you and I'll have the sizes by Tuesday."

"Good luck, Todd, and let me know the wedding date."

"I'll do that, Johan.  Talk to you soon."

Todd disconnected and was about to dial the bank when he saw
the look on Vanetta's face.  She had turned the monitor back so
she could look at the ring sets again.

"Earth calling Vanetta."

Vanetta was just shaking her head, her mouth still open.

"Vanetta, dust is gathering on your tongue," said Todd.

"Oh my..." said Vanetta.  "And you designed this?"

Todd laughed.  "Just the rough idea.  Now I need your help to
come up with an idea on how I can get Kelly and Laura's ring
sizes."

"That's easy," said Vanetta, "take them shopping at the mall.
I'm sure that Cara and Ami will be up for it.  Girls like to
shop.  Then when you pass a good jewelry store, tell them you
want to buy them 'promise rings' and then get them sized
perfectly.  They can't do that while you wait, so you go back by
yourself and pick up the rings and you have the sizes!"

"That's a great idea!  I'm so glad I've got you around to help
me figure these things out, Vanetta.  Does Robert know how lucky
he is to have a girlfriend like you?"

Vanetta thought Todd might have forgotten about Laura's comment
yesterday, but she should have known better.  Todd might see the
world mostly through the camera lens, but that didn't mean he
missed much, either.  "I never said he was my boyfriend," said
Vanetta defensively.

"I saw how you reacted yesterday.  You didn't have to say it,
and you're doing it again now."

"Oh, all right," She sighed, "You win.  I hope he feels lucky,
'cause I know I feel real lucky."

"I'm happy for you, Vanetta.  And if he doesn't know it, I'll
be glad to tell him for you!"

"Don't you dare!" she said laughing.

"Just watch me!" he said with a mischievous wink.

Todd called Debbie at the bank to authorize the transfer from
his personal account.  He hated dealing with life's little
details, which was why he liked Debbie, giving her just the
amount and Johan's name knowing she would take care of the
rest.  Neither Debbie nor the bank minded, as the total of his
business would finance a lot of homes for them.

Todd got off the desk.  "Now I better see how my little
apprentice is doing.  I'll bet she's printed off the rest of the
roll while I was out here on the phone."

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

MaryAnn Meyers was just unlocking her office door when she saw
Kelly.

"My god, Kelly, you look like a wreck," said the doctor.  "Are
you feeling that bad or are your nerves getting to you?"

"She was looking fine this morning," said Laura, "I think she's
worked herself into this condition."

"I'm sorry," said MaryAnn, "and you are?"

"I'm Laura Williams," said Laura, stretching a hand out in
greeting.  "I, ah, sort of live with Kelly."

"Oh.  I see," said MaryAnn, though the expression on her face
said she really didn't.

"She's my lover," said Kelly, absently.

"Oh!  I mean, now I understand.  Er, what happened to Mark?"

"I broke it off with him nearly two months ago," said Kelly.
"I changed, he didn't."

"Well, yes...  I see that," said MaryAnn.  "How about we go
into an exam room and we'll have a good look at you."

"I want Laura to come with me," said Kelly.

"Dr. Myers probably wants to see you alone, Kell," said Laura.

"No, that's okay," said MaryAnn quickly recovering.  "If Kelly
feels more comfortable with you close by, then by all means
please come in, Laura."

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

Cara was writing postcards to her friends back home when Todd
and Ami finished up in the darkroom.  Vanetta poured four
glasses of orange juice as they examined an 8 x 10 glossy of
Cara in all her naked glory.

"This isn't fair," said Cara.  "Who's going to take a picture
of Ami like that for me?"

"I think I can manage that," said Todd, "as long as Ami is
willing."

"Maybe you can take one of the two of us as well," said Ami.
"Like the ones of Kelly and Laura?"

Todd laughed.  "Yeah, I suppose I can do that as well.  We'll
do that at Kelly's one night."  Then his voice got serious.  "I
wonder how Kelly is making out."

"Don't worry about her, Todd," said Vanetta.  "Mom would never
say anything in front of anybody if she thought there was
anything really wrong.  I don't know why mom said anything at
all.  Kelly's the healthiest person I know."

"Yeah, I thought so too, but still..." and he sighed.  He was
seriously worried, and couldn't keep up the façade much longer.
He hadn't prayed in a long time, but under his breath he was
seriously asking for divine intervention on behalf of the woman
he had known and loved for so long when the phone rang.

Vanetta got up to answer it.

"Todd..." she said, "It's Kelly."

Todd picked up the phone, his hand trembling.  "Kelly?"

As Vanetta watched, the blood drained from his face.  "TODD!
What's wrong?!"
He collapsed into the chair and looked at her, white-faced.