Chapter 21: The measuring party

Chase came through the door asking who the older woman was that I'd offered to introduce him to. There was urgent excitement in his voice that I was not accustomed to hearing. A few weeks ago, we'd been strangers. Now, after forming a partnership to head two study teams, we were becoming well acquainted. His demeanor was usually calm, with an air of self confidence. On this night he was relying on me. I told him that I would look for her card and see if I could reach her.

Together, we returned the calls from our teammates, and scheduled them to come by the apartment in fifteen-minute intervals.

"Describe her to me," Chase said when we'd finished making the calls to the other nine members of our team. Hearing the exhilaration in his voice at the prospects of his meeting an older woman, I went in search of the business card.

"I'd say she's five feet, five inches, one hundred and twelve pounds, bleaches her short hair, wears a C-cup bra, paints her toenails, has a tiny birthmark on her left jaw, which she tries to hide with touch-up paint, shaves her pussy, but leaves some of the hair under her arms, was married briefly, no children, hates condoms..."

"Shaves her pussy?" Chase asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, do you still want to meet her?" I asked, already dialing the number on the card.

"Is any of that true?" he asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

"I don't know. She was wearing a coat and gloves the day she was here, but she was definitely cute," I said as I heard a female's voice answer the rental car line. Caroline Ruidoso was not working. I explained that she had offered to find a larger rental car for me. The voice at the other end of the line took my name and number, and said she would leave a message for Ms. Ruidoso.

"She'll call me tomorrow," I said to Chase, and watched the excitement I'd seen earlier drain from his face.

While we were waiting for the first team member to arrive, we discussed a few business issues.

"We can afford three more samples so all the sales people have one," he said, and I agreed to order them.

"Did you pay your friend for the three samples she loaned us?" he asked, and again, I told him I would take care of paying Laura.

"We're doing well, but this is make-it or break-it time," he said.

It was Sunday, December 13, 1992. We had eight more days of school before Christmas vacation.

"We'll need to let everyone know that next Friday is the last day we can accept orders before the break," I said.

"We're out of flyers. Should we have more printed?" he asked.

"They seem to be effective, but not at twenty-five cents each. Give me the artwork, and I'll run some off at the school for ten cents per page."

Chase said he had the folder in his car, and was on his way downstairs to get it for me when the first team member arrived.

I set up shop at the folding tables to receive their new orders and to collect the payment. We soon discovered that fifteen minutes was not enough time to conduct business with each sales person. Chase helped out by serving Cokes to the new arrivals to keep them contented while they waited their turn.

I added two bracelets to Casey's orders, one for Kelley, and one for Megan. Kalian was with him, but I don't believe she noticed Casey's grin when he saw his sales count climb from thirteen to fifteen bracelets.

The phone rang and Kalian ran to answer it. "Sammy, it's Caroline. She wants to know if a Pontiac will be okay," Kalian yelled from the study.

"Yes!" Chase said before I had a chance to ask the model or the color of the replacement car. I told Kalian to tell Caroline that a Pontiac would be fine. What the hell, it would only be a few days until my car was repaired.

"She'll be here with the car in thirty minutes," Kalian said, when she returned to the front room.

Chase gave me a thumbs-up, and offered to help with the collection of new orders. I guess he wanted to move the line along so everyone would be cleared out of the apartment when Caroline arrived. He couldn't get rid of Casey and Kalian though. She wanted to stick around and see what the fuss was about.

I was accepting new orders from our last team member, Ester May Corinth, when Caroline rang the doorbell. Chase rushed to the door to let her in.

"You did very well," I said to Ester May, who'd turned up her nose and said she didn't want to be involved with the Hip Hugger project the first time she's heard my idea.

She smiled, sheepishly. "It wasn't as distasteful as I thought it would be."

I looked up at Caroline, who was dangling the keys to the Pontiac on her finger. "I didn't expect you to deliver the replacement rental so fast, Caroline. Thanks for coming out on a cold December night."

"It's just part of our service," she said, coming closer to the table. Chase was right behind her.

I got up and extended my hand. She placed her gloved hand in mine, and then handed me the keys. She was wearing the same coat I'd seen the first time we'd met, but instead of slacks, I could tell that her legs were covered with dark stockings.

I introduced Ester May first because our business was finished, and I expected her to leave soon. I was wrong. Ester May said hello to Caroline and remained in her seat.

"This is my friend, Casey, and his girlfriend, Kalian," I said, and watched the couple exchange pleasantries with Caroline.

"And the handsome fellow behind you is my friend, Mac," I said, realizing immediately that I'd called him by the forbidden nickname. Caroline turned, and they shook hands.

"Caroline, I hope you're not in a hurry. I need to make a bank deposit," I said, apologetically.

Caroline told me she was not in a rush, and I saw Chase's smile of approval at the way I'd detained her from leaving.

Casey offered to help me tally the sales totals. I counted the checks and cash from each sales person, and he double-checked my counts.

I overheard Chase ask Caroline if she would like a Coke, and her say she would. She followed him to the kitchen, and when they came back, they both had a beer in their hand.

"Would anyone like something to eat?" I asked. I didn't know what was available in the refrigerator, but I knew I was hungry.

Kalian volunteered to check my refrigerator to see what was there, and Ester May followed her into the kitchen.

"What's going on here? You guys aren't in the drug business, are you?" Caroline asked, making her last question sound like a joke. We laughed.

"It's a class project. Mac's our company president. Explain what we're doing," I suggested, speaking to him.

He invited her to sit down at the other folding table. Caroline removed her coat. I stopped counting receipts long enough to see that she was wearing a short skirt and a sweater. That's when I revised my estimation of her dimensions. Five-five was correct, as was C-cup, but her weight was more like one hundred and fifteen pounds. It was impossible to know if she let the hair grow under her arms, if she painted her toenails, if she disliked condoms, or if she shaved her pussy. As she took her seat, she made sure I could see the seams in the dark stockings.

Chase took the seat next to Caroline and was showing her the two photos from the artwork folder.

Casey offered to take our deposit to the bank drop-box. I told him to avoid being mugged and sent him on his way.

I went to my study to send the new orders to Laura's store. She wouldn't see the faxes until the next morning, but I knew she would need all the time she could get to fill the orders.

When I got back to the living room I noticed that Caroline and Chase were on their second beer.

"Is this your girlfriend, Sammy?" Caroline asked, holding up the photo of Megan's tummy with my cheek practically touching it.

"Megan's my friend," I said.

"His girlfriend was here for the weekend," Chase was quick to add. Caroline looked at him, and then at me. I smiled, happy that Chase had set her straight about my status.

Kalian came in with a platter of sandwiches. Ester May followed with paper plates and a bag of chips.

"I'm going to open a bottle of wine. Shall I bring glasses for you?" I asked, looking to both girls for an answer. Kalian said she would have wine. Ester May couldn't decide.

Casey came in, saying that he'd managed to make it to the bank and back without being mugged. He seemed surprised to see the sandwiches and everyone seated at the tables.

I checked the refrigerator and discovered there were only six beers left from my Friday night party. I opened a bottle of Merlot and took four juice glasses back to the table with me. Everyone had a sandwich. I poured wine into all four glasses. Ester May grinned at me as she accepted one of the glasses.

Kalian saw me remove the top slice of bread from my sandwich. "You didn't know you had corned beef and provolone cheese?" she asked.

"Victor does some of the shopping. I never know what he's going to buy," I explained, failing to mention that it was Gladys who made the selections.

I was starting my second sandwich when I saw Chase go to the kitchen to get two more beers. I refilled the wine glasses.

"Sammy, Mac tells me the Hip Hugger was your idea. Did you measure your girlfriend?" Caroline asked me.

"Yes, I did."

"How about you, Kalian? Did your boyfriend measure you?"

Kalian drained the small glass before answering. "Yes, he measured me several times," she said, looking adoringly at Casey.

"And you, Ester May?" Caroline asked the timid girl.

Ester May didn't respond to Caroline's question. I went to the kitchen for another bottle of wine, and when I came back, Caroline had something to say to me.

"Sammy, I believe Ester May wants you to measure her."

"I didn't say that," Ester May shot back, surprising me with her absolute refusal to entertain the idea.

Caroline was relentless. "I'm sure that's not what you were saying when Sammy was in the kitchen."

I poured wine in the four glasses, and watched Ester May tip her glass back, draining it, and then wiping her lips. "Only if you go first," she said to no one in particular, but was clearly daring Caroline to be measured for a Hip Hugger.

I resumed eating my second sandwich while Caroline studied the photos of Megan's belly. "What was she wearing?" she asked.

Chase quickly described the tank top, shorts, stockings, and white sneakers to Caroline.

"Megan loaned that outfit to Kelley. It may still be in the closet. Would you like for me to check to see if it's still there?" I asked, remembering that I'd seen the items in my closet.

Seeing that she was considering Ester May's dare, I headed for my bedroom without waiting for her to decide. I'd found a bag containing the tank top, measuring tape, shorts, and stockings, when I heard her set her empty bottle on the dresser.

"Is that Kelley?" she asked, looking at the picture of us at the Seattle groundbreaking ceremony.

"Yes, that was taken last summer," I said.

"May I have another beer?" she asked.

I emptied the bag on my bed and took the empty bottle to the kitchen. When I returned, she had her sweater off, and was pulling the tank top over her head.

"Ah," I said, stopping her from pulling it all the way down. Her tummy was not flat like Kelley's twenty-five inch or Megan's twenty-six inch waist.

She looked at me.

"They didn't wear a bra," I said, setting the beer on the dresser for her.

"Did they wear panties?" she asked.

"I don't know about Megan, but Kelley didn't," I said, heading to the closet to find a pair of Kelley's sneakers for her to wear.

It only took me seconds to find the sneakers. I placed them on the bed. She had removed the tank top and was taking a drink from the bottle.

"Look, Caroline, as you can see, I've had my fun measuring Megan and Kelley. I'd like for you to let Mac measure you, okay?"

She set her beer on the dresser and approached me. Her bra was cut low, barely covering her nipples. She looked at me for a few seconds, reached up to run her finger over the indention in my left cheek, and smiled. "I'll bet you did have your fun with them. Are you suggesting that Mac have fun with me?"

"Yes," I said, tearing my eyes from her breasts to look directly into her eyes.

She smiled, knowingly. "On one condition," she said.

"Sure, what's your pleasure?" I asked.

"That you measure that little tight-assed dweeb."

I saw resolve in her eyes. She waited for me to agree to her terms, like she would wait for a customer to decide if he wanted to take the auto insurance she offered. I could see that she did a good job for the rental company.

"I'll do it," I said, and saw that she was already removing her bra before I left the room.

"What happened?" Chase wanted to know, when I returned to the tables. I would have liked to have had another sandwich, but Kalian had removed the platter from the table. The wine bottle was empty.

"She wants you to measure her," I said, as I went to the kitchen to get a third bottle of wine.

Kalian said she only wanted a half glass, but Casey and Ester May didn't stop me, so I filled their glasses. I poured my glass half-way. Chase went to the refrigerator for another beer.

I could see immediately that Kelley's shoes were too small for Caroline's feet and there was a bulge at her waistline, suggesting that Megan's shorts would not quite close. The material of the tank top was thin, yet flexible. Her nipples stood out, stretching the material to a threadbare state.

Caroline hadn't attempted to draw her hair into a ponytail. It was too short. Instead, she had wrapped the measuring tape around a few strands, letting the ends of the tape dangle.

I clapped my hands together to show my appreciation for her unabashed recklessness. Others joined in the clapping, probably for different reasons than mine. Caroline handed me an empty beer bottle, and I went to the kitchen to get her a full one.

When I returned, Caroline was standing at attention, and Chase was already claiming the measuring tape from her hair. I gave her the beer, and settled down to watch the show. Chase was unsteady on his feet as he dropped to his knees. He peered at her tummy, and slowly encircled her waist with the tape. Caroline gazed down at him through slightly amused, yet sultry eyes.

Chase held the tape in both hands, moving it back and forth across Caroline's ass. They grinned at each other. This girl was no stranger to accepting dares, and Chase had consumed enough beer to bring out his wild side. She rolled the end of the tank top upward until her belly button was visible.

I believe I was the only one that noticed that her belt was doing its best to make Megan's shorts close at the waist. Everyone else was transfixed by the way she slowly rolled the thin material of the tank top upward to expose three, then four inches of her bare skin.

Chase had seen me blow on Megan's tummy, and he duplicated my act, sending Caroline into exaggerated ecstasy. She handed her beer to the nearest person, Kalian, and clutched Chase's head, drawing his lips to her tummy.

Chase had consumed enough beer to make him throw caution to the wind. He put his arms around Caroline's legs, and lowered her to the floor. The four of us watched as he took the end of the tank top between his teeth, and raised it until her breasts were exposed.

Caroline, who'd had one more beer than Chase, raised her head and watched him devour her breasts, not just her nipples. He first tried to get her entire left breast into his mouth. Failing that, he tried to do the same with her right breast.

That's when I decided no one was driving, and tried to make plans for sleeping arrangements. Kalian, God bless her, must have had a similar idea to mine. I saw her take Casey by the hand and lead him to the closet where the air mattresses and sleeping bags were stored. She got him busy pumping up the air mattresses, and came back to the tables to take Ester May by the hand.

Ester May was reluctant to go. Like me, she wanted to stay and watch the couple dry humping on the floor. Their mouths were joined like the two suction devices I'd seen attached to a sheet of glass as a crane lifted it to the fifth floor of a building.

The next time I looked up, Kalian and Ester May were pushing the hammock into my bedroom.

Kalian returned to the living room to find Chase working Megan's shorts down Caroline's legs. I was gratified to see that two of my descriptions of Caroline were correct: there was a snippet of hair growing under her arms, and her pussy was shaved, nearly bald.

"Sammy, do you have blankets for everyone?" Kalian asked.

Reluctantly, I left the couple wallowing on the floor, and went to my room to find Ester May straining to remove her boots. She looked at me through bleary eyes, but didn't say anything. I found three blankets, tossed one in the direction of the hammock, and returned to the living room where Kalian was urging the couple to, "Move it to Sammy's study!"

I gave Kalian a blanket, and walked to the entrance to my study where Casey was arranging a sleeping bag on top of an air mattress. I tossed the third blanket in the direction of the air mattress and went to my room.

Sometime during the night I awoke, needing to piss. I was half-way to the bathroom when I realized that I'd had to climb over Ester May in order to get out of bed, and that I'd tripped over my shoes. After relieving myself, I splashed cold water on my face, and started back to bed.

Casey and Kalian were draped in each other's arms, half in, half out of the sleeping bag, naked. The blanket had been kicked off. I covered them with it, and went to the door of my study to see if Chase and Caroline required the same service. They did.

Clothing was strewn around the sleeping bag. Caroline's pussy glistened in the dim light. She cradled Chase's head against her breast. She opened her eyes and grinned at me when I spread the blanket on top of them.

I took off my sweater, jeans, and socks before getting back into bed. I was tired, sleepy and my head hurt, but I couldn't help but wonder if any of us would remember this night the next morning.

I woke up to hear the shower running, the smell of coffee being brewed, and the feel of Ester May's bare leg against mine. I got out of bed and found my jeans, and sweater on the floor. As I headed for the kitchen, I saw Chase sprawled on top of the sleeping bag, and Casey in a similar position on the other sleeping bag.