Chapter 28

Later that evening, when Joyce Collier came out to the edge of the ring and was caught and held in a spotlight, she was wearing a white halter top, a pair of white short shorts that featured her beautifully tanned legs and nothing else. Not only was she wearing no bra, she was not even wearing a bikini. Her feet were bare and her shoulder-length tawny hair was tied back in a ponytail and held with a big white bow.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Welcome to the circus! My name is Joyce Collier, here on loan from KNBC for this performance. Tonight we have another surprise for you: Last night we featured Andy Cartwright and Ken Clifford who will be back with us again tonight. However, tonight we proudly feature Tom and Bobbie Conroy, the most handsome husband-and-wife team in the world, along with our great cats. Let me introduce them to you. First, we have Prince..."

One after the other the cats came out, were introduced, bowed to the crowd and took up a position forming a circle in the center of the ring.

"Finally," Joyce announced, "Here is my friend, Rajah." Looking at him she said, "Are you going to give me a kiss tonight?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed his soft fur and then positioned her cheek in front of his huge mouth. The audience, watching it in close-up on the Forum's huge closed-circuit television screens gasped as the animal kissed her, then opened its huge mouth, extended its tongue and licked her face.

"Isn't he neat!?" Joyce exclaimed happily.

Then she introduced Bobbie and Tom who came into the spotlight. Tom was wearing the smallest imaginable pair of white swim trunks. They were scarcely more than a cache sexe for his huge cock and balls. Bobbie was wearing the tiniest white bikini they had been able to find. It occasionally — but seldom — covered the top of her golden pubic hair. After extending their arms wide to acknowledge the welcome from the crowd, they took a few running steps and then, side-by-side, did a series of incredible handsprings that took them to the center of the arena.

While they were doing that, Andy and Ken came out and waited for the spotlight. They were dressed as they had been the night before: Ken was wearing only jockey shorts and Andy only a pair of white cotton panties with a tiny pink bow at each leg opening.

When the spotlight came back to her, Joyce introduced Andy and Ken to wild applause, but then explained that they would principally be assisting tonight. When the spotlight swung back to the center of the ring, the children each took a small trampoline and positioned them on opposite sides of the arena.

Joyce announced, "Bobbie and Tom need to limber up a bit first — sort of work the kinks out — and I think the cats need a little exercise, too. What do you all think?"

Bobbie grinned as the cats got on their feet and again led by Prince, followed Tom to the side of the big ring. Once there, Tom began to trot around the perimeter pacing the cats while Bobbie paced the sixth cat in line, Charles. Tom kept lengthening his stride until he and Bobbie were both running at a four-minute-mile pace. The perfection of their bodies and their running form was apparent to the spectators as they ran by.

After completing a full circuit, Joyce announced, "Bobbie and Tom, that's fine for you, but the tigers need some exercise, too. Why don't you let it out a little?

Bobbie gave a cheery wave of her hand and speeded up while Tom did, too. They were now correctly in position and each sprinted to a trampoline ahead of them took off, came down powerfully on the trampoline and were catapulted into the air. Once airborne, they did perfect double somersaults and came down with their feet perfectly planted on the back of a tiger: Tom on Prince and Bobbie on Charles. Prince seemed totally unaware of Tom's 220 pounds on his back, let alone the shock of his landing, despite Tom's best efforts to cushion it.

The instant the two had their feet planted, the tigers really began to run. Now they were bounding around the perimeter at nearly thirty miles per hour. Both Tom and Bobbie seemed completely unconcerned. After two circuits at full speed, when Bobbie approached one of the trampolines set at the center of the oval, she timed it perfectly.

Jumping off Charles, she landed hard with both feet on the trampoline and then used her great leg strength to shoot almost straight up in the air. She did a triple somersault with a twist, straightened out and landed perfectly with both feet together.

After extending her arms to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd Joyce announced, "She has to be good. Although I didn't announce it earlier, Bobbie teaches first grade and Andy and Ken are two of her pupils.

"After all, someone had to teach the children how to do it. She really is good, isn't she?"

Her remarks were greeted with redoubled cheers.

In the meantime, Andy and Ken had brought out two sets of high-jump bars and positioned them flanking the center of the arena. Bobbie and Joyce joined them; what was coming required all four of them. Shifting from Prince to Rudy, Tom waited for Will to come alongside and then he continued to speed around the ring with one foot on the back of each tiger. When that was done, the remaining eight tigers took positions in a row in the center of the ring and sat down to watch. With the jump bars set two feet high and the sets ten feet apart, Tom told the tigers what he wanted them to do.

Coming around the end the two animals cut over when they reached the center and in a synchronized pace effortlessly leaped over the first bar, carried the intervening distance and then cleared the second. With the four people resetting the height of the bars and the spacing between them, they continued until they cleared a height of four feet and a horizontal distance of thirty-five feet.

There were gasps from the crowd as they saw the massive animals bunch their muscles and appear to compress their bodies. Leaping, they fully extended their bodies as their enormously powerful hindquarter muscles shot them into space. For his part, Tom was astounded at how smoothly and powerfully the animals ran and how easy the whole thing was for him.

When he landed, he told the animals what a wonderful thing they had done and how proud of them he was.

Back at her PA mike Joyce said, "Folks, on that last leap the bars were four feet high and the standards were thirty-five feet apart. Aren't these animals wonderful? Have you ever seen such incredibly powerful muscles at work? Aren't they just neat?"

The crowd responded with cheers. While Bobbie and the children removed the standards, Tom slowly made his way to the center of the arena, still on the tigers' backs. When they came to a stop, instead of Tom jumping off, they lay down in unison so he only had to step off.

When Tom got off, he signaled to Joyce who said, "For some reason there are people who think these cats are drugged. How a drugged cat can clear thirty-five feet, more than four feet in the air, I don't know, but I'm not an expert, either. The two tigers who just performed were Rudy and Will. Guys, let the people see the way big cats behave more often!"

With that the two cats jumped up so they were standing on their hind paws with their forepaws extended up towards the sky. With their massive claws extended they pawed the air and let out enormous roars that shook the huge auditorium. Then they calmly and quietly took their positions between Prince and Fred who had left an appropriate interval for them. The stark contrast between the wild screams and the subsequent docile behavior left the audience speechless.

"I hope you all got a good look at those claws," Joyce said. Then she added, "That reminds me: I'm going to have to give Rajah a manicure pretty soon." At her crack the audience howled with laughter and then cheered again.

Then Joyce said, "You know, we really are kind of concerned about people thinking that these are not wild animals. Honest, they are. But more than that, there is incredible teamwork here. Now we have an idea we want to try. Okay, guys. It's time to entertain the paying customers again."

Responding to instructions given by the four other people, the tigers paired off and took positions spaced evenly across the long axis of the Forum. There the pairs sat facing one another. Then Joyce said, "Okay, guys. Let's do it!"

At her order the great cats sat up, then sat on their haunches and raised their forepaws. Reaching out, each pair matched their forepaws, rested on the other, and began to rise, only ending when their bodies were fully extended to a height of over eight feet.

In their present position, coupled with the deliberateness of taking their extended positions, their musculature was revealed in a way that people normally couldn't see except through the use of ultra-slow-motion photography.

"Folks," Joyce said quietly over the PA system, "These are big cats! Although we didn't arrange to measure it, fully extended the way you see them now, they are reaching upward between eight and nine feet. Aren't they just beautiful?"

Again there was an enormous cheer.

Then Joyce said, "It's now my great pleasure to introduce the rest of Bobbie Conroy's first-grade class. She has certainly the smartest, and I'm sure the most handsome, group of young people in the world."

One after the other each of the children was introduced. All of them were wearing only their underwear shorts, too. By this time the tigers were again arranged in their circle in the center of the ring. After each child was introduced he or she ran to the center. There the Conroys, along with Andy and Ken, introduced them to each tiger in turn. When all the introductions had been made, the tigers lay down flat and a child got on the back of each one. Andy made sure to be on Prince, while Ken was on Sasha's back.

When each child was standing on the back of a tiger, the animals all smoothly and gracefully rose to their feet. While still in their circle, they moved to the edge of the arena floor and then started to walk around the perimeter. As they moved they began to accelerate. Soon they were running at nearly full speed, yet still maintaining their perfect circle.

"Now watch this," Joyce announced softly. I think you'll find it interesting ... and fun."

In unison, the children stepped from the back of one tiger to the next. They kept on going, while moving faster and faster, until the children were running around the tigers while the tigers ran around the ring. When the children slowed and finally stopped, they were back on their original animals.

In the meantime, Bobbie and Ken had repositioned the trampolines closer to the perimeter's edge. Now the tigers slowed until they were just trotting. Timing their approach perfectly, Tom and Bobbie sprinted to the trampolines, pounded down hard with their feet, shot into the air in perfectly coordinated somersaults and came down in the center of the formation of tigers with Tom on Sasha's back with Ken, while Bobbie was on Prince's back with Andy.

"Bobbie really isn't in such bad shape for a school teacher, is she?" Joyce mused over the PA system. "If she worked on it for a few years she might be able to do some basic gymnastic moves."

As the people laughed at her comment, Tom and Bobbie hoisted Ken and Andy up to their shoulders. As the tigers began to run again, the children just waved to the audience going by. At the conclusion, the other children left the floor, dressed and returned to their seats.

The final act for the first half was the pyramid of cats. This time, though, when it was completed, before taking his bow Prince stood up on his hind legs, clawed the air and roared. When he did, his forepaws were waving from about twenty-five feet above the floor. Coming down, he bowed followed by the pair below, the three below that, and so down to the base.

When they came down and began to take up positions in their circle, Joyce announced, "You're all familiar with the line, 'If you're nice to people they'll walk all over you?'

"Well, guess what? It applies to tigers, too. Last night it was relatively easy. The boys had hot dogs and all Andy and Ken had to do was find out if they wanted mustard, relish, and how much. Tonight? No such luck! This afternoon I was suckered into buying Rajah a pizza, so tonight they all have to have them. Would you believe it? No two want the same thing! It's true."

Just then a spotlight picked out a man in a Domino's Pizza uniform with a stack of boxes. He gave one box to Joyce and then carried the rest to the center of the ring where the animals were waiting. The man's eyes widened as Rajah came trotting towards him but then he relaxed as the tiger just passed him by to join Joyce.

Meantime, Andy and Ken had left the arena and now returned. Ken had two pails while Andy had one along with a stack of large water dishes. She put one down beside Joyce, filled it with lemonade, grinned, and then ran off to join Ken. While the Conroys and the children proceeded to feed the other nine, the spotlight was on Joyce with Rajah.

After he lay down, she sat down on the tanbark and leaned back against him. With her head resting on his, she took a piece of piping-hot pizza from the box and fed it to him. "Pepperoni and sausage with extra cheese, would you believe," she said into her lavaliere mike. "But he's really very nice, and he provides a very comfortable back rest."

Now most of the audience was focused on the huge television monitors which allowed them to see a close-up of Joyce's slender hand feeding pizza into the enormous mouth. When he finished the pizza — the audience howled when he gave Joyce a dirty look after she stole a bite — he drank his lemonade and then just looked at her with his head cocked.

"Now you have to pay for it," she said.

Rajah just grinned and lay on his back with his paws outstretched. "This is another thing these cats cannot or will not do, I'm told by the experts," Joyce commented dryly as she climbed on his belly and then stretched out between his legs.

She rested her cheek on his furry chest and commented, "This is heavenly! Rajah's chest and belly are covered with an incredibly soft pure-white fur that feels so great!" she exclaimed sleepily.

Then he closed his paws over her and just hugged her tightly. Joyce then spoke with her voice muffled because her wireless mic was between her chest and Rajah's. She said, "Girls, do you ever feel that your guy is an uncaring creep? That he cares nothing about your feelings? That he can't even keep you warm when you're chilly, as we women always are?

"If so, you need a guy like Raj, here. Yum!" The muffled voice was greeted with laughter from everyone.

"Okay, Raj," she said softly, "it's time to go back to work."

With that he spread his paws and Joyce got to her feet. The spotlight was still on her, as were the closed-circuit cameras. The TV screens caught the expression of puzzlement on her face perfectly. Then she brightened and said, "Isn't that nice! You're going to give me a ride to the center of the ring. Great."

Joyce climbed on top of the animal and sat straddling his shoulders. As soon as she was settled, he got to his feet. But, instead of heading towards the center to join the other tigers, he headed toward the perimeter and began to move faster.

"Where do you think you're going, young man?" Joyce demanded. Now there was some minor static because of her rapid motion. "I'm not in this show! I'm just a moonlighting TV reporter ... Now come on!" she exclaimed with a note of fear in her voice as Rajah was now running at nearly full speed.

Then he slowed and turned his head. "You're crazy, young man!" she exclaimed. "There is absolutely no way you can get me to stand on your back!"

Then the camera caught a look of chagrin on her face as she said, "Rajah, you wouldn't dare..."

Then looking fearful she said more slowly, "You would, wouldn't you."

At that she knelt on his back and then stood up. As soon as she was upright, Rajah was running again, but at top speed this time.

"Darling Rajah," she said, trying sugar instead of threats, "I'm only a reporter. I can hardly stand up in heels. I can't stand on a running animal!"

At that point Rajah was at the corner of the Forum. But instead of continuing in his circle, he cut inside and headed at full speed for the circle of other tigers with the Conroys and the children standing inside. It was about twenty feet in diameter measured from the tails of the tigers all of whom were facing the center.

Joyce was still pretending to be fearful and screamed, "Help!" just as Rajah took off in a great leap with her still standing on his back. He landed absorbing the shock, while Joyce just bent her knees slightly to maintain her balance. Rajah slowed and turned his head to look up at her.

"Darling, that was unbelievable!" she cried, now out of her fearful rôle-playing.

"Folks, what do you think of my little boy? Isn't he neat?" she cried. There was a standing ovation as she was carried into the center of the tiger's ring where Rajah lay down so she could step off.

Unclipping the mike from Joyce's shirt, Bobbie said, "Folks, could we have a big hand for Joyce Collier? Isn't she a trouper, though."

Looking at Joyce she asked, "How did you know you could do it, honey? You never even rehearsed it."

Taking the mike and reclipping it to her shirt she replied, "Bobbie, I didn't know that I could, but I was a great tomboy when I was growing up. I had forgotten until this minute what great fun it was!"

Then Joyce went up to Rajah who was now sitting in his usual position in the tigers' circle. Putting her arms around his neck she gave him another kiss. But this time Rajah raised his right paw, put it around her waist and pulled her to him tightly. She kissed him softly and murmured, "And I love you very much, too."