Chapter 10

Todd woke up to the feeling of a warm mouth gently sucking on his very erect cock. He had been dreaming, or so he thought, a very erotic dream filled with vivid sensual imagery of a sexual night spent with Kelly.

As his eyes slowly took in the sight of Kelly's head bobbing up and down on his shaft, he realized it had not been a dream. It had finally happened. He and Kelly had totally consummated their relationship.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said.

Kelly stopped only long enough to shush him saying she was busy and returned to Todd's now throbbing dick. Throbbing because he was aware this wasn't a dream and her attentions to his shaft were bringing him precariously close to the edge.

Kelly could feel his glans swelling in her mouth and started to slow the pace down to make his climax last and to make it special for him. She had wanted to have him cum while still asleep but was just as pleased to feel him respond so vigorously to her ministrations knowing it was her sucking on his cock.

Gentle squeezing on his balls was enough to bring Todd over the edge and with bucking hips he shot his load into her eagerly waiting mouth. As he softened after the intense climax, Kelly continued to bathe his deflating cock, washing off with her tongue the remnants of last night's coupling. Todd moaned sporadically.

Finally, with a deep satisfied sigh, Kelly swung her legs off the bed and stood up.

"I think we better have a shower before we make an appearance, don't you?" she asked.

"Gee, I was kind of hoping to let everybody know we had a great time last night," Todd said with a wicked grin.

Kelly grabbed a pillow and took a swipe at Todd's head with it but he ducked around her and carried her to the shower.

They made slow leisurely love in the shower, Todd supporting Kelly's weight easily when her knees collapsed as her orgasm overtook her. Todd finished just seconds behind her.

Todd slipped into a fresh pair of scrub pants and a new Trek T he had recently bought on E-Bay. It was black with red and gold lettering that read: "Set phasers to lightly broiled."

Kelly laughed at his newest acquisition.

After he had brushed his teeth and was putting his personal effects away, he noticed the time. He rushed back in to the bathroom where Kelly was just applying a light touch of makeup.

"Do you realize it's nearly 11 o'clock?" he asked her.

"Wow! We were either really tired or we wore ourselves out!" Kelly quickly slipped on a white T-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. Sliding her feet into her sandals, she said, "I guess we better make an appearance before they think we do this on a regular basis."

Todd stopped in his tracks. Turned to Kelly and said, "It was wonderful, Kell, I hope that it does happen on a regular basis from now on." Then he kissed her.

Kelly felt butterflies in her stomach. "It was good, wasn't it, Todd. And if you like, it will be regular from now on."

They discovered quickly that the house was nearly deserted. Only Anna had remained to wait for them to wake up, and a smile lit up her face when she saw them.

"Good Morning," she said, "Grandpa has a surprise waiting for you, but told me I was to make sure you eat a hearty breakfast first. It's the most important meal of the day you know," she said solemnly. "And I'm going to make it for you!"

As they sat in the kitchen to eat Anna's idea of a hearty breakfast - blueberry waffles - Kelly's cell-phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Kelly," said Vanetta. "Do you remember Todd giving his cell-phone to Laura? She's beside herself. She was in class and had the phone turned off and when she turned it back on it said her voice mail message center was full. She didn't know how to retrieve them and came here to see if I could help her."

Vanetta laughed. "There were a lot of them! Peter from IC, that's all he said to identify himself, is in a panic. He needs Todd to be at a place called Brookhaven for the unveiling of some new modified boat."

It was Kelly's turn to laugh. Peter was high strung to start with and she could imagine him trying to locate Todd. "Why didn't he just call the studio?" she asked.

"Well," said Vanetta, "That's just it. I got three calls yesterday while I was here but the person calling just asked for Todd and didn't want to leave a message. Today he called again and asked where Todd was, and I just said he had flown out and that I wasn't sure when he would be back. I told him the last I heard you guys would be gone all weekend. I guess that's when he started calling Todd's cell."

"Thanks, Vanetta. We're actually headed there later. I'll have Todd give him a call. We'll be staying at the Hampton Inn in Brookhaven and you can give him my cell number if he calls again, but don't let on where we're at."

"Okay, will do, hold on..." said Vanetta. "Laura says she's just getting ready to fly out to meet up with you guys. Do you want her to bring anything?"

Kelly conferred with Todd for a minute and came back on line. "Vanetta, Todd says he has plenty of film with him. You know Todd, never brings enough clothes but has lots of film!"

Laughing at the joke, the girls hung up.

Todd just laughed with Kelly. "I know somebody will always call and ask me to take some pictures. Maybe that's why I always take the extra film." Todd's mood started to turn sullen. "But I have no idea of what Peter expects or wants. I don't particularly like having my plans disrupted. You don't call a pro and expect him to just be available. You book a shoot, you know that."

Kelly realized some of his childhood trauma was behind his sudden outburst of hostility. His mother in particular. She had always placed unreasonable expectations on him and then belittled or beat him when he failed to perform to her crazy standards.

Kelly let him work it out quietly. He had spent years learning to cope with the abuse he had suffered at the hands and words of his parents and she knew he would get over it as quickly as he had entered this mood. But she hadn't anticipated Anna's reaction.

Anna moved closer to Todd and put her arm around him. "I think I recognize those eyes now," she said quietly.

Todd looked up, and slowly his smile and good mood returned. Hugging Anna tightly he said, "Yes, sweetheart... Now you know." He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You are going to grow up to be a very special lady and you will make somebody very happy."

Anna blushed. She asked if they would like coffee or tea to which both Todd and Kelly said, "Yes, please!"

With a confused look, Anna asked, "You want coffee AND tea?"

Kelly explained she liked tea with honey and that Todd was a coffee addict. Anna promised to fix Todd's problem and uncovered an espresso machine.

"Yeah! That's the ticket," said Todd laughing. Turning to Kelly he said, "I guess I better call Peter. But this is going to cost him."

Kelly laughed as she envisioned how Todd would make Peter squirm.

She remembered her call to Vanetta and realized that while she had packed enough vitamins for an overnight trip, she had not packed enough for longer than that. She regretted that it was now to late to ask for Laura to bring more as this was going to be a long weekend.

With a cup of Earl Grey tea sweetened with honey, Kelly headed for the patio to have a cigarette before going with Todd to see Chuck's big surprise. She was content and not only feeling it, but from the looks she got from Anna, showing it as well.

Anna made Todd a large espresso that she brought out to the patio for him. She was quite taken with Todd, and a secret wink from Todd caused her to blush again.

"Hello, Peter, I hear you've been trying to find me."

Peter quickly explained that he needed Todd to go to Brookhaven to take publicity photos of a new boat that IC was introducing that Monday. How important it was because the rumor mill had already been started and the shares should be flying by Tuesday. Lots of media outlets were already making their way to a small resort island in South Carolina because of the rumors. Had Todd ever heard of Brookhaven?

Todd said the name sounded familiar but had never been there, nor did he let on that he was headed there that very afternoon. "Actually, Peter, if you're getting all this press coverage, what do you need me for? I'm on a short vacation."

Peter explained that while the press would be there in force, IC still needed to have a presence there as well. And they'd need the photos for the Press Release for their record-breaking boat.

"Well, it's a long way for me to travel, Peter, but I understand. Just as long as you understand IC will be picking up the tab for this little trip plus a little extra for lack of notice and cutting into my vacation."

Peter readily agreed and after telling Todd the boat would be at Short Creek Marina, and that he would meet him there on Sunday, they hung up.

Todd laughed and said to Kelly, "Now we can bill as much of this trip to IC as we want."

Kelly nodded but said nothing. She could see there was something tugging on his mind. She knew well enough to let him think it out. She lit another and waited. Anna had quietly disappeared.

Finally Todd looked up and with a calm yet calculating seriousness in his eyes and voice said to Kelly, "Our stocks are doing okay, right? I mean... we're not losing anything in this crazy market."

Kelly leaned forward; she caught the drift of where Todd was headed. "Yeah, they're holding steady. Growing at a steady rate, no major losses. Why, what's that Mensa mind of yours thinking of?"

"Well, I'm not much on hunches, Kell, but we met the James Gang on a shoot for IC. Now Peter is desperate to have me shoot publicity photos of a new boat and he said something about IC shareholders. AND... is it just coincidence that we're meeting the James Gang at Brookhaven on the same weekend?"

"You think it's connected?" asked Kelly. "I know that Chuck thinks a lot about their abilities..." She let the thought hang.

"I think we should look into it is what I'm thinking," said Todd.

Kelly quickly dialed the broker who handled TKO's investments. "Jim, it's Kelly. Can you tell me how InterCoastal is doing?"

She waited a minute before Jim came back on the line.

"That's an interesting question, Kelly," Jim said. "IC has been a steady performer but has seen some ups and downs lately. It opened at $33.00 a share on Thursday but has crept up to 44 as of now. Hmmm, maybe it's just a better than expected earning statement. You want some of it?" he paused, "Do you know anything about this?"

"Nothing, but thanks, Jim. I've got to talk it over with Todd first. I'll call you back in an hour."

Just as she finished explaining what Jim had said to Todd, Anna returned with Brenda.

Kelly got up and gave Brenda a big kiss and thanked her for the champagne and cheese.

Brenda raised her eyebrows in a questioning look. "Well? Details, girl!"

Blushing in front of Todd, she whispered in Brenda's ear, "I guess I'm not a lesbian after all. At least not exclusively."

Brenda glanced at Todd who seemed to be very content and relaxed, gave Kelly another kiss and said, "I'm happy for you, babe."

"You know you two do an awful lot of kissing," said Anna.

"That's because we're special friends," said Brenda.

Anna just gave one of her "I don't think I'm being told the whole story" looks.

"Anna told Chuck you guys were finally up, and he wanted to know if you were ready to see what he's got," said Brenda.

"As ready as we're ever going to be," said Todd getting out of his chair.

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Kelly's cell rang again.

It was Chris. "Kelly, we have a problem."

Kelly groaned. "What's the problem, Chris?"

"It seems your friend has never flown before and she's spooked."

Kelly laughed and asked for Laura to be put on the phone.

A minute later a sniffling Laura was on the line.

"I'm sorry for being such a pain, Kelly," she managed to get out. "I thought this was going to be fun and I was looking forward to it and all but then I got here, parked the car and then I saw that little plane..."

"It's okay, Honey. They're actually safer than the big planes. But I understand. That's why I take a Gravol before I fly. It helps calm my stomach nerves. Chris should have some there."

"But Kelly..."

"Laura... think of this like your first experience with sex, back when you were still a virgin. It will be as exciting as you know it can be, but the first time is always a little bit scary. Besides, Honey, we miss you."

"Okay. I'll do it for you guys. Gee... some jet setter I'm going to make, eh?"

Kelly laughed. "Tell Chris you want to fly shotgun. The view is much better from the co-pilot's seat. Hang on and I'll let Todd tell you how much he wants to see you and he'll tell you all about the fancy hotel room the three of us will be sharing tonight!"

Kelly handed the phone over to Todd quickly explaining Laura's sudden onset of alto-phobia.

"Hi, Laura," Todd said in that soft soothing voice he could use so well. "Sweetheart, trust me. You aren't afraid of flying or of heights. It's just new to you and we just flew down in the very same plane yesterday. Chris is going to fly you himself, and you can't ask for a better pilot or one with more experience. You said you wanted to travel, well this is a good place to start cause you can't get everywhere by car."

Laura promised to buck up and get her act together.

"I'm proud of you, Laura. You'll be here in about an hour saving a lot of road travel time and with the suite we have waiting for us, I'm sure we can put the extra time to good use."

While Todd was busy on the phone with Laura, Kelly took the opportunity to ask Brenda some questions.

"Brenda, have you guys done any work for InterCoastal lately, besides model?"

"Yeah, we cleaned up a couple of their designs. Why do you ask?"

"We got this urgent call from Peter begging Todd to go to Brookhaven on Sunday to take some publicity photos for this new boat."

"Yep, that would be the Monster Cuddy that we got to go 80mph for them. It's going to set a new industry standard - they bolted a monster engine to a slow hull and we managed to make it perform as expected. I just hope Todd has fast film!"

Kelly laughed. "His shutter is faster!"

"So," said Brenda, "How did it really go last night?"

"Oh, Brenda. I was so nervous, but then I remembered what you said and instead of trying to take charge, I just went along with Todd and we had a glorious time in the tub and then an even better time in bed. It was pure love and pure sex all combined to make for a perfect night."

Brenda hugged Kelly and said, "I am so glad. I wanted you to be able to share that kind of love with Todd as well as with Laura."

Kelly stepped back and snapping her fingers and shaking her hips she sang:

"Pure love,
Baby It's pure love.
99-44/ 100 percent pure love."

"Kelly, you know you could make a living at singing," Brenda said with a smirk.

Kelly looked at her suspiciously. "How do you figure?"

"Well..." said Brenda backing away slowly, "I know I'd pay you to stop!"

Kelly chased her into the house and was kissing her and tickling her; both girls were laughing when Todd and Anna found them.

Anna excused herself saying she had things to do, so it was Brenda who escorted them to the conference room where she had made her own presentation last Sunday.

Chuck beamed a big smile at them and ushered them into the conference room.

All along the wall were copies of Todd's best action photo of the year. All in poster size and the printer, who must have worked all night on the job, had superimposed the Regan Boat logo in the empty corner along with the TKO logo, Todd's name as photographer and Sara's name as the model.

"Wow," said Todd. "You've got a good printer, Chuck."

The original print had been scanned at a very high resolution and cropped at the top and bottom to fit a double page magazine spread. Then the printer had used a photo quality laser printer and printed them on high gloss photo stock.

Brenda and Kelly sat with Chuck as they watched Todd the professional carefully scrutinize the finished product.

Todd was impressed. Somebody at Chuck's printer had a good photo eye and had done as good a job of cropping as Todd could have. The posters were impressive. With the cropping, the boat, with Sara as the driver, was the center point of the photo and the quality of detail was so good that individual water drops could be clearly seen on both the boat and the spray behind the stern. Even the detail in Sara's hair was crystal clear.

"Of course we'll need the original negative to have proper prints made to send to the magazine," Chuck said, "and we'll send along one of these as an example of how we think it should look." He handed Todd and Kelly each a 7 x 11 inch glossy print. "These should do well for Sara's fans," he said laughing.

"7 x 11's" Todd said. "Exactly half the size of a magazine center truck. Somebody's been doing some thinking!"

"That girl is going to be impossible," said Brenda. "Can you imagine living with a centerfold?"

"An international centerfold!" Chuck said.

Brenda laughed. "Now we'll never get her to wear panties again!"

Chuck looked sideways at Brenda, "Are you pulling my leg?"

"It's a long story, Chuck, but the short version is that Sara stopped wearing them when James kept taking them." Brenda sighed remembering those early days when they were all still in school full time.

Chuck sighed and shook his head. The girls of the "James Gang" were all pleasant visual distractions and as Todd had said, not bound by conventional standards. He grabbed a thick box of the 7 x 11's and asked if Kelly could deliver them to Sara.

Kelly said she would be delighted.

"I've asked Bob, my chief engineer, to take you down to Brookhaven when you're ready to go," said Chuck. "He's got a meeting with a dealer in Savannah, so it won't be far out of the way."

"Do you mind if we go back to the house, Chuck?" Kelly asked. "We're expecting, hoping our friend will be flying in soon."

"That's no problem," said Chuck, "we can have lunch on the patio and watch her land."

Chuck picked up a phone, called the house and had the cook prepare a light lunch.

"Did somebody mention lunch?" A perky blonde asked sticking her head in the door.

Wearing a white t-shirt and shorts, it was clearly evident Amanda had 'forgotten' to wear a bra again.

Chuck sighed again. In a way he envied James his youth and vitality.

"Wow! Get a load of Sara!" said Amanda looking at the posters. "Can I have one of these? I always wanted a pinup!"

Everybody laughed. Amanda was like an opened bottle of champagne. The bubbly kept on flowing.

"If you want to eat lunch with us instead of all those drooling men downstairs, we'll be on the patio in ten minutes," said Chuck.

"Cool! I've been running 'sims' all morning and my eyes are getting tired. I could use a break."

"I'll bet her eyes aren't as tired as those of the guys working with her," Brenda smirked.

"Jealousy of my assets will get you nowhere," Amanda replied with a feigned haughtiness as she bounced out of the room.

Kelly and Brenda followed behind her.

Chuck sighed again and sat down. "Care for a coffee, Todd?"

"What about lunch?" Todd asked. "Shouldn't we be heading that way?"

"Plenty of time, Todd," Chuck laughed. "I know my cook."

"Well then, I'm always up for coffee," Todd grinned.

Chuck called and asked for two coffees.

"Well, Todd, I've got to hand it to you. That picture is going to be very popular and won't hurt sales here at all."

"Chuck..." Todd hesitated. "Are sales going to hurt any when InterCoastal unveils their new boat?"

Chuck laughed. "No. It's a big and varied market. Kind of like your cameras. There's a big difference between your camera and a 35mm. So all good publicity about any boat will only push all boat sales higher. People buy according to their needs and their budgets. The smaller bass boats probably account for the biggest share of units sold."

Chuck's secretary bringing in fresh brewed coffee interrupted their conversation.

"The reason I asked is because I know the James Gang is also doing work for InterCoastal. I thought it might cause a conflict."

Chuck shook his head. "No, no conflict at all. Like I said, different markets."

"Another reason I asked is because Kelly and I, we've done pretty good since we started out and though we don't play stocks at all, we do have some investments in really well-researched companies. We've never even considered recreational or sports investments, but I've got to tell you... this group... they make things work and I got a call from IC this morning asking me to be at Brookhaven on Sunday to take some publicity shots of their new model. Somewhere in the conversation it slipped out that these pictures, actually the boat itself, was going to affect stock value."

Chuck nodded his head slowly and took a sip of his coffee before he answered.

"Todd, my rule for stocks is never play the market unless you can afford to lose it all with no regrets. I never advise people to invest in anything except government bonds. But I understand what you're saying. It's hard to ignore what these kids are involved in."

"Based on what you know, would you ignore all these hints?"

Chuck sighed. "Like I said, Todd, I never tell people to invest. However, as a friend, I will add that THIS time I won't tell you not to invest either."

"Thanks, Chuck. We were leaning that way, but we don't know a thing about the boating industry and we're not players. If it wasn't for the James Gang, I wouldn't have even given this a second thought."

Chuck laughed. "The James Gang... you realize that the last time that name carried any real weight was when Frank and Jesse rode with the Younger brothers?"

Fifteen minutes later Chuck and Todd strolled leisurely onto the patio. The cook had prepared fresh salads and grilled liver smothered with onions along with roasted baby spuds.

Anna had reappeared. Being the youngest and the smallest allowed her to slip quietly in and out of places, which was how she had introduced herself to her grandfather's business. She had spent years watching and learning from some of the most skilled people in boating and probably knew as much about boats at her young age as graduating design engineers.

Kelly and Todd had little to eat because of their late breakfast and excusing themselves went indoors to wash up.

Finding themselves alone in the bedroom for a few minutes, Todd filled Kelly in on the not so subtle hint Chuck had given him about IC stock.

Kelly was quick to grab her cell phone.

"Why the rush, Kell?" Todd had asked.

"The latest we can place a buy order is 4:30," she explained. "The share prices have already climbed $11 in just one day, and if we wait until Monday morning the international players will have driven the price even higher. Since we want to maximize our purchasing power, we need to get in as soon as and at the best price possible."

Todd nodded and Kelly made the call.

"Jim? What's the current price of InterCoastal?"

She turned to Todd when she got the reply. "$48 a share. How big do you want to go?"

Todd did the math quickly in his head and said "Up to a hundred grand."

Turning back to the phone Kelly told Jim to purchase 2,000 shares. "You might want to look into it, Jim, maybe give Steve a call. IC is going to be unveiling a new boat on Monday."

"Okay, Kelly," Jim said. "I'll put your buy order in right now and then I'll give Steve a buzz. I know he trusts your judgment." He didn't bother to add that he would be calling a few of his other clients as well. Todd and Kelly didn't play the speculate game.

It wasn't a really big investment on TKO's part but it made them feel closer to the James Gang and that was what made it a thrill.

Back on the patio, Chuck and Todd were still teasing Brenda about the Beatles. Anna had slipped back inside and brought Todd out another espresso for which he gave her a giant hug and smile. Amanda and Kelly were talking about fashion. It was a beautiful scene.

Just after 1:00 o'clock, Kelly's cell phone rang.

"Hey! What's the weather like down there?"

Kelly swiveled in her seat looking skyward. Laura had to be above.

"You sound like you're enjoying yourself," Kelly said.

"It's fantastic! Chris just called in to somebody named 'control' and he's gotten permission to do something." Laura was yelling in the phone trying to talk over the sound of the engine. "Now he's talking on his CB to somebody down where you are. Oops... Chris just told me it's not a CB but a VHS."

Chuck looked at the lake and watched as it was quickly emptied of all boats. "That must be your friend," Chuck said. "Obviously somebody is planning on making a landing."

A minute later, up high and from the north, the shape of the Cessna could be seen.

"Your pilot is pretty high up there," said Chuck with a hint of concern in his voice. "And it seems like he's still climbing."

All eyes were turned skyward as the Cessna came closer to the lake.

"Well," said Kelly to Todd, "this should either cure her fear of flying or she'll never get on a plane again."

Todd nodded, his eyes on the plane. To Chuck he said, "Chris must be doing that for a reason. He's a seasoned vet with combat experience."

Kelly, no real fan of flying, sat back and lit a cigarette with nervous fingers. Chuck and Todd headed down towards the lake watching as the plane turned slowly on a wing and then raced down in a sharp descent towards the lake.

Audible gasps could be heard as the Cessna came closer and closer to the water with no signs of leveling out. Everyone now moved to the waterfront expecting the worst when at about 200 feet the Cessna pulled out of its steep descent. With the engine roaring it pulled back up and overshot the lake, slowing as it made a final turn and slowed to a glide smoothly touching down on the water. It coasted over to the dock where its applauding audience waited.

Laura bounded out of the plane in a light blue jump suit, and judging from her nipple status, aroused and braless. Kelly wasn't sure but she thought she even saw a dark spot between her legs. Getting her balance she fell into Todd's arms giving him a big kiss before blushing and greeting Chuck. She then gave Kelly the same deep kiss and hug.

Chris got out of the plane as well. Introductions were made all around. Chuck shook Chris' hand vigorously saying he was always pleased to meet a fellow vet.

"How about a coffee before you take off again?" Chuck asked.

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Chris.

Anna, lady and hostess of the house, asked Chris if he would prefer an espresso.

Chris smiled, "Now there's a young lady after my own heart. That's high octane fuel for us Tail Hookers."

Anna left to make Chris an espresso while Amanda checked out the Cessna.

Chris watched her with interest. "Do you like planes? Want to go for a ride, little lady?"

Chuck turned to hide the smile he was sure was going to crack his jaw.

"It's a nice plane, Mister," she said in a soft girl's voice.

Brenda and Chuck were both holding their breath now.

"But I wouldn't leave the plane out too long. You know this engine has a tendency to stall out on take-off throttle when it's cool - especially the fuel-injected ones." Amanda looked down the lake, "And the 9500 feet you need to clear the trees won't leave you much insurance."

Chris stared, then mumbled an apology for assuming while his face turned beet red.

Amanda laughed. "It's okay. I'm used to people judging my abilities by my looks instead of my brains. Most of the people I teach at the flight school make that mistake. Once. You know what they say when you assume."

Chris said, "Yep, and I think I made a real Ass out of myself."

Everybody laughed this time. Todd grabbed Laura's weekend bag and the group headed back to the patio.

"Well, I hate to eat and run, but I've got to get back to the drawing board," said Amanda. She gave both Todd and Kelly a kiss on the cheek. "It was great seeing you guys again. I guess I'll see you at the Grand Opening next week?"

Kelly and Todd both said they wouldn't miss it for the world.

Brenda was looking at Laura who was looking at Brenda.

"So you're..." they both started off at the same time causing a fit of laughter. With the ice broken they hugged each other.

"I've heard a lot about you," said Brenda.

"That's funny," said Laura with a smile, "I've heard a lot about you."

Chuck and Chris were swapping war stories and comparing the Intruder to the Tomcats, and engine changes in general from their respective eras in the service. In particular the two men talked about the current state of military action in the world and how times had changed.