Chapter 15

Kelly watched Laura drive out of sight before she turned and entered her house. It felt a bit strange being alone for the first time after all these weeks. She let out a sigh and put on the kettle to make a cup of tea.

Soon the kettle was singing as she stood leaning against the counter with a cigarette in hand, staring out over the lush back garden. The sound of the back door opening stirred her from her reverie and she smiled as she took Gloria's coffee mug from the cupboard.

"Hi, G! Isn't it a wonderful day!"

Gloria smiled as she made herself a cup of coffee, taking three spoons of the rich raw sugar as usual. "You look happy," she said.

"Oh, G, you don't know how happy I am!"

"Good."

Neither woman said much more as they sat to drink. Kelly didn't question how after over a week's absence, Gloria wouldn't ask where she had been or how she would know that today she really needed her help. Years of experience had taught her that Gloria just somehow knew, and the older woman would never pry or ask where Kelly had been.

"I'm glad you're here, G. I have to get the guest room ready for a couple of young models who will be staying with me for about a month."

"You no fret 'bout it girl, we get it done soon enough."

Kelly lit up another and relaxed. Gloria had a calming effect on her.

Gloria looked at the cigarette Kelly had lit up. "Chil' don't you think maybe it be time to give dat up?"

Kelly looked at Gloria in surprise. She had never suggested to Kelly that she should stop smoking.

"After all these years you're going to tell me that my smoking bothers you?"

"No baby, it no bother me. Me thinks maybe you should slow down a bit now."

Kelly wanted to pursue the subject further, but G wasn't going to talk about it any more, and changed the subject.

Kelly shrugged. It was something else she had learned about Gloria over the years. When she was ready to say something she would and nothing could make her talk about it before. She spent the next half hour telling Gloria about the weekend, the trip to Chuck's and then to Brookhaven, Laura with the dolphins and the horseback riding.

Gloria nodded as Kelly told her story. Kelly was the happiest she had ever seen her. The Obi-man had been right. All that had been missing from Kelly's life had been something to tie her to Mr. Todd. If that something was Laura, well, that was okay too. Gloria wasn't going to judge.

She still remembered meeting Kelly for the first time at the Guesthouse in 1995, and the dark cloud she saw in her soul. She had asked the Obi-Man about her then, and he told Gloria "She will be important in your life, and your family." How important she hadn't guessed, but here she was with her children in another country, making a future for themselves.

Kelly had grown a lot smarter over the years that followed, but that dark cloud never lifted until Laura came into their lives.

Todd opened the door to look right into the chest of one of the biggest men he had ever seen. Todd worked out very regularly with free weights as well as his other exercises, but this man, he was built like an oak tree.

"Mr. Ayres?" the tree asked.

Todd looked up to find the face from which the voice had come. "Yes?" he finally got out.

"We've got a delivery of gym equipment for you."

"Yes, I was expecting you. I have a shipping dock at the back of the studio if that will make things easier."

"It sure will. This stuff is big and heavy. We're to set it up for you. I hope you've got room for it."

"I cleared it all out last week," said Todd. "There should be plenty of room. I'll go and open up the bay door."

As the tree walked away Todd noticed another big man doing stretching exercises beside a large truck.

Laura had parked her car and rushed into the campus just in time to make a lecture about relationships. As the professor went on about healthy relationships, Laura smiled to herself. She wondered how he would feel about the relationship she was involved in.

The professor seemed to think jealousy was the cause of most relationships failing. Jealousy of possessions and of relationships the other had with friends. The second worst sin in a relationship was communications, or rather a lack thereof. Laura felt that while the professor made some legitimate arguments, she couldn't see how they were applicable to her situation and skimmed through the textbook looking for things she could relate to. Laura finally found it in a section marked users and enablers.

Using a highlighter she marked sections of the chapter that described her life before Todd and Kelly. She saw how foolish she had been allowing the jock to use her and how she had let it happen. Her mind was brought back to the present when the professor mentioned that no relationship could ever truly be society's ideal of each partner giving 100 percent. "I consider any relationship good if both partners give 51 percent," he said. "That's over 100 percent between the two of them, and something obtainable. A bit of give and take and you can find that happy middle ground that will lead to a lasting relationship."

Laura gave his statement a lot of thought. She knew that she gave everything to her relationship with Todd and Kelly and knew they did as well. She beamed. "Wow, that's 300 percent!" she thought to herself.

After the lecture, study units were handed out, and then she headed off to the library to access the computers and do a bit of studying. She quickly found she could relate much of what the text discussed based on her parents' relationship. She realized she had been lucky to have had such a supportive family.

She felt a touch on her shoulder and turned to see Vanetta standing with a tall, slim man with a beard and a scholarly look. Laura beamed at Vanetta, "Hi Vanetta! Are you in for classes today, too?"

"Just a couple today," Vanetta said, "And to pick up more study units. I find I can get a lot more done on my own at the studio than I can here at school."

"I'm looking forward to that day," said Laura. "But since this is my first semester of the first year, I think I better put in an appearance, don't you think?"

"Hell girl, they don't even notice you. I agree there are some lectures you should try to catch, but you can get them on the computer at the studio or at Kelly's just as easy. Everything's electronic now."

Robert cleared his throat.

"Yes," said Vanetta rolling her eyes in mock exasperation. "Laura, this is Robert, my boyfriend. Robert, this is Laura."

Robert formally shook Laura's hand and asked, "So you're Todd's new girlfriend?"

Laura smiled. "Yes, I guess I am."

Todd watched quietly as the two men unloaded the equipment and set it up in the bay that Todd usually reserved for shooting boats and cars.

The tree took out an electronic measuring device and took notes of the dimensions of the large bay. Finally satisfied with the 18-foot ceiling height they began to set up the Uneven Parallel Bars, attaching guy wires to stacks of donut shaped weights.

"Is all that weight really necessary?" asked Todd. "They aren't really going to be performing any workout routines."

The tree, who had introduced himself as Jim, looked at Todd. "Don't matter. We do it right or we don't do it at all."

"Sorry," said Todd. "I wasn't trying to tell you how to do your job."

"It's okay," said Jim with a smile. "People forget their physics when they watch gymnasts. They pull a lot of torque when they come out of a full body spin."

Next they brought in a Balance Beam and a Vault. Jim said, "Your models won't be able to do much with the vault other than a few simple moves. We brought along a small tramp to help them launch with, but don't expect them to be able to do anything fancy on it. If you want more on the Vault, you'll have to sacrifice the tumbling track."

"No, that's fine," said Todd. "As long as they can mount it and hold a pose for a second, that's all I really need."

They pulled out large rolls of double sided tape and laid down a 30-foot length of tumbling mat that was six feet wide.

During a break from the lifting and locking equipment into place, Todd offered them a drink. They both chose mineral water, and Todd learned they were former Olympic athletes. In their field, there was no money after they retired, but during their training years they had finished college and CrossTrain Sports had hired them as safety advisors and fitness promoters. They went around to schools all over the country talking to budding athletes and doing free inspections on the school's gym equipment.

"You look pretty fit," said the one who introduced himself as Matt. "Work out much?"

"I go to the gym three times a week for a few hours," said Todd, "and when I can, I like a full day workout that includes Tae-Bo and running."

"Get some swimming in if you can," said Jim. "It'll help keep your joints limber."

Matt laughed. "Jimbo's right. He was a fullback in college but his knees let him down. Tried hammer and discus for a few years, but now he's pretty well just a weight man."

Todd looked at 'Jimbo' figuring him to be a good 300 pounds of muscle. "How much do you press?"

"Ah, on a good day I can do 400, but those days are getting fewer and fewer. Mostly I just keep on lifting to keep the muscle tone."

As they went back to work, they locked everything securely and then covered the entire floor with mats. It had taken them nearly five hours to get everything into place, tested, and approved. The last item out of the box was a rather large wardrobe box filled with both school type athletic uniforms and custom exotic ones. With handshakes that could have crushed coconuts, they said goodbye and promised they would be back to pick up the equipment when Todd was ready.

"The Boss said for you to take your time. He's hoping the new uniforms will be an added bonus to the equipment sales. That stuff the kids in school are wearing on the equipment is often a hazard." Matt added.

As they drove away, Todd realized that he had not had a proper workout in nearly a week, so he locked up and headed downtown to his gym. He was going to need to develop his stamina to keep up to the two loves in his life!

Kelly and Gloria had cleaned up the guest room and replaced the linen, laid out towels and other items the girls might need. Satisfied the room would do, the two women relaxed in front of the TV to watch G's favorite soap opera. Kelly wasn't into soaps, but she loved to watch Gloria's reactions as she told the fictional characters who was cheating on whom and who was doing the wrong thing.

Kelly started to doze off half way through the program and finally Gloria convinced her to take a nap.

Yawning, Kelly thanked G for all her help, peeled off her clothes, and climbed into bed. Within minutes she was out like a light.

Gloria left after her soap was finished, locking the door behind her. Had she waited another ten minutes she would have met Laura who had checked at the studio after classes and finding it empty, headed to Kelly's.

Kelly was fast asleep on her bed, spread-eagled on her stomach and having the most erotic dream. Someone was lightly stroking the cheeks of her ass while a finger explored the contours of her pussy as it pouted between her spread legs. Responding to her dream lover she rolled over, one hand moving to touch a nipple while the other stole between her legs to feel the thick bush adorning her seeping lips.

Something was wrong! The feel of the luxurious hair finally percolated through and her sleep-fogged mind reminded her that she had kept her pubes trimmed for years, then the tongue sliding between her nether lips brought her eyes open with a snap.

"OOH!"

Laura had seen Kelly's Elantra parked in the driveway and let herself in with the key Kelly had given her that morning. Hearing nothing in the quiet house, she decided to have a look before leaving and found Kelly in the bedroom in the most pleasant condition.

Nude.

She sat quietly for almost half an hour, watching her lover sleep, and thinking of their three-way romance, but temptation had finally gotten the better of her. She stripped and carefully joined Kelly on the bed, trying not to wake her.

At first she had been content to just stroke Kelly's ass. It was so firm, so tight, and so delicious looking. But she soon slid her other hand underneath Kelly to cup her vulva. Then Kelly had turned in her sleep, and that flawless skin was too much for Laura to resist. She slid down the bed and placed her head between Kelly's legs and slowly started to extend her tongue towards the secret treasure. As Laura's tongue made its first exploratory strokes Kelly had buried her hand in Laura's hair and woke up. Seeing it was not a dream but Laura, Kelly murmured, "Hi Sweetheart," before falling back to enjoy the pleasurable sensations her lover administered with her tongue and hands. It didn't take long before Kelly had her first orgasm, but Laura continued on and pushed Kelly into a second.

Kelly collapsed on the bed pulling Laura up so the two could kiss. Kelly could taste her own love juices on Laura's lips and moaned into her mouth, letting her hand slide down to gently brush Laura's pubic mound.

Kelly was surprised to find Laura without panties, and gently pushing the string of the tampon aside, began to stroke Laura's clit. Laura was soon panting into Kelly's mouth as she approached her first climax.

As Laura crested, Kelly began to kiss her way down Laura's body, taking extra time to feast on those two delectable globes with their puckered brown nipples. As Kelly moved further down, Laura stopped her. "I'm sorry, Honey," she said sadly. "I'm not ready to go that far yet."

"Well then, maybe you're ready to try something a bit different?" Kelly asked.

Laura was a bit skeptical but she trusted Kelly so she nodded her head.

Kelly pulled her own Magic Wand out of the bedside drawer and slipped a lubricated condom over top of the tennis ball sized head. Laura looked at her quizzically.

"It's easier to just take the rubber off afterwards and not have to worry about cleaning the unit itself," Kelly explained. With the Magic Wand ready to go, Kelly closed her legs and physically maneuvered Laura into a position where she was straddling Kelly, their pelvic bones just touching.

"Scoot down just a little bit, Honey," Kelly said. "We need a bit of room for our friend here."

Intrigued, Laura moved down far enough to see the two pubic patches just slightly apart. Kelly turned the vibrator on low and slid it between them resting it on her own clit and instructing Laura to position herself so that her clit would be in direct contact with the vibe as well. She gasped as the powerful motor made contact.

"Now it's up to you to use your imagination," Kelly told her. "You can lean back, lean forward, or sit up straight. Whatever feels best to you."

Her eyes closed with pleasure, Laura tried a variety of positions. She could tell by Kelly's ragged breathing the vibrations were bringing her close to climax. Laura was not far behind and dug her fingers into her calves as she leaned back to direct her clit right on the buzzing head. Then Kelly turned up the power and both girls crossed their peaks.

Slowing the motor down again, Kelly encouraged Laura to try different positions and to keep riding her. Kelly's hips were gyrating underneath.

Three strong climaxes later, Laura collapsed on Kelly. "God, where did you ever learn that?" she asked.

"I told you I attended a lot of lectures," Kelly laughed. She turned off the vibrator and pulled it out from between the two of them. She peeled the condom off and wrapped it in tissue, but not before Laura noticed a few spots of blood on it. She blushed furiously.

"God, I'm sorry Kell," she said. "I've probably got some on you as well."

"Honey... It's only blood. Remember? I'm a woman too!"

Laura rolled off Kelly and the two just cuddled till they both fell asleep.

Todd had an excellent workout in the gym, building up his heart rate and a good sweat during three intense sessions. He remembered the men who had come to set up the equipment. He had no desire to build that kind of muscle mass, but looking in the mirror was pleased to see he was well toned and his muscles well defined.

Todd showered at the gym, dressed, and drove his Tracker to the dealership for an oil change and a wash. He was flipping through some old sports magazines as he waited in the reception area when the owner came out to see him.

"Hey Todd, I see you made the national papers again."

"Hi Erik," Todd said. "Which paper am I in?"

"I've seen you in three so far," Erik said, "the ones I subscribe to for the customers. Some kind of fancy boat."

Todd laughed. "I had almost forgotten about that, Erik. It was a busy weekend."

Erik opened up two papers and showed two different pictures of the Cuddy. "Hell, there's even a small one in the Wall Street Journal."

"The Journal?" Todd asked.

Erik shuffled sections of paper around until he found it. It was on an inside page along with a short write up about IC unveiling its new boat.

"Thanks, Erik, I guess I should pay more attention to the news."

"No problem, my friend. Your truck should be ready in about ten minutes."

Todd looked at the article in the Journal. According to the writer, this was the reason InterCoastal stock had risen so dramatically in the last week. Testing of the speed and stability of the new Cuddy exceeded all industry standards for a boat of this size and type, and had broken a speed record for its class. The article went on about the new stabilizing wing the boat incorporated and how this was going to set new industry standards for safety, speed and fuel economy.

Smiling, Todd unclipped his phone and called Kelly.

Kelly and Laura had stripped the sheets off the bed and tossed them in the wash, then decided to take a relaxing bath while the machine was running. They were just drying off when the phone rang.

Kelly answered.

"Hi, Babe," said Todd. "Have you bothered to check with Peter on how the publicity pictures worked out for him?"

"I never even thought about it," said Kelly. "Actually I think I forgot about the whole thing."

"Well, I was just having the Tracker serviced and Erik pointed out to me that the pictures were in three different papers in his shop alone. One of them was the Wall Street Journal."

"The Journal?"

Todd laughed. "Yeah, that was my reaction too, but he showed it to me. It's with an article about the rapid climb in the InterCoastal stock price."

"Well, Laura and I were getting ready to head to the studio. How about instead of us going there, you come here? The weather is nice and we can light up the barbeque."

"That sounds good," Todd said, "want me to bring anything?"

"No, just bring your body over. That's all we need!"

Todd laughed. "I'll see you in about an hour, babe. I have one more errand to run." After Kelly hung up she explained to Laura the change in plans and pulled three steaks out of the freezer.

"Kelly," Laura said, "I was talking to Vanetta at school today and she said there's no real reason to attend classes, that they broadcast lectures on the Internet to registered students and I can do all my studies at home."

"Yep, that's why they call it distant learning," Kelly said.

"Well I was thinking that I should get a new computer. The one I had my sister uses a lot and I'd hate to take that from her. I've still got money left from the settlement and thought if you didn't mind I could set it up here."

"Oh, Sweetheart," Kelly said, "you just tell your sister to keep your old computer. You don't need to buy one. There's three at the studio and I have one here."

"But I don't want to inconvenience you," Laura said.

Kelly laughed. "Don't you fret about that, my pretty, Vanetta uses one at the studio all the time. And I rarely use mine. Why waste the money?"

"Well, if you're sure it's okay..."

Kelly gave Laura a swat on her butt. "How can you even ask such a question when we share everything else?"

Laura laughed and agreed. Together they put fresh sheets on the bed and headed to the kitchen to prepare supper.

Todd stopped off at the studio to pick up his containers of used chemicals. About once a year he took them to a small shop that specialized in recycling chemicals. While there were no chemicals in Todd's soup that could be reused, they would extract the silver particles from the processing solution for a fee. The silver was melted down and turned into one ounce silver coins with the TKO logo on one side and the weight, content purity and the symbol for recycled on the other. It cost Todd nearly as much to have this process done as they were worth, but he felt better knowing he was not contributing to the pollution of the planet. Currently he had over 100 of the coins sitting in the safe with his proof sheets and negatives.

After dropping off the chemicals, and with clean storage jars in his truck, he headed to Kelly's, picking up a copy of the Journal on the way.

Todd liked the outdoor barbeque at Kelly's, part of the remodeling of her back yard. Todd could almost taste the meat that he knew Kelly was preparing her special way.

Todd parked his Tracker and as he stepped out he could hear the girls laughing in the back yard.

Todd was finally relaxed. He was lying in the hammock in Kelly's backyard with a cold beer after a super meal prepared by the girls while Kelly and Laura were sitting in reclining loungers sipping on mineral water.

"That weekend must have really worn me out," Todd said. "As well as I slept last night with my sleeping beauties, I was still tired today and you know, I had totally forgotten about Peter sending those pictures out to the papers."

"I know what you mean," said Kelly. "G ended up telling me to go to bed this afternoon. I was bushed, and until you mentioned the papers, I had forgotten all about them as well."

"You think maybe we did too much on the weekend?" Laura asked.

"No, Sweetheart," said Todd. "It isn't that we did too much but there was a lot of pressure to get from one point to the other on business, and there was so much business to attend to. The time we spent doing what we wanted was great. That's why I want a real vacation now. No business, just doing what we want."

"It's going to take another night through the sheets before we recover, I think," said Kelly.

"Why don't we just call it an early night then and get back into your normal patterns?" suggested Laura.

"Ah, Honey, I feel bad now asking you to fly to Laurel Canyon to pick up Cara and Ami." Kelly said.

"Hey, that's a job I don't mind at all," Laura said. "I've never done so much traveling in my life, and I get to fly again!"

Kelly laughed. "I'm glad you enjoy it, Laura. Soon enough it will be as common for you as driving and the thrill might disappear from it."

"I hope not," said Laura, "I never got as big a rush out of driving as I do flying. Being above the world, watching the cars putter along..."

Kelly smiled remembering the girl who last week was terrified to get on a plane.

"So," said Kelly, "what's the Journal saying about IC?"

Todd had brought the paper out with him but they hadn't opened it yet. He tossed it to Kelly. "I'm too tired to even read it," he said.

Kelly flipped through the pages until she saw the picture of the Cuddy with its exposed wing. There was a short piece to go with the picture describing this new technology and the impact on the InterCoastal's stock value. Kelly flipped through some more pages until she found the latest posted share price. "Hmm," she thought to herself, "not bad for a weekend of relaxation."

Todd's eyes were beginning to close, and Laura was sprawled back in her chair quietly looking at the sky. It was still early, but obviously the three were tuckered out. With an effort, Kelly got up and gave Todd a gentle shake. "Come on sleepyhead, it's time for bed."

"Yeah, I suppose I should head home," Todd said.

"Don't be silly," Kelly said. "Let's just go to bed here. We all have to go to the studio in the morning."

"I give up," Todd said. "You talked me into it." With that he headed off to the bathroom to brush his teeth and relieve himself before crawling into bed.

Laura insisted on helping Kelly clean up the yard and put the chairs away but Kelly shooed her off to bed as well. "You've got to travel tomorrow, Sweetheart. I get to put my feet up."

Grumbling about bossy women, Laura did as she was told.

Kelly put away the chairs and picked up the last of the dishes and went inside the house. She washed the dishes and put the leftovers into the fridge. By the time she was done and had taken care of her own personal needs, she finally made her way to the bedroom. Laura and Todd were already fast asleep. They had pulled the blankets back and were lying on the sheets nude. Laura was on her back, her dark brown nipples standing up as if anticipating something. Todd was on his stomach with one arm draped over Laura's belly. Kelly smiled, removed the last of her clothes, and crawled in behind Todd draping an arm over him. Within minutes she was asleep as well.

Todd woke up Wednesday morning to the smell of bacon and eggs, and alone in bed. Looking at the alarm clock he saw it was 8:30. He had slept nearly 12 hours. Pulling on his scrubs he headed to the kitchen.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," laughed Laura.

"Breakfast is nearly ready, so we would have gotten you up in a few minutes anyway," said Kelly.

Todd rubbed his eyes. "I guess that gives me time to empty myself then," he said.

"Want me to help you again?" asked Laura.

Todd blushed and Kelly raised her eyebrows.

"No thanks, Sweetheart. I think I can do it myself today," said Todd.

As Todd left the kitchen, Kelly said to Laura, "you realize you are going to have to explain that to me!"

Laura laughed and promised to fill Kelly in on all the details later.

As they were sitting down to breakfast Todd said, "Isn't there some kind of law against you being up this early, Kell?"

"I probably could have slept longer," she replied, "but the phone woke me up."

"Anything important?"

"It was Rachel. She's got a buyer for that row of duplexes we bought two years ago; actually it's sort of a semi trade. She's got a seller of an 80-unit apartment complex who ended up over his head and needs to bail. He's about 150 grand into the bank after rebuilding the place. It's totally empty now, and the bank won't wait until he starts filling it. She convinced him that she might have a buyer to take over the note and for the balance set him up with occupied duplexes."

Todd leaned back and thought about this. Rachel was their real estate broker and loved the commissions she earned off of TKO's realty investments. It was a safer hedge against inflation than the meager interest rates offered by the banks. It had been Rachel who found the studio for Todd and Kelly when they first moved to Charlotte and then had gotten Kelly's house at a bargain price. In the years that followed, she found Todd and Kelly smart investors, and with ready money in the cash-strapped market. Without having the hassles of bank mortgages, Rachel had made TKO her number one client when she found a bargain. And there were bargains, but not for people who needed bank approval. The duplexes were good cash generating units, but it took a lot of work keeping tenants and collecting the rent. An apartment complex would save a lot of headaches since they could then hire a manager to live in and take care of any problems. The more Todd thought about it the more the idea appealed to him.

"What do you think, Kell? Want to take a look later?"

Kelly laughed. "I knew you would want to see it, so I told her that we would meet her at eleven o'clock right after Laura leaves to pick up the girls."

They finished breakfast, and after cleaning up the dishes and dressing, the three of them took their own cars to the studio. Todd had convinced Laura to take his Tracker to the airport. "You don't know how much stuff Cara and Ami will be bringing with them so the extra room will make sure you don't need to make two trips."

It was just after ten when the trio arrived at the studio. Vanetta was at her usual post. Todd showed them the equipment that Jim and Matt had set up. "I'm going to need a couple of days to adjust the ceiling floods, but I think this is going to work out nicely."

Kelly, Laura, and Vanetta looked at the uniforms.

"Some of these are pretty skimpy," Kelly said. "We might need to do a bit of hair removal. I hope the girls don't mind."

"I'm sure you can arrange that without a problem," said Todd.

Looking at the time, Laura said she better be heading off, so Todd handed her the keys to the Tracker and after goodbye smooches she was out the door and on her way to Laurel Canyon.