101: Céleste

"You've collected a lot of data, Brian," Dr. Z said at our meeting on Wednesday. "But I'm not seeing your results. So far, this is a report on what your researcher has done. I'm impressed by that, by the way. She's really very good."

"Donna is preparing her dissertation based on the methodology she used for this," I said. "It's unique and her advisors say she has broken new ground."

"But what is your conclusion? Your thesis?" Dr. Z persisted.

"This might actually be the only place where trickle-down economics actually works," I laughed. He nodded. "There is a hierarchy in the audience levels that makes it difficult for producers to fix a target. I'll start with the initial premise. We chose guests that would appeal to our live audience of college level women. The college level women preferred successful young professionals over peers, especially if they were graduates of their school or members of their sorority. They were lukewarm when it came to older or unrelated professionals, even when that professional was presenting on a topic the audience said was highly interesting. The television audience for these shows fell into a completely different profile. It showed the viewers were largely seventeen to twenty-year-olds who were either in high school or recently graduated, but were not in college. Donna's surveys showed that these young women held the sorority girls up as role models. They were interested in this topic; therefore, the TV audience would be interested. On the other hand, surveys showed that college sororities who were the target live audience, weren't interested in watching individual shows that featured members of other sororities or students of other universities."

"You made a shift and started doing more shows for younger live audiences. What was the result?" Dr. Z asked.

"Not quite what we expected," I chuckled. "When we started featuring younger audiences, we started drawing more young males to the viewership. It wasn't that they were interested in the topics at all. They were interested in the young women in the audience. The women in the audience were interested in women who were in college and to some extent in women who had chosen not to go to college, but were making it in the real world."

"So how does that affect the plan going forward?"

"We believe that we can get an effective blend of audiences through the new ticketed attendance model that we tested in Chicago. Our presales show mostly group sales, but the independent sales seem to be pretty mixed as far as age and sex go."

"Write it."

September eleventh was our launch date and it was going to be a huge blast for everyone, especially CEN and Lockhurst Media. But we had so much to prepare. We'd be a week earlier than most major networks launching their new seasons. We'd always started the season on Labor Day, but that meant both working on a holiday and trying to draw an audience on a holiday. Delaying a week should have us in the heart of things. We'd launch the new Young Cooking with Chef Rees, Chick Chat and XX/XY. The Sunday weekly shows were pre-recorded and did not have a live audience, so they were already in production. Maggie, Jess, Joanne, and Amy were on the road the last week of August. They'd be back briefly for the weekend festivities and then would be gone again.

We started rehearsing and taping the first episode of Fashion Week, too. The whole show was scripted and it was different for Amber to work without an audience. It took a few tries to make it all look like she was being spontaneous, but as soon as Amber connected with the camera, things came to life. Since we weren't using the studio for Chick Chat, Carl and Doug worked to put together a new set for the fashion show. We had plenty of materials because the seating for the audience was removed and we repositioned things to have a raised platform for the models to enter on.

We'd have our bonfire and adoption on Saturday, but before that I had an important date on Friday night.

"Happy birthday, Angela," I whispered. She'd just walked through the door and was still wearing her scrubs. Her mom had given me run of the house, but had to leave before Angela got home to start her own shift at the hospital. I'd baked a cake and lit the candle when I heard Angela's car pull in the driveway.

"Oh! Brian! Is this a surprise party?" she squeaked.

"Just for us, dear." I hugged her to me.

"I miss you," she cried. "I miss everyone. I don't even see my mother most of the time. This is so hard!"

I led her to the sofa and she dropped her books along the way. She collapsed in my arms and sobbed softly.

"I'm sorry. You came to celebrate and here I am a weepy mess. I'm so tired!"

"This isn't about what I came to do, sweetheart. It's all about you. What can I do to help make this a happy birthday for you?"

"Wash me, feed me, and put me to sleep?" she said hesitantly.

"Blow out your candles," I said. She looked at the cake on the table. Only three candles were still burning, the other twenty-one having melted into the frosting. She blew out the remaining candles.

"You win! Your wish is my command."

I led her to the bathroom and ran the tub while I helped her out of her scrubs. She was wearing a t-shirt, bra, white granny-panties, and white crew socks. I removed the socks as she sat on the stool and lifted the t-shirt over her head. Angela sighed. She just let me undress her and baby her. When I unfastened her bra she moaned.

"Oh! It feels so good to get out of that industrial strength armor. You can't imagine!"

"I've never seen you in so many clothes," I laughed. She stood so I could slide her panties down and held my hand as she stepped into the tub.

"It's policy," she said. "The young doctors are bad enough. The patients are even worse. Never dress in a way that could remotely be considered an invitation to inappropriate behavior."

"You've been molested?"

"Not overtly. Always something that could be considered an accidental touch. I hardly notice it if it's my boobs. That's why the heavy armor. I refuse to wear a girdle, so I occasionally feel a pat on my butt or a little squeeze," she said.

"Geez! It sounds as bad as television."

"Don't tell me. You've been molested on TV?"

"You wouldn't believe it."

"Those sorority sluts!"

"The high school girls are worse. Rose almost went ballistic in Fort Wayne. Cassie and Dani just hover beside me and gently remove wandering hands. I'm never alone with an audience member or guest."

"Oh, god! What do you do?"

"I usually go back to the hotel room and make love to one or more of my cónyuge."

"Aren't you just frustrated that you can't reach out and pinch the nipples of one of those cute high school girls? Maybe she's a virgin and wants to remedy the situation. You could have a side business going," Angela laughed.

"And what could possibly be better than what I'm doing now?" I asked as I soaped her breasts and squeezed her nipples.

"That's nice. I feel so relaxed. Maybe I should go to sleep now."

"Food first. It's in the oven."

"I love you, Brian."

I spent the night holding Angela in my arms. That's how her mom found us in the morning. I let Angela sleep and joined her mom for coffee.

"Twelve on, eight off, all weekend," Dinita said. "I might need you to hold me like that so I can sleep."

"Do you have difficulty with that?" I asked. I'd become so used to seeing Dinita with nothing on at the ranch that our nudity this morning was almost unnoticed. Almost. Dinita is a fine figure of a woman. Fine.

"No. As soon as I get the armor off and have my tea, I'm off to sleep. Which is right about now. I'm going to go curl up next to my daughter so when she wakes up she at least knows her mother was here."

"Take care of her, Dinita. We miss her so much."

"Just four more years," Dinita sighed.

At the bonfire Saturday night, we welcomed our five new clan members. There were no other adoptions or really much in the way of announcements. We were all in our summer weight house gis and tied white belts around each of their waists.

Rees and Laurie were standing near me. They looked very nervous but I couldn't really see any reason for it. Everyone else was relaxed and people were toasting marshmallows over the coals.

"Brian?" Rees whispered to me. "When are we supposed to get naked? The suspense is killing me." I looked at her with my mouth open.

"Um ... We don't require that anyone get naked just because they are in the clan, Rees.

"But Pam said..."

"I think I'm going to spank Pam," I growled. She heard her name and possibly the threat. She turned to focus on me. TK had come out to the ranch for the fire and Pam grabbed her hand as she stalked up to me.

"You better be prepared to do more if you spank me, Patrón. It makes me horny." With that, she untied her belt and dropped her gi to the ground. The pants followed quickly. TK wasn't a second behind her.

"Yes!" Rees whispered. In another second her gi was off and for the first time I saw my young protégé naked. Oh, fuck! The rest of the dorm residents were naked in no time. It didn't take much to encourage Amber, April, or Nancy to join in and I think Monte, Ross, and Rich ran around naked upstairs just because they didn't want to do laundry. It took a couple minutes before Bob, Eric, and Brett dropped their gis. All three of them were sporting serious wood. I heard Rose's laughter and my casa all came toward me, stripping off their gis.

"Don't be the last one to the party, Brian," Rose admonished as she gave me a hug and subtly started to untie my belt. "It was their request," she whispered in my ear. "They've been listening to the stories all summer and won't consider themselves a part of the clan unless everyone is naked."

I shook my head. Well, if I could hold Rose's naked body next to me and take a good look at Rees and Laurie, I was all for it.

Liz crawled into my lap Sunday morning as I was reading the paper in the big chair. None of us had dressed since the bonfire last night and it didn't really look like any of us would dress for the rest of the weekend if we could help it. Amazingly, no parents were expected this weekend.

"We don't feel good," Liz complained. I petted the full round baby bump and felt our little one move and kick. "And she's making it worse with all the kicking. I think I ate something that disagreed with her last night. I've had an upset tummy all morning and the world's stinkiest diarrhea. I'm sorry if I fart and it stinks, but I just want to be held."

I held and loved on Liz. I kissed her tummy and told our baby to settle down. Dani brought Liz a cup of tea and sat on the arm of the chair petting her.

"Mmm. What is this?" Liz asked.

"Raspberry leaf and cinnamon," Dani said. "It helps prepare the uterus for labor and ripen the cervix."

"Labor? But I'm just ... almost due, aren't I?" Liz's eyes got big. "Are you coming out to join us, Sweetpea?"

"What you've been describing this morning sounds almost exactly like what I was experiencing the day before Xan was born," Dani said, smiling.

The back door slammed and Matthew came running into the room. He was already naked.

"Papa! Mama-Chel is going to have a sister!"

"Is she, son? Guess what, so is Mama-Liz."

"Really? Papa, am I only boy now?" I heard what he said, but his fingers said, "Leon."

"Do you miss your buddy, Leon?" I asked. He nodded. "Me too. But just because he lives a long way away doesn't mean he isn't your buddy. He'll be back." Lionel had received assurances from the Hornets that he would be staying in Charlotte after the NBA playoffs and draft. The Hornets had won only one of four against the Bulls in the first round in May, but Lionel had done well and was popular with Hornets fans. This summer Lionel and a pregnant Sugar packed the two kids up and moved to Charlotte.

There was a bit of a commotion and a groan from the kitchen as Doug, Rachel, Sandy, and Doreen came in. Doreen set C-Rae on the floor and she ran to Matthew. When she saw Dani, she immediately said, "Xan?"

"She's napping so she'll have lots of energy to play with you this afternoon," Dani said.

C-Rae spread her fingers at the top of her head and brought them down across her face until they closed with her thumb and her head drooped forward. Dani opened her arms and C-Rae let herself be picked up.

"Night-night, Papa," C-Rae said as Dani carried her up to the bed where Xan was napping.

"I think it's almost time," Rachel said as she brushed Liz's shoulder. "I've been feeling so strange today."

"Me, too. Wanna go take a nap with the babies?" Liz asked. I helped her struggle out of my lap and she held Rachel's hand as the two girls made their way slowly up the stairs to the master suite.

"I might as well take this on up," Doug said as he hefted the suitcase. "I'll just make sure they're comfortable." Sandy and Doreen giggled as they dropped their gis and cuddled into my lap. Matthew headed for the play area and dumped out all the Lincoln Logs.

"Maybe it was just because I was pregnant and the center of everyone's attention," Doreen said, "but I don't remember Doug being that whipped when I was getting ready to go into labor. He can't stand for her to be out of his sight."

"It's so cute," Sandy said. "I'm sure glad you've been there to pay attention to me."

"There just isn't a description for what it does to us guys," I said. "Doug's been Daddy to Matthew and C-Rae. But he's Rachel's baby's father. He'll never slight the other two, but you can't help but feel something special when you know you planted that little mite."

In deference to the pregnant women, only Doug and I slept with them that night. All the other women and the children went to the big bedroom. Doug and I ended up sleeping on the floor on either side of the bed while Liz and Rachel rolled around trying to get comfortable. We were less likely to get bruised.

I opened my eyes at four-thirty and grinned as I thought about spending the night on the floor. Rhonda would enjoy this story. I stood quietly and started doing some stretches.

"Oh, shit! I peed the bed," Liz moaned. I bent to put a kiss on her forehead.

"Don't worry about it, Red. We've got protectors down and we can change the sheets while you two shower," I said.

"Ow! Oh!" Rachel moaned. Doug was up and holding her hand. "It started."

We got the two girls up and into the shower. Doug joined them while I quickly ran upstairs to let our cónyuge know. Dani and Doreen followed me back into the room and shooed me to the shower while they changed the sheets and got things ready.

The shower did a world of good for all of us. Liz and Rachel loved having their hair washed by their men. We took time to condition it and rinse thoroughly while we massaged their scalp. Just having the water beating down from the two shower heads was a comfort to them and there were no more cramps. We toweled them dry and spent a long time combing out their hair.

"I've never had hair this long and luxurious," Rachel said. "I might need to stay pregnant."

"Yeah. It'll probably all fall out next week," Liz said. "You know, trade your hair for a baby."

"Is it that easy?" Rachel asked.

"Must be. I don't feel a thing."

"Exercise," I said. "Everything is ready here in the room. Right now you need to come downstairs and have a little breakfast and some exercise walking around. Don't worry, Doug and I are right here beside you and we'll take care of everything."

And thus began Labor Day.

We called everyone, of course. That first labor cramp was just the beginning and the lull was just long enough to convince us it had been false labor. From that point on, they got closer and closer together as the day wore on and their nerves wore thin. Mom, Dad, Anna, Lech, and Irene all arrived by dinner time. Rachel's parents, Claudia and Ken, were there by eight.

Dawn came over periodically to check and then planned to stay the night. Both moms were exhausted and fell asleep with Doug and me holding them. That didn't last long, either. Both girls woke up for good at about two-thirty when the cramps were about five minutes apart. Dawn smiled.

"Who's first?" she asked.

"Me!" both said.

"So, it's a race. How would you both like to use the bathroom and shower before we start pushing?"

Dawn was pretty relaxed, so we were, too. They had a couple pretty severe cramps in the shower, but Doug and I were there to support them and help them breathe through it. When we got out of the shower, we had other cónyuge waiting to dry us and get us back in the bed. We elected not to call over to wake the parents until we had babies or it was morning.

Once Liz and Rachel were back on the bed, it really was a race.

At four-twenty, Doug and I were receiving our children from their mother's wombs side by side. Nicki held Liz's hand and helped with the breathing. Doreen was with Rachel.