38: Childhood's End

ME: Lionel, I don't usually make much out of things like this. But did you know you are a foot and a half taller than me?

LIONEL: Brian, I met you in seventh grade. I've always been a foot and a half taller than you!

ME: But what are you doing here? On Young Cooking? I thought I was going to have the IU Lady Hoosier basketball team with me today. Did you know they actually have a player who is shorter than me?

LIONEL: So you aren't actually too short to play basketball. You're just the wrong sex. [Laughter.] I'm here because I sort of lost a bet. Whitney Anderson of the Lady Hoosiers outscored me in a shootout.

ME: And because you lost the shootout, you have to be on Young Cooking? I'm sorry, man!

LIONEL: Not only do I have to be on your show, I have to serve the ladies who are all sitting here at your breakfast bar. Please, go easy on me, cousin.

We had fun! It was a little improvisational because I really had expected the cute short woman basketball player as my guest. It was made harder and more difficult that the six women sitting across from us were really flirtatious. The cute short one winked at me and licked her lips every time we made eye contact. And, of course, no one flutters her eyelashes like Whitney. Even Lou Casey, their coach, made a suggestive move. We got through the taping and served everyone a high protein, low fat meal designed to fuel athletes.

"Heather, are you coming on to me?" I asked when she hip-checked me on our way to the parking lot to say goodbye.

"Me? No! Tell you a secret, Brian. You're cute, but like Lionel said, you're the wrong sex."

"You really had me going. I hope I didn't offend you."

"Oh, hell no. Whitney said there was no way I was getting in her panties unless you were a bona fide participant. I figured it was worth a try, just to worry her," the short basketball player said.

"Hmm. Want to get her worried?" I asked playfully. Heather bit her lip. No matter what their preference, girls have that little move down pat.

"I'd kiss a monkey to tease Whitney," Heather laughed. "You can't be any worse than that!" She left me a little breathless.

"You'll never convince him that way," Whitney said giving her teammate the same type of hip-check. "Let me show you." Heather stepped away and nodded to Whitney.

I saw it coming just in time. Whitney's first punch slid past my left shoulder, barely making contact. I swept my right leg at her as I continued my pivot and she stepped neatly over it. I had just enough time to block her snap-kick. Individual moves meant nothing after that and we punched, kicked, and occasionally landed a blow, mostly where no one could see the results. After a few minutes we were in such a good rhythm together that we didn't want to stop and started seriously trying to put each other on the ground. A whistle blasted the air. We were well-conditioned and both stepped back and bowed to each other. Coach Casey held the whistle between her teeth, shaking her head.

"What the hell was that?" Heather exclaimed. Whitney advanced on me, but there was no threat.

"Foreplay," she said, crushing me to her and kissing me passionately.

When Whitney and I came back in from the woods, shooting for the day was done. This morning, I'd thought my cock would never work again. Whitney proved me wrong. Three times. We'd heard the cowbell clang the all-clear, so we were stripping off our clothes as we walked through the back door and smack into Maggie.

"What are you doing here?" I yelled, snatching my clothes in front of me.

"My job," Maggie grinned. "Don't worry. What happens at El Rancho del Corazón stays at El Rancho del Corazón. I'm working with Heaven on her announcement this evening. Lonnie approved the handheld for me this weekend and I called Shelly Ames to be my reporter. We're going to intercept Heaven when you drop the four of them off at the University Club tonight. Lauren has already gone ahead with one of your handheld radios. She'll clue us in as to where the other photographers will be trying to snap pictures of her when she arrives. The Boosters did a great job of letting it leak out that she was going to be at the dinner tonight. I understand attendance is double what is normal. So you can bet every local and possibly a couple Indy reporters will be there to catch her. Only we have a scoop. After you shower, dress in your black suit and shirt. Adam left a chauffeur's hat on your chair upstairs. I've got to get going now and meet Shelly and Lauren. Keep your CB on in the car and remember you are Angel Home. Rhonda told me I'm Miss Eyes. I'll be holding the camera." She walked past me to Heaven's motorhome and gave me a slap on my bare rump as she passed.

"Look, Executive Producer," Rhonda scolded when Whitney and I stepped out of the shower. "You can't expect to always have someone to step in and make decisions for you while you go play in the woods. You should at least have checked in before you went out there." She sounded mad and I was contrite.

"I'm sorry, cónyuge. I haven't figured out my place yet."

"That's why you're in training and I gave you a good producer-director to work with," she laughed. "She practically begged to stay long enough to catch you naked." Then Rhonda slapped my butt and I went to get dressed.

It came off perfectly. I got the signal to pull up to the hotel entry side of the Memorial Union. When I did, there was a sudden scurry as photographers and reporters realized that this was the car they'd been waiting for. I ran around the car and opened the side door. Tim jumped down and while he and I were blocking the view, he lifted Amy down from the high step. The Suburban was a great vehicle to use for this. There was no opportunity for an up-skirt shot as the three of us effectively blocked the view of Adam lifting Joanne down from the truck.

It didn't look like the reporters were that well prepared. Tim and Amy stepped to one side and I closed the door as Heaven and Adam stepped forward.

"Heaven, is that your boyfriend?" one person shouted.

"I don't know who you are, but the answer is yes."

"Miss Heaven, Shelly Ames of WIUB-TV," a smart looking young woman said. "Welcome to Indiana University."

"Thank you, Shelly. It's such a beautiful campus."

"We know you are on the way to the Boosters' Club dinner. Do you have a moment for a question?"

"Sure, what would you like, Shelly?"

"Who is your boyfriend?" another reporter shouted. Joanne ignored him and kept her eye fixed on Shelly and on the camera Maggie was holding.

"Rumor has it that you are planning to branch into television. Is it true that you'll soon have your own TV show?" Shelly asked. The rest of the crowd gasped. That rumor-mill had obviously bypassed all the other reporters gathered.

"Wow! This is really small town, Indiana, isn't it," Joanne laughed. "Everybody knows everything. We don't have a signed contract yet, but I've been in discussions this week with Hearthstone Entertainment, the company that produces Young Cooking with Chef Brian. It's very possible that we'll start production on a new show right here in Bloomington this fall. I've got my fingers crossed."

"How long have you been sleeping with your new boyfriend?" the same obnoxious reporter asked. Adam and I both edged closer. Heaven was on her best behavior and sharp as a tack.

"Oh, come here!" she said pointing at the guy. "Come on. I won't bite." He came up to her warily. Heaven grabbed him in a hug and turned him to the cameras. "Everybody take a picture!" She leaned in and kissed the slimy guy on the cheek leaving a big lipstick smudge. "I know you don't know his name, but you should interview this guy right now. He has the inside scoop on what it's like to make out with Heaven!" She took Adam's arm and people made room for them and for Amy and Tim right behind them. They entered the Union.

Shelly Ames wasn't about to let it go. She had her microphone right in the guy's face.

"You're so cool!" Shelly exclaimed. "What's your name? What's it like to get kissed by Heaven? Did you give her some tongue? You've got her lipstick on your face! How long have you been sleeping with her?" The so-called reporter fled.

I left and drove home, checking to make sure no one was following me. Once I was there, I switched the CB to Donna's car and drove the powder blue Mercedes back to wait for the dinner to finish at about ten.

"Angel Home, this is Miss Eyes. Your package will be ready in five minutes. ETA five minutes."

"Ten-four, Miss Eyes. Angel Home on approach."

No one was looking for a little Mercedes. Those who were still hoping for another look at Heaven were watching for a red Suburban. I pulled through the circular drive and could see them come through the lobby doors. The reporters were still looking up the block. I didn't get out of the car. The two couples emerged. The guys opened both passenger doors and Amy and Joanne were in the backseat in a second. Adam slid in beside Heaven and Tim jumped in the front seat. We were gone before most of the reporters realized she'd come out of the doors.

It was funny to see Lamar and Judy operate the front gate so we could pass through and close it tightly behind us. Tim hopped out and got the back gate so we could park in the family parking area. We jumped out of the car and everyone was quite celebratory. There had been several cameras at the Booster Club meeting and Heaven posed with all comers, dropping little tidbits about how she met Adam at a photo shoot in Paris, how she had come to visit him but also was meeting with the executives of Hearthstone Entertainment, and how she planned to attend all the home football games this year if she could get here.

Wouldn't that be great!

"Now can we make love?" Joanne asked me.

"Are you sure you don't want to spend the night with your new boyfriend?" I teased.

"Bri-an. Please?" We went out to the motorhome and I wondered absently which of my clan cousins Amy was with tonight. She seemed to be working her way through the whole clan. At least she hadn't approached me. I closed and locked the door behind us and Joanne led me to the bedroom.

It was nearly midnight and suddenly everything was very awkward. In one way or another we'd both been waiting for this moment for ten years. We stood facing each other, still dressed as we'd been when we were out. Joanne still wore her heels, which had hardly been noticed when she stood beside Adam. I looked up to her.

"Joanne, my Heaven, I have always loved you. I always will." I stroked her jaw as we kissed softly. She sat at the foot of her bed and I knelt in front of her to take off her shoes. I'd never realized what big feet she had until she pointed it out on Elaine's show last week. "Wait right here," I said.

"Where else would I go?" she giggled. I ran to her little bathroom and got a washcloth wet with warm water. "Oh, that feels nice," she moaned as I washed her feet and gently massaged them. "No wonder Rhonda couldn't resist any longer."

"Hmm. Someone's been talking." I ran my hands up her silky legs and just under the hem of her miniskirt. I didn't attack her pussy, but just let her know that was where I was headed.

"Help me out of my clothes, Bri? Make me naked for you. Naked and not stoned or frightened or bashful. Naked for you to see and enjoy all of me."

I could hardly resist a request like that. I opened the buttons on her blouse and slipped it off her shoulders, kissing them lightly. Like so many others, Joanne eschewed a bra when possible and wore a pale green camisole that I lifted over her head. I caught my breath. Her breasts were small when compared to Rose or even Jennifer, but they were full and round. I bent to kiss them, teasing around the nipples without actually touching them. Joanne continued to moan softly as I unzipped her miniskirt. She lifted her butt from the bed as I pulled the skirt down over her hips.

The French-cut panties matched the green of the cami I'd already removed. Compared to some of the underwear I'd seen my girlfriends in, these were sort of conservative. They were cut very high on the sides, but the fabric covered all the essentials. I kissed her tummy just above the waistband and her flesh jumped—little muscle spasms wherever I kissed.

"So conservative," I whispered. "And so beautiful."

"I'd wear anything for you that you wanted, or nothing at all," she answered. "But when I'm out and there is a crowd of photographers like tonight, you know that someone is aiming up your skirt. Better they get a picture of a nice but covering pair of panties than a wet triangle with a string disappearing up my crack."

"It must be so difficult," I said, looking up at her.

"It could be worse," she sighed. "I don't go out and flaunt my body unless I'm in a photo shoot. I think the bounty will fade as I start to be more available to normal photos. I just need to be careful. You can look, though. You can take hold of those panties and pull them right down. You can look at my pussy. Touch it. Kiss it. Make love to it. Please do it, Brian."

I did. When her panties were removed, I knelt in front of her and worshiped her pussy with my mouth. She lay back on the bed with her feet dangling down as I loved her. When she'd come the first time, she tugged me up from between her legs and pulled my black t-shirt over my head. My slacks followed and in a moment we were lying naked in each other's arms.

I tried to pull her on top of me, but she resisted.

"You can have me any way you want. Later. But ever since I've known what the parts were for and how they fit together, I've dreamed of looking up into your eyes as you entered me for the first time. Give me this little gift, Brian," she whispered. I rolled on a condom and she spread her legs wide for me. She was wet, but she used a bit of lubricant on the condom to make sure it didn't drag against her. Still, when I finally pushed between her lips she flinched a little. I paused but she pulled at me until I was fully inside her.

I was in Heaven.

All that dreaming. All those little games we'd played. All the childhood exploration of each other's bodies. And now I was deeply joined with her in the most intimate way. I was promising—promising to always love her. And she was promising to return.

It was good that we had the extra lubricant. Joanne was still a little sore from her marathon dildo session the night before and I was actually thankful for the condom's protection of my slightly raw cock. But still, we moved. We moved slowly. We looked into each other's eyes and relived the moments of our discoveries.