Chapter 35

We all looked around as Sylvia came running in, threw her arms around Kate, and said, “I got the message you left at my office last night. There’s no damn way you’re getting married without my being here.” Everybody else waited patiently while Kate and Sylvia rained hugs and kisses on each other. The wedding march finally started after an “Ahem!” from the minister.

I pried Kate away from Sylvia and started toward the altar where Ben was waiting. I was holding Kate’s hand and I could feel her tremble as I handed her to him. I stood there while the minister said some words, then asked for the ring. I handed it to Ben and stepped back. Kristen, Amy, and Mom were sitting in the front row, but Sylvia was still standing, and she walked over next to me and put her arm around me when I stepped back and realized that the time was here.

Standing in front of and beside me were two people who had shown me love and affection beyond anything that I could have imagined. I wanted to be sad about ‘losing’ Kate, but I somehow didn’t feel as though I was. She had taught me a lot of things, and the memory of them would never leave me. She had let me touch her beautiful body. She showed me how to treat it with respect, and taught me the difference between ‘fucking’ and making love. She taught me about tenderness and caring. She and Sylvia both had showed me that sex shouldn’t be a shameful activity that happened in the dark; it should be a celebration of affection between people.

Visions of Scottsdale crossed my mind, and the rain-swept night when Kate, naked, served coffee us while she slowly moved to the music. I can’t imagine ever again being so excited by watching a woman do nothing but move across a room and pour coffee. Those thoughts and many more filled my head as I watched the minister say the words that would tie this wonderful woman to that good man, and the ceremony was over in almost no time. Ben kissed Kate, and the looks on both their faces were wonderful when they pulled back. They looked happier than I’d ever seen either one of them.

Kate was actually married. It was hard for me to believe, and Ben was gazing at her as though he couldn’t quite believe it, either. I never saw anyone look at another person with more love. I only see such loving expressions on the faces of Mom and Dad once in a while, but they had been together for almost twenty years, and I guess things quiet down after a while. Would I ever find someone who would make me that happy?

I had thought I felt that way about Della, but I now know that it was just infatuation. Sam was the first one who I really felt deeply about, and I still occasionally feel her loss, but too many things happened in too short a time for it to turn into something more. She is always in the back of my mind, and I often judged what other people did by the way I know that she would have acted.

Kristen is incredibly important to me. I sometimes think I’m really in love with her, and I’ve actually found myself wondering what living with her for twenty years would be like, but some things about her bother me. She thinks that I’m so worldly and know so much about women that I would leave her for someone more exciting one day. What’s going to happen when she finds out that I’m just a regular kid, and not worldly at all? We have great sex, but what about when she goes away to college and discovers that there are others just as experienced and just as capable?

The biggest problem is the money thing. I have no idea where my life is headed. I don’t have a goal and I don’t have a career in mind. She’s not going to be able to put up with that for long.

And, finally, there’s Amy. Sweet, delightful, glorious Amy. The very thought of her is disturbing. She’s everything that I could possibly want in a girl. She’s beautiful, smart, warm-hearted, and as near as the next room, and on top of that, she loves me, but I’m terrified of her. I know for certain, that I would fall completely in love with her if I let myself, and it scares me to death.

I couldn’t keep my emotions and thoughts in order anymore, so I concentrated on the happy couple in front of me. I kissed Kate on the cheek, shook hands with Ben, and watched as everyone kissed and hugged each other. That’s when I noticed Sally standing by the door. I walked over to her and said, “Glad that you could make it.”

She looked at her watch and said, “I’m actually flying Sylvia to Fort Worth on business, and we’re running late. Herb is there waiting for us.”

I looked at her in amazement and said, “On New Year’s Eve?!”

She said, “You don’t know about her husband do you? Al is in the hospital and he’s not expected to come out. Sylvia is now a Vice President of Herb’s company. I imagine that Herb has something planned for tonight, but New Year’s Eve is just another business day to these people.”

“What about you? Don’t you have plans?” She chuckled and said, “You don’t have personal plans when you work for Herb Johnson, but there’s sure to be a bar in the hotel, and there’s bound to be a lonesome person there.”

I grinned back and said, “Well, if it turns out to be a girl, give her a kiss for me.” She laughed and said, “Okay, and I’ll think of you if it’s a guy, and tell him to push a little harder!” Sylvia came over as we were laughing and said, “Well, I just met your girlfriend. She seems nice, but she’s way too damn pretty. You’re not going to forget Sally and me, are you?” I said, “Not a chance,” and I walked them outside to a waiting taxi.

As I watched Sylvia get in, I was amazed again at the effect that she has on me. Something about her drives me crazy, and I actually got a hard-on just looking at her. Sally went to the other side of the taxi and she said, “Nick said to say hello,” as she was getting in. I walked to the open window on Sylvia’s side, and bent to ask her who Nick was. I guess that my crotch was level with the window and Sylvia saw the bulge in my pants, because she started laughing and said, “Look, Sally, he’s glad to see us!” before I could say anything. They both grinned and waved as the cabbie drove off.

Back inside, Kate and Ben were signing some papers and the girls were standing in the lobby, talking. Kristen came over and said, “I met Sylvia. She seems nice. It was amazing that she flew here from Phoenix just to spend a few minutes with Kate.” “Yeah, she’s great. She’s one of Kate’s best friends.”

Kristen looked at me soberly and said, “She sure talks a lot about you. Is she one of your best friends, too?” Sensing something dangerous, I said, “No, YOU are my best friend,” and I hugged her. She seemed to accept that, and we all went to Ben’s and Kate’s room after all the papers were signed. Ben had called room service and ordered some champagne, so we all sat around toasting the newlyweds.

Kristen suddenly stood up and said, “The show starts at nine; we have to get dressed and have dinner at some point. It’s a little after three, and I have to make some calls. Why don’t we meet for dinner in the main restaurant around seven o’clock?” She pulled me to my feet after everyone agreed, and said, “C’mon.”

We went to our room, and were barely inside the door when she was all over me, kissing me and trying to tear my clothes off. She threw herself on the bed when we were naked, and actually dragged me on top of her. I touched her between her legs and she was obviously not ready, so I said, “Wait, Kris; you’re not wet enough!” I bent to give her some kisses to get her wet, but she pulled me up and said, “Please get inside me, Pete. I need you in me now!” I only had about half of a hardon, and I entered her as gently as I could. She hugged me to her when I was all the way in, and said, “Don’t move.”

I lay there for a few minutes, wondering what was wrong, but when I tried to ask her, she said, “Shh, just hold me for a while.” Her wonderful body, and the fact that I was in her began to work on me, as I could feel myself get fully hard before long. It was affecting her too, because she started to get wet, and we began moving together. She was still hugging me to her, and I forced myself back so that I would have more room to stroke. I looked down at her when I did. Her face was a mask of pain, and tears were streaming down onto the bed. I cried out, “What’s the matter, Kristen!”

She started openly sobbing, so it was a while before she could answer. She said, “I’m so scared of losing you, Pete,” when she could finally speak. “I see the way that Kate looks at you, and now I meet Sylvia and she looks at you the same way. Then there’s that girl, Sam, and Desi, and Della, and Amy, and God-knows how many others. I’m afraid that you’ll get tired of me one day. Are you going to break my heart, Pete?”

My mind was racing. I had to think of what to say, so I slipped out of her and sat on the bed next to her. I finally simply asked her, “What would it take to convince you that I love you and won’t leave you, Kristen?” I had seen this strong, stunningly beautiful girl face put thugs down and take complete charge of many situations. So it was a shock when she looked at me with so much longing, and in a voice so quiet that I could barely hear her, say, “You could marry me.”

I may only be seventeen, but I knew what was happening. A lot of things had gone on in her life in the last few weeks. She had spent Christmas away from her family. She had gone away with me. She had met Della and resolved something that had been bothering her. She had met with her old group of friends as more of an equal than she had been before. Then there was the incident with Amy at the restaurant, and now Kate’s wedding and Sylvia’s appearance. I knew that what I did next would affect more than our future. Kristen was very fragile right now, and it might affect her whole well-being.

So I picked her up and carried her to the window. I stood there with her in my arms and said, “My sweet love. I would love nothing more than to be your husband, and if I thought for a minute you would marry me, I’d rush downstairs and ask the minister to perform the ceremony right now. But you would realize halfway down the stairs that I’m still in high school and can’t support you, and you would run screaming for the nearest exit. So, why don’t we just look out the window, enjoy the beautiful view, and realize that we have our whole life ahead of us, and a lot more years to love each other.”

In a few minutes, and in a much stronger voice, she said, “Put me down. I’m going to the bathroom and straighten up. I want to finish what we started when I come out.” I set her down and she went into the bathroom. I was lying on the bed wondering what it would be like being married when she came back into the room. The girl standing in front of me now was the old Kristen, and she dropped to her knees and took as much of me into her mouth as she could. I was almost immediately hard, so she pushed me on my back and got on top of me. She was wet when I entered her this time, very wet, and that let us begin slamming into each other. There was nothing subtle about this. Everything about her was flailing around. Her hair and her breasts were flying up and down and she was loudly groaning. The slap-slap noise made by our bodies was so loud that I was worried they could hear it next door. We came together when we came, and our climaxes left both of us drained.

We were lying together enjoying the aftermath, when she said, “Will you forgive me for acting stupid?” “No problem. You’ve been a busy girl lately, and you’re allowed to get a little nutzo once in a while.” She was quiet for a while. Then, in her little girl voice, she asked me, “Would you really marry me if I insisted?” I shut her up with a long kiss. She was lying against me and my cock began to harden. She jumped up laughing when she felt it, and said that we had to get ready. We hopped into the shower together, and I started playfully grabbing her. She responded by giggling. She was obviously in a better mood.

She hurriedly dressed when we got out. She looked great, but it wasn’t last night’s spectacular look, and I asked why. She grinned and said, “This night is not for me. Don’t say anything, but wait till you see what’s going to happen to Amy and your mom. Now you relax for a while. I have to check on some arrangements.”

She left and I turned the TV on for a while. She came back a little after six, and we went to Mom’s and Amy’s room. They had brought some nice clothes along, and they were both in mid-length dresses. Amy had her hair up again and her makeup looked great. The longer dress made her look more mature, and although the wild look was gone, she actually looked prettier than she did last night.

Mom was on the phone. She was beautiful, as usual, and she was wearing one of my favorite dresses. It was pleated, and it shimmered when she moved. I loved to watch Dad and her dance when she wore it. It seemed to keep moving even after they stopped. She talked for a while, then she handed the phone to Kate. She said that it was Dad, and he wanted to congratulate Kate and Ben, and wish everyone a happy new year, so we all waited our turn. He wished me the same when I got on, and wanted to know if I was keeping my eye on Amy to ensure that she was having a good time. I laughed to myself, and assured him that she was.

We went down and had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant. I noticed signs everywhere that said we had to get in line at least forty-five minutes early for the main show. Kristen just laughed when I pointed that out to her. The show started at nine. I looked through the restaurant door at seven thirty, and saw that people were already lining up. The line was clear out of sight by eight o’clock, and Ben was even looking a bit nervous. Kristen just waved her hand in a calming motion, so we sat and waited.

She stood up at five minutes to nine, and we followed her to the big showroom doors. They were closed and locked. She tapped lightly, and an angry-looking man in a tuxedo opened one. He broke out in a big smile when he saw Kristen, said, “Oh, hello, Miss Mariani,” and escorted us to a large front row booth in the center of the theater. The room easily held a thousand people, and these were the best seats in the house. We got to our seats just as the house lights dimmed. An MC came out and welcomed everyone within seconds. He told a few jokes, then the lights dimmed again.

The first act was a handsome young magician named Mason Barlow. He regularly appeared at this hotel, and I had seen his ‘Magic Mason’ posters and ads all over Las Vegas. He appeared at the center of the stage in a flash of light. He was dressed in a tuxedo and did several impossible things using two beautiful assistants dressed in wild sequined outfits with feathered headdresses. He then got in a box on stage and, after much fanfare and flourishes from the assistants, the box fell open to reveal that he had disappeared. He appeared behind everyone at the entrance of the showroom a few seconds later!

Microphone in hand, he made his way back to the stage to tumultuous applause. He stopped when he passed our booth, announced that he needed a ‘Volunteer’ from the audience, then went directly to Amy and pulled her, protesting, from her seat. He took her on stage, amid applause from the audience, and talked to her for a few minutes. He asked her name, where she was from, etc., then asked her if she would help him with something. Amy surprised everyone by saying, “I’ll be happy to, Mr. Barlow, but I can’t imagine anyone as handsome as you needing help from a girl like me!” The audience laughed and applauded.

He gracefully bowed and said, “I’m always rendered helpless whenever I meet someone as beautiful as you, Miss Baker.” There was more laughter and applause from the audience as he led her to a bench that was resting center stage. His two assistants made a big show of getting her to lie down on it and I could see him talking to her as they were positioning her on her back. One of the assistants handed him a large silk sheet, which he waved around, showing everyone that it was just a simple sheet. He appeared to gently lay it over Amy, and he stood back.

The sheet reached the floor all around the bench, and you could see Amy’s outline under it. The rise of her breasts and body, even the toes of her shoes, were clearly outlined. He gestured dramatically, and the bench slowly began to rise. It stopped when it was a few feet off the floor, and he passed a large hoop over it to show that there were no cables holding it up, then it rose again until it was about eight feet off the stage. He walked under it and said a few words, then he reached up and pulled the sheet off. You could see all around and under it. Amy had disappeared! There was wild applause, and someone off stage asked “Where’s Amy?” when it died. The magician said, “I don’t know! I haven’t been able to figure out that part of the trick yet.”

More applause and laughter erupted from the audience, and he went on with the show. He did a few other tricks that involved his assistants, and he even got a few more people from the audience to work with him, but they all returned to their seats when he was finished. Then he went to center stage and talked about his final trick for this part of the show. He went on and on about how he learned it while traveling in the orient.

He finally took his jacket off and stepped into an upright box that was standing at the back of the stage. Smoke started rising from around the box, and it slowly rose until it was almost to the ceiling. There was a huge flash of light and the box opened and he stepped out into thin air. He stood there suspended while the box slowly returned to the stage, then he began flying around. He was at least twenty feet in the air, and I couldn’t see any wires holding him up even as close as we were.

His two assistants suddenly appeared from the sides of the stage at the same height as him. They appeared to fly around him for a while, then all three slowly began sinking to the floor. The door to the box on the stage opened when they were about halfway down, and a third assistant, dressed like the others, stepped out. She turned her back to the audience and reached up to him. He reached down, took her hand, and turned her around as he settled alongside her. Standing there with a big smile was Amy!

The curtain came down to thunderous applause, and the magician came out a few seconds later. He bowed a few times, then turned around and his three ‘assistants’ came out to more applause. The two regular girls stepped back, and he walked to the front of the stage with Amy and addressed the audience. He said, “I’m sure that you think that this beautiful girl is part of the act, but I assure you that she isn’t. I just met her, and she was kind enough to help us out. If it’s okay with her and you folks, I’d like to ask her to stick around for a while and help us out some more. What do you think?” There was a big burst of applause from the audience. Amy looked down at Mom who nodded, so Amy turned to the magician and said “Okay.” There was more applause, and the magician left the stage.

Amy looked fantastic in the wild outfit. At five foot seven, she was almost as tall as the other girls, and her body was every bit as good, but the really great part was how comfortable she seemed to be on stage. I turned to Kristen to comment on it, and discovered that she was looking at her pager. She must have had it on vibrate, because I didn’t hear it go off. She said, “I’ll be right back,” and ran up the aisle toward the back of the room. The show went on with an unbelievable juggling act. They were throwing chain saws, bowling balls, and everything else at each other. Kristen was gone quite a while, and she was smiling when she returned. We all asked her what she was grinning about, and all she would say was, “Wait until intermission.”

We sat wide-eyed through more fantastic acts. There were unicycle riders, a balancing act, even a fire-eating sword swallower. Every act seemed better and more dramatic than the one before it, and there was almost a sigh of relief from the audience when they broke for intermission. Most people got up to grab a smoke or hit the bar, but Kristen asked us to stay in our seats.

A young man suddenly appeared and asked Mom, Kate, and I if we would do an abbreviated version of the tango that we’d performed last night. Stunned, I looked at Mom and Kate. Mom shrugged and looked at me. I nodded okay, but Kate said that she’d better not, she’d had enough excitement for one day, but why didn’t she and I do a short version of the ‘No-touch’ dance. The man said that he would let us know. He was starting to leave when I asked him about Amy. He laughed and said, “She’s fine. Barlow hasn’t left her side. I think that he’s trying to get her to join his act.”

Lots of people were milling around, and I glanced at Kristen as he turned to leave. She had a big grin on her face, and I heard Mom gasp just then. Standing just a few feet away from us, with a big grin on her face, was Tammy! She hugged everyone, then stepped back and there stood Tony and his dad. She introduced them to everyone, but I noticed that she slipped her hand into Tony’s before she did. Mr. Mariani was very gracious, and I noticed that the people around us were beginning to recognize him. He raised his eyebrows when Tammy introduced him to Mom, then he smiled, bent, and kissed her hand.

I could see why this man was consistently successful at getting elected. He was very charming, and I saw that Mom was a little flustered for the first time since I could remember. We chatted until the house lights dimmed, and they went back to their seats. I saw that Tammy was safely tucked under Tony’s arm when they walked away. I had to admit that they made a cute couple.