CHAPTER 42

   When we got to the showroom it was packed.  Groups of people were
standing outside the door hoping someone had canceled their reservations.
It was kind of neat when the guy at the door pulled the velvet cord aside
and said, "Hello mister Baker, your booth is ready."

   I led us to our booth and motioned for the girls to sit down.  The
booths are in a half-circle, facing the stage.  Each has a table that has
an arc on the backside that matches the contour of the booth and a flat
front.  Dolly grabbed me and pushed me to the center of the booth, and sat
next to me on my left.  Brandy was watching her and slid in on my right. 
The other girls sat down, and without asking, a waiter came over and put
glasses of champagne in front of everyone but me.  Then he sat one that
looked identical to the others in front of me.  I smiled when I tasted it.
Mine was ginger ale.

   The lights dimmed and when Kristen stepped out to introduce Tomaso, one
of the girls whispered, "Jesus, look at her.  She's fucking gorgeous!"

   And she was.  When she stepped back and Tomaso came out, I began
thinking about how I was going to feel when she left on Monday, and I was
starting to feel bad, when something happened to get my mind off her.

   I was sitting with my hands in my lap when the lights dimmed even
further and Tomaso started into his first set.  Suddenly I felt Brandy take
hold of my right wrist.  I looked at her, and she seemed to be watching the
stage, but she moved my hand over and placed it between her legs.  She had
pulled her skirt up and she put my hand directly on her pussy.

   It was like an electric shock went through me.  Not only was her pussy
bare, it was hot, and even a little wet.

   She put her right hand on top of mine so I couldn't take it away, and
reached over with her left and started rubbing the front of my pants.  I
got instantly hard, and she wrapped her hand around it and she looked over
at me.  In the dim light, I could see her eyes were big and she mouthed
"Wow!" as my cock filled her hand.

   All thoughts of anything but her pussy filled my head, and I crooked my
finger and slipped it inside her.  Her body jerked slightly, and I began
pressing my palm on her clit, and searching for her spot with my finger.

   She was facing the stage again, as though nothing was happening, but her
pussy got even wetter.  I pulled my finger out, put it directly on her
clit, and I began massaging it with steadily increasing pressure, until I
felt her body tense.  Then she shuddered slightly, and I could feel wetness
flowing from her.  June was sitting next to her and she must have felt her
shake, because she looked at her and whispered, "Brandy, what's the
matter?"

   Brandy didn't say anything, but June knew something was going on, and
she reached under the table and I felt her touch the back of my hand.  It
was soaked with Brandy's juices, and she felt around for a few seconds. 
Then she brought her hand out and put her fingers in her mouth.

   She giggled, leaned close to Brandy, and I heard her say, "You Bitch,
you started without me."

   We continued watching the show, and Brandy seemed to settle down.  But I
was horny as hell.

   Kristen came on for her final number, and the addition of the back-up
singers, made the production even more complete then before.  I watched her
fly around the stage in the form-fitting body suit, and suddenly I began to
want her very badly.

   She finished the song with an athletic leap and she stopped on the very
front edge the stage.  Tonight's show had her standing there in a shower of
sparks and light, with her chest heaving from the exertion.  She looked so
beautiful and sexy it was dazzling.

   Her applause lasted for at least five minutes, and when Tomaso brought
her out for her final bow, and re-introduced her as Kristen Baker, the
people in the audience began chanting, "Kristen, Kristen, Kristen."

   We were standing and applauding when I looked over at Brandy and Dolly.
Dolly was smiling and applauding enthusiastically, as though she was really
happy for Kristen.  Brandy was applauding as well, but she had a cold look
on her face.

   We worked our way backstage, and Kristen was standing outside her
dressing room, wearing a silky looking robe.  People surrounded her, camera
flashes were going off, and it seemed like everyone was talking all at
once.

   I don't know how she saw us through all the people, but suddenly she
broke through the crowd, ran to me, and threw her arms around me!

   Then a strange thing happened.  I had noticed when we walked up, that
there were two guys standing by themselves, sort of off to the side.  I
figured they were waiting to talk to Kristen.

   When she ran over to me, the crowd started to follow her, but the two
guys stepped away from the wall and stopped everyone.

   Dolly and the girls all started telling Kristen what a great show it was

   She was still very excited and thanked everybody, but she still hung on
tight to me, and the camera flashes started again.  She glanced at them and
then she kissed me.  It was a wonderful kiss and even though I had my eyes
closed, I could "See" the camera flashes multiply into almost solid light.

   When the kiss ended, she turned toward the crowd and stood alongside me
with her arms still around me.  Again, the place lit up with light, and
people started yelling, Hey Kristen, who is he?

   She leaned close and said, "I don't want there to be any doubt that I'm
with you." Then she called out to them, "This is Pete!  He's the love of my
life!"

   Questions about me began flying from the crowd, but Kristen grabbed my
hand, said, "C'mon," to the girls, and started toward a service elevator.
We all piled in, and she took us to a room several floors above the stage.
It was a large room with a meeting table and a bunch of chairs.  When we
went in, Amy and two guys were already there.  The meeting table had trays
of food and drinks, including a big tub full of ice, bottled beer and
several bottles of liquor.  One of the guys was loading more food on from a
cart, while the other one was folding napkins around silverware.  I grabbed
a beer and Kristen said to everyone, "Get something to eat, we'll be right
back," and she took me into an adjoining bedroom.

   She directed me to a chair, and I sat there drinking my beer and enjoyed
watching her wriggling out of the body suit.  I hadn't noticed, but she was
also wearing pantyhose, and just as she began taking them off, Amy came
into the room and began helping her.  The hose were different then I
expected.  They seemed quite thick, and as Amy helped her with them, I
noticed her body was covered with powder.

   Amy saw me looking, and said, "It acts as a lubricant to prevent
chaffing, and helps get things off and on."

   It was interesting watching them together, and I saw something that was
very tender.  When Amy finally pulled the pantyhose completely off, she
began carefully folding them and the body suit together.  Kristen stood up
and sighed, "Boy, it's good to get out of that stuff," and she laid her
hand on Amy's shoulder.

   Kristen was totally naked now, and the touch was very familiar.  But Amy
never even looked at her.  She smiled slightly and continued folding
things.

   Something about the scene touched me deeply.  There was nothing sexual
about Amy's smile or Kristen's touch.  They were like two sisters or old
friends, doing something that needed to be done, and the fact that I was
there as well, felt intimate, and just seemed right.

   Kristen said, "I'm going to jump into the shower for a quick rinse. 
I'll be out in a minute."

   Amy and I went into the other room.  Most of the girls were gathered
around the table, making sandwiches and picking at a veggie plate.

   The tall brunette was talking to one of the guys, and Brandy and Dolly
were standing a few feet away watching them.  When we walked up, Brandy
looked over her shoulder at us, nodded to the tall girl, and said, "Nell's
in action.  What do you want to bet that guy gets laid tonight?"

   Then they both turned to us and Brandy said, "Okay, we don't get it. 
Kristen's last name is not Baker.  Did you guys get married or are you
trying to pull something?"

   The way she said it annoyed me, and I didn't think she deserved an
answer, so I looked at her as coldly as I could and said, "I guess you
don't know as much about her as you thought you did!"

   Her eyes narrowed and she stood staring at me.  Dolly was the one who
broke the silence.  She looked shocked, when she said, "Gee Pete, are you
really married?"

   Suddenly Amy made an odd sort of grunt.  I glanced at her, and it looked
as though she was trying to hide a smile.  She took my arm and said, "Here
comes Kristen," and pulled me away.

   Kristen came in wearing slacks and a high-necked sweater.  She obviously
didn't have a bra on, and her nipples were making wonderful bumps in the
fabric.  The other girls were all over her, congratulating her and saying
how great her singing was.

   Amy and I stood back a little, watching, and I heard her chuckle and
shake her head.

   I said, "What's the laugh about?"

   She was grinning broadly when she said, "Well, Casanova, you did it
again.  Dolly definitely has a crush on you, and even that bitch Brandy
looks like she has the hots for you too Then she sobered a little and said,
"You, uhh, didn't have sex with them did you?"

   "I thought about what happened while we were watching the show, but I
decided that it wasn't sex, at least not on my part.  So I said, "No!  Of
course not!"

   We watched Kristen with the girls, and she was obviously having a good
time.  Even Dolly and Brandy were talking with her, but the conversation
kept coming back to whether she was married, and Kristen kept evading the
issue.

   It was Brandy who broke the mood.  In a loud voice, she said, "Everybody
shut up!"

   Everyone stopped talking and they all looked her.  She said, "All right
Kristen, enough of this bullshit.  Are you and Pete married or not?"

   It only took Kristen a few seconds to get her wits together.  Then she
raised an eyebrow at Brandy, and turned and walked over between Amy and I.

   She put an arm around each of us, and said, "Yes Brandy, we are!" Then
she kissed me on the lips, and turned to Amy and did the same thing!

   Then she said, "I'm officially a member of the Baker family.  The three
of us were married in a beautiful ceremony earlier this week."

   The girls all stood there with their mouths open for a minute, and there
was a kind of uneasy silence.  Finally Brandy said, "You're bull-shitting
us, right?"

   Kristen responded with, "No Brandy, I'm saying that it's none of your
damn business!"

   Brandy's eyes flashed for a second, then she walked slowly over to me
and reached into my pocket.  She pulled out her balled-up panties and shook
them out so there would be no mistake as to what they were, and she said,
"Well then, I guess I better take these back." And she turned, and walked
over to where the girls were standing.

   Things got quiet and both Kristen and Amy turned to me.  Amy's face was
expressionless, but I could tell she was disappointed.  Kristen looked at
me for a few seconds, then she looked at the ground.

   I started to stutter out an explanation, but before I could, a nearby
phone started ringing.  One of the servers picked it up and after a few
seconds, he said, "Miss Baker, it's one of the guards and he wants to speak
with you."

   Kristen remained staring at the ground for a minute, then she took the
phone.  She said, "Yes?" And in a few seconds her eyes got big as saucers,
and she said, "Uhh, sure.  Send him in."

   She turned to Amy and said, "You're not gonna believe this."

   The door opened and in came Big Joe Little, the leader of the "Big
Little Band," currently the hottest rock and roll group in the country.

   "Big Joe." Has been on the cover of every magazine, and his band has
sold millions of records.  He's famous for two things, his wild antics on
stage, and his success with women.  He's been linked with some of the most,
high-profile women in Hollywood, and is supposed to be currently living
with two sisters who are the daughters of an oil tycoon.

   Joe is about twenty-five years old.  He's about five-ten, and has a
little-boy smile.  I thought he looked kind of stupid, with his waist
length hair and open front shirt, but obviously the girls thought
otherwise, because they all ran to him and started talking.  Kristen and
Amy were still standing next to me, and when he saw Kristen, he came over,
stuck out his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Joe."

   Kristen automatically shook his hand, and I could tell she was excited
and impressed.  It took her a few seconds to answer, then she said, "Uhh,
Hi, I'm Kristen."

   He was still holding her hand, and he said, "I just caught your show;
you're terrific!  A bunch of us are getting together at the MGM Grand.  Why
don't you join us?"

   A stunned Kristen asked, "Who's going to be there?"

   He rattled off half of the headliners on the strip.  Then he said, "A
lot of the people were working the holidays, and they'll be leaving after
tomorrow's shows.  Why don't you come by?  You know most of them, and
they'll be glad to see you."

   I'm pretty sure he was aware that she didn't know these people at all,
but he made it sound like she did, and his ploy worked.  I could tell how
excited she was when she said, "Uhh, sure, Amy and I will be there in a
little while."

   He turned to Amy, flashed his big smile, and said, "Hi, you must be Amy.
I'm Joe Little."

   Amy had been watching Joe as he was charming Kristen, so she was a
little more prepared.  She raised her eyebrows a little and said, "Hello
Mister Little.  I'm Amy Baker.  Are you a singer as well?"

   She knew full well who he was, and I'm sure he knew that she knew.  But
he was gracious, and nodding toward Kristen, he said, "Yes, but I'm not
nearly as good as she is."

   Then he looked at me and said, "Hi, I'm Joe Little."

   We shook hands, and I said, "I'm Pete Baker."

   I have to admit I was excited to meet him.  Between Erin and I, we had
every record he made, and I had seen his face on TV and in the newspaper a
million times.  He looked at Kristen, then back at me and said, "You're
Kristen's brother?"

   I looked at Kristen and she had been watching me.  As soon as I glanced
at her she looked away and stared at the ground.  The excitement of Joe
Little coming in had made me forget that Kristen still thought I had slept
with brandy.  But I remembered now, and I really didn't know what she
wanted me to say, so I just looked back Joe Little, and said, "No."

   He looked confused, and was about to say something, when Amy broke in
and said, "We'll meet you there.  Where exactly is it?"

   He told her, then he looked at Kristen and me with a curious expression,
and said, "Okay, I'll see you in a little while."

   The minute he left, all the girls except Dolly and Brandy, came rushing
over and started talking to Kristen about how they couldn't believe what
just happened.  Then they began pleading with her to take them along to the
party.  Finally Amy stepped in and told them that it was private, and that
it wasn't her place to invite extra people.  Then she and thanked them for
coming.  and herded them out the door.

   Brandy and Dolly were the last to leave.  Brandy was obviously still
peeved at Kristen and what had just gone on.  She stopped at the door and
was about to say something, when Amy stepped in front of her, leaned close,
and whispered something.

   Brandy scowled, then she looked Amy up and down.  She seemed to make up
her mind about something, and she said to Dolly, "Uhh, c'mon, let's get out
of here.  And they left.

   I heard Kristen laugh, and she said to Amy, "You told her to shut up and
leave, or you would kick her ass, right?"

   Amy grinned, and winked.

   Kristen looked at me for a minute, then she went to the table and made
herself a sandwich.  Amy and I followed and did the same, and I grabbed
another beer.  Then Kristen said, "C'mon Amy, let's change clothes and go
to a party."

   The girls took their sandwiches and headed for the elevator.  It was
obvious that I wasn't invited, and I was a little taken aback.  I started
to go after them and explain what really went on between Brandy and I.  But
I got an attack of stubbornness, and just let them go.

   I was sitting in a chair finishing my sandwich when Nell, the tall
brunette came in.  She headed for the server and I watched her as she
walked by.

   She's very attractive, in a wild, sort of Raquel Welsh kind of way. 
When she got to him, she towered over him, and I guessed she must be six
feet in her stocking feet.  I was thinking that it was a shame that she had
such a rotten attitude, when she looked over and saw me.

   She came over and said, "What happened, you get dumped?"

   She was actually right, and I was a little peeved about it.  But the way
she said it was annoying, so I didn't answer her right away.  I looked at
her for a minute, then I thought, "What the hell," and I said, "Get you a
beer and sit down.  I want you to tell me why you're such a pain in the
ass."

   She raised one eyebrow, and I thought a saw a little smile start to
form.

   Then she went to the table and picked up three beers.  She came back and
put one of the beers down next to me, then she reached over with one of the
remaining beers and said, "Open it."

   I didn't take it from her; I just sat there.  Finally I said, "If you're
big enough to drink it you're big enough to open it."

   I saw the little smile again, and she twisted off the cap and downed at
least three quarters of the bottle.

   Just then the server she had been talking with; came over behind her and
whispered something to her.  She didn't even look at him.  She said, "Maybe
another time." He looked at me, shrugged, motioned for the other guy to
follow him, and they both left.

   I finished my beer about the same time she did, and we cracked open the
other two.  Then we started talking.

   She soon dropped the attitude, and we were beginning to enjoy ourselves.
At one point I told a joke, and she laughed, leaned toward me and put her
hand on my arm.  Just then the door opened and Kristen came in.

   She saw me first and said, "I wondered where you were, and I --" Then
she saw Nell's hand on my arm.

   She frowned and said, "I'll be late!" And she turned and left.

   We didn't say anything for a few minutes, then Nell said, "I think your
wife is pissed at you."

   I didn't answer her, I just sat looking at the walls drinking beer and
thinking about what I was going to do about Kristen.  I had almost
forgotten about Nell being there, when she said, "This room is boring. 
Grab some beers and come with me."

   I picked up four beers and she grabbed two more and a bottle of liquor,
and I followed her to an elevator.  We got off on the floor above ours and
she led me to a room at the end of the hall.  She opened the door, and when
we went in, the room was dark, but the windows faced the strip and the
millions of lights that help make Las Vegas the magical place that it is.

   She pointed to the couch and said, "Put your feet up."

   I slipped off my shoes and sat on the couch.  She sat in a large chair
next to me.

   We didn't talk much, it was as though the lights hypnotized us.  When we
did talk, and if the conversation got personal, she would always turn it
around so that it was about me, or my relationship with Kristen.  And even
then, she wasn't prying, or after details.  It was as though she just
didn't want to talk about herself.  The only information I got from her
was, surprisingly, that she lived in Hollywood, not to far from my house.
It was very comfortable just sitting there watching the street and drinking
beer.  I may even have dozed off a couple times.  All I know is that she
got up to go to the bathroom and when she turned the light on, I noticed
the beer was gone and the room seemed to be moving around.  I had to look
at my watch several times before I could focus enough to see that it was
after four in the morning.  I stood up and the room did a couple more
turns, so I reached for the arm of the couch to steady myself, and a voice
behind me said, "Are you okay?"

   She had just stepped out of the bathroom, and was silhouetted by the
light.  I hadn't noticed before just how shapely she was.  Her tall body
almost filled the doorway and the light from the bathroom streamed through
her hair and made a halo around her head.

   For a second I wondered what it would be like seeing her naked.  But I
was beginning to worry about Kristen, and how much trouble I'd be in if she
came home and I wasn't there.

   So I said, "Yeah, I'm fine, but it's late.  I'd better go."

   She walked over to me, put her hand on my arm, and said, "Thanks for
coming by."

   She was wearing shoes and I hadn't put mine on yet on yet.  It was
unusual to look at a girl whose eyes were almost level with mine, and I
suddenly had an urge to kiss her.  I think she was thinking along those
same lines, but at the last minute, she turned away and went to the door.
She waited until I slipped my shoes on, then she opened the door and held
it for me.

   I thought about her on the way back to the room.  This was a rich,
high-powered crowd.  I wondered where she came from and how she belonged.

   When I got to the room it was empty.  At first I was angry, then I was
both worried and jealous.  I splashed some water on my face, brushed my
teeth, and I lay on the bed to wait.

   The next thing I knew it was almost eleven the next morning.  I was
alone, I had a terrible headache, and Kristen wasn't there.  I took a long
shower, but it didn't help much.  I needed some aspirin and for the first
time that I could remember, I wanted some coffee.

   I stopped by Mom's room, but there was no answer.  So I went down to
have some breakfast.  On the way, I stopped at a stand and bought some
aspirin, and as I was standing at the counter, a strange thought occurred
to me.  I was seventeen years old, I had a hangover, and this was the first
time I had ever bought any kind of medication for myself.  Suddenly I felt
alone.  Is this what it was like to be a grown-up?

   I went into the buffet and looked around.  Nothing seemed appetizing, so
I got some coffee and a bowl of corn flakes.  I sat down at a table and it
suddenly hit me that Kristen had left last night to meet a world famous
womanizer, and had never come home.  Come to think of it, Amy wasn't around
either.  Could they both be with him and his friends?  I didn't remember
being really jealous before, and I didn't like it!

   Now, neither the coffee or the corn flakes tasted right, and I began to
feel even worse.

   I was sitting there feeling sorry for myself, when I looked up and saw
Kate.  She was apparently looking for someone, and when she saw me she came
over and sat down.

   "Have you seen Ben?  He was supposed to meet me here for lunch."

   "No."

   "What's the matter?  You look awful."

   "I, uhh, guess I drank a little too much last night."

   "Tsk, tsk, tsk, shame on you.  How's Kristen feeling?"

   "I don't know.  She went to a party last night and never came home."

   She raised her eyebrows, stared at me and said, "That doesn't sound like
her.  Did you do something to make her angry?"

   I shrugged, "Not really, but she thinks I did."

   She put her hand on my arm and said, "I'm sorry that you're having
problems." Then she looked at me for a long minute, and said, "Pete, do you
miss me?"

   I stared at her for a minute, and last summer flashed before me.  I have
been with Kate more than any other woman or girl, but she's still a fantasy
to me.  She taught me about sex, and she taught how to make love to a
woman. But I find it difficult to think of Kate, because it's confusing. 
It bothers me because I still can't believe what went on between us.  Those
nights in her bedroom, and in Scottsdale always seem to be something that
happened in my imagination.  I remember vividly what went on between Sylvia
and I, but when I try to think of Kate, it's as though it's a dream.

   These thoughts a more were going through my head, and I took her hands
and said, "Yes, I miss you."

   We were sitting that way when suddenly she let go of my hands.  A second
later I heard Ben say, "Hi guys, what's going on?"

   Kate said, "Our boy here has a hangover.  You have a miracle cure for
those don't you?"

   He grinned, looked down at me, and said, "First one?"

   When I nodded, he said, "No problem, I'll be right back." And he went to
the buffet table.

   Kate leaned close and said, "You're turning into a man.  Be a good one,
and always remember that I love you."

   Ben returned with some concoction in a big glass and handed it to me. 
It tasted like tomato juice from Hell, but I forced it down, and in a
little while I actually began to feel better.  Ben and Kate got some lunch,
and I was working on a sandwich, when Mom came in and sat down with us.

   I was anxious about Kristen, but I held off asking Mom if she knew where
she was because I was afraid of what she might say, until I couldn't stand
it any more, and I asked, "Have you, uhh, seen Kristen?"

   Mom looked at me for a minute, and finally she grinned and said, "You
live a charmed life young man.

   After that stunt Brandy pulled with her panties, Kristen was very angry.
But Amy convinced her to give you another chance.  Then when she went
looking for you to invite you to come to the party with her, she found you
with another girl.  She and Amy went to the party, but they came back about
two-thirty, and you were no-where to be found.  So Kristen came to our
room, and the girls sat up talking about you until they heard you come in
this morning.  I told Kristen to stay with us and let you worry about where
she was.  But after a few minutes she went to your room.  She came right
back and said the whole room smelled like a brewery, and you were asleep.
So she and Amy sat up the rest of the night and Amy held her while she
cried.

   We finally got to nap a little, but about an hour ago we came down to
get some breakfast and we ran into Bonnie, Brandy and Nell.  They told us
what really happened, but thanks to you, none of us got much sleep last
night.

   Amy and Kristen went up to wake you a few minutes ago, but they
obviously missed you.  They are probably up there trying to catch a few
winks."

   Suddenly I felt a lot better.  I wolfed down the rest of my sandwich and
was about to run to the elevator, when Mom made a gasping noise and doubled
over.  

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