Chapter 2

Kelly arrived at her modest rancher around nine o'clock Friday morning. She had been gone for five days, two of which had been the most sexually exciting days of her life. It was funny, she thought, but the more good sex she had, the more she wanted. She was hoping her evening with Mark would fill her needs.

Mark worked with the Charlotte Tourism & Convention Bureau, helping film and TV people find shooting locations in the city. She had met him about a year ago when she and Todd had been hired by the city to do a brochure for the bureau.

At 6'1", Mark was an imposing figure. Granted, he was slightly overweight and six years her senior, but they had shared some good times, and for the most part Mark was a considerate lover. At least according to the standards she had been used to before last week.

Kelly dug through her purse for a cigarette. She seriously considered calling Mark and canceling tonight, but she hadn't seen him in two weeks, and another night without a full eight hours sleep wouldn't hurt her. And maybe, hopefully, the sex would be good tonight.

It was unbelievable how dramatically her needs had changed in the last week. In two days she had become fully aware of her own sexuality, her total erotic realm. It was a startling revelation for Kelly. She now recognized her needs and desires, and she was wondering if Mark could learn to satisfy those needs.

Shit, there was no escaping it. Mediocre sex was no longer going to cut it with Kelly. Hell, not even 'good enough' sex would be good enough anymore. Her mind was filled with memories of every half-assed orgasm she had ever had and how they compared to the truly perfect ones she had experienced those two days.

Kelly took a deep drag on her cigarette. Damn Todd and his 'aversion' to runway models. After four years of constantly working side-by-side, he should have known that she sure could have used some friendly affection last night. Maybe it was the grass that made her horny, but even now, stone cold sober, she still felt aroused.

"Ah fuck it," she said as she ground out her cigarette. She hadn't slept well on the road and crashing on the studio couch for a few hours hadn't helped. She wanted a proper bath and she needed her breakfast. But still... the horniness was not to be denied and she headed for the bedroom shucking her clothes along the way.

Her own bed felt comfortable and she pulled her Hitachi Magic Wand out from underneath the box spring. Always plugged in and ready to go, this marvelous little toy had always made for a very satisfying substitute. Spreading her legs wide, bending and raising her knees, just the buzz of the vibrator kicking into life turned on her juices. The hum of the strong electric motor made her wet with desire, and the first touch on her clit made her gasp. Her hand grabbed a breast and surprisingly, an image of Brenda popped into her mind.

Grasping at her tits with her free hand she let her eyes close and felt herself drifting off to a familiar peak. Kelly didn't normally fantasize when masturbating, but her mind was filled with visions of Brenda. And the buzz from the vibrator seemed to become more powerful as she gave herself over to this fantasy.

Brenda. What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Flaming red hair and freckles and skin the color of milk. She had shared of herself with Kelly, triggering tremendous orgasms just by her touch.

It wasn't a gay thing. It was a love thing.

Kelly's hand drifted down from her nipples to her now drenched pussy, her head pressed back into the pillows, she could almost feel Brenda's touch on her face and on her skin. She used her free hand to spread her lower lips while her other hand switched the vibrator on high and slid it back and forth over her enlarged, blood engorged clit increasing in speed and pressure until a shuddering orgasm overtook her. Her juices sprayed out of her like a crashing tidal wave, covering her short-cropped pubic hair and soaking the sheets beneath her.

Basking in the afterglow of a fantastic climax she turned the vibrator off and carefully cleaned the unit.

Sliding up to a sitting position, she scrounged around the nightstand for a new pack of cigarettes. Finding her "duty-free" wrapped pack of Cameo's, a personal favorite she had become hooked on during a shoot in Montreal, she lit one and inhaled deeply on the acrid smoke.

"Damn it anyway," she said out loud to an empty room. "I'll quit again next week."

Grabbing the remote for her CD player she flipped through her five favorite CD's, finally settling on Alanis Morissette belting out "All I Really Want."

"Do I stress you out...
And all I really want is some patience
A way to calm the angry voice
And all I really want is deliverance...
You must wonder why I'm relentless and all strung out
I'm consumed by the chill of solitary...
I'm frustrated by your apathy...
What I wouldn't give to find a soul-mate
Someone else to catch this drift
And what I wouldn't give to meet a kindred."

The song had always been a favorite of Kelly's but now she believed the Canadian singer/songwriter had written this one specifically with Kelly in mind.

By the time she was half way through her cigarette, she stubbed it out, picked up the pack and still naked, slowly danced her way to the living room.

Feeling the beat of the music and moving slowly, emphasizing and exaggerating every move, brought back memories of her modeling days.

She had been good. At 5' 6" she had been just a bit too short to crack the ranks of the top catwalk models but had been close enough to get a taste of the life. Good locations and good money. The six-inch heels had helped, but she knew she would never be a household name. She had more than a few covers in her portfolio, but had accepted the fact she would never be a 'Cosmo' girl.

God, it seemed like a lifetime ago. But it had been her decision to quit the race at 21. Stealing Todd, one of the best magazine photographers in the world, she had gone into business with him forming a photo/talent agency that specialized in "real people." Great looking models, but still someone normal people could relate to. In the four years they had been working together they had built up an excellent list of models and clients. Their list of clients included many big name retail companies who needed good-looking people to make their products look good. Having Todd do the specialty shoots not only insured the quality, but kept their reputation very much in the forefront of ad agencies.

Todd and Kelly had settled comfortably in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a good location for their business and a climate they both enjoyed. It gave them a freedom for travel they would never have had if they had remained in New York.

Kelly smiled to herself. Todd had bought an old auto detailing shop in the Lakeview business area. Crosspoint Center Line. They had both laughed at the irony of the street name. In many ways it represented where they had arrived in their lives. He had taken the main floor, which already had two large auto bays, and converted it into their studio. Not only could they do most model shoots in the large airy studio, but it could also handle vehicles and elaborate sets as well. The upstairs offices he had torn out and converted into a private apartment for himself. How he could live in an industrial park was beyond Kelly, but there were advantages. Todd was able to park his 'Hummer' inside and store their travel trailer behind the building. And as Todd had so often said, nights and weekends were especially quiet and he had no neighbors living for blocks around. Like most artists, Todd valued his privacy and was a bit of a recluse.

The Lakeview district wasn't the elite neighborhood of Charlotte, but Kelly had found a real deal on her rancher within walking distance of the studio. It was a steal at $85K for a three bedroom with lots of yard space. It also made practical sense for them to settle in this area as it gave them easy access to Interstate 85. Add the proximity of I-77 as a bonus, and getting the trailer out to the open road was a breeze, plus they were close enough to the airport for quick trips to New York or other places.

They did have an office in New York, staffed by good people from Kelly and Todd's past. Most of the day-to-day work went on in the New York office, and their company was a regular supplier of models for department store catalogs. Large or small, young or old, Kelly had an excellent eye for photogenic people. Kelly also had a knack for gauging people, and though they only represented around 200 people so far, they were loyal people who enjoyed a good steady income and the working conditions Kelly demanded for all her models.

The major catalog work paid the rent. The agency supplied the models, and the catalogs had their own photographers. The modeling part of the business provided them with a healthy stable income and Kelly and Todd were both happy. For Todd it was because he was left free of the daily grind of shooting clothes horses allowing him to concentrate on individual shoots. For Kelly it was living her dream of being free and independent while still in the business. For real excitement though, the thrill was in things like the advertising brochures for big-ticket items, like the week's shoot at Regan's Boats.

Todd had been ecstatic. Action shots and posed shots all mixed in for one brochure. Since the company wanted to use a lot of it's own workers as background models, Kelly had gone along on the pretext of teaching amateurs how to pose and dress while appearing to be casual, though in all honesty, she had looked forward to seeing the "James Gang" again, as she affectionately liked to call them.

At first the "James Gang" seemed like a joke. A bunch of school kids playing adult games. When she had first met James, Amanda, JulieAnn and Celeste at the marina just three weeks ago, they had struck her as smart and vivacious.

The three girls were real knockouts, and apparently hooked on this one guy. She was knocked for a loop however when the youngest one, Amanda, made it very clear Kelly was not to get any ideas about 'their property.' It was the self assured way this girl, who was maybe old enough to be in Junior High, had said it. No threats but simply a declaration of fact. And she had made it stick too! But, they had posed like they had been born into the business, and were easy to guide and direct. Todd had signed the girls on the spot.

Kelly shook her head. It was that and other little things during the day that began to convince her these kids were on to something big... something she was not privy to. It was love, a sharing and something else that Kelly just couldn't put her finger on. She found their joy infectious and had spent the day laughing with them and their good-natured pokes at James.

At first glance, James was just another good-looking jock, an inch shy of six feet but comfortable with his size. But when he smiled at her, she was sure he could see right through the air of competence she had carefully woven around herself. She found herself wanting to pour out her heart to him, to tell him she too could give and share, if only she had the chance.

With an effort she killed the thought. After all he was not hers, and never would be she realized with a sadness that was almost profound. It was made even worse the next day when the other three girls arrived and Kelly discovered another one was on her way!

She had quickly become friendly with the girls once Amanda had explained to them that the ground rules had already been established regarding James and that Kelly posed no threat. The girls were easy to get along with. Funny and sassy, they had a carefree attitude about life. Brenda and Sara, two of the new arrivals were as stunning as the other three. Nicole, a bit older, was definitely high-class model material but seemed to have no interest in modeling what so ever, but Brenda and Sara had signed on as well.

Then, this last week at Regan's, Kelly had met Sherri. Wow!

Sherri was one of those creatures born with the look and the attitude to make it on the runway. She was an innocent beauty, but sensual as sin.

Kelly had of course signed her on the spot, waiting now only for the parental consent. She had vowed never to take on a runway model. Knowing all too well from first hand experience how quickly these girls became addicted to themselves and amphetamines. That never ending battle to stay slim pushed by an ego that was built on nothing more than their looks made runway models a real pain. The only reason she had considered Sherri at all, for anything other than regular model work was the support group she had in the "James Gang."

Kelly had been there once, the so-called 'glamour' world, and had nearly been caught in the trap. It was seeing her friends slowly entering a darker world away from the footlights that was one of the main reasons she got out when she did. The travel and the money had all been good and the parties were lots of fun as long as you kept it within limits. But the ever-increasing use of drugs by her friends bothered Kelly. It seemed, as they got older - as if twenty was old - the fight to keep the extra pounds off was a war that could be battled with pills, if you didn't mind losing yourself in the process. It had not been worth it for Kelly. If, and that was still a big if, Sherri should enter into the world of the highly paid models, Kelly was going to stay by her side and keep that part of the 'glamour' world away from her. Besides... James and the other girls would never forgive her if something happened to Sherri.

Kelly hit replay on the CD player. The Morissette CD "Jagged Little Pill" seemed to echo her feelings. This CD, once a mantle of her independence and accomplishments, now seemed to reflect her solitude in an oppressive light. No longer a badge of honor, her newly acquired sense of loneliness only served to remind her of the emptiness in her life. The parties, the boyfriends had been merely smoke-and-mirrors, distractions in her path. Grabbing a pillow, she waltzed in the room, her mind drifting back to the two days at the Regan shoot. A crossroad in the path of her life had revealed itself that would lead her to something new, something more personally satisfying. A successful career was not enough any more. Kelly had discovered a part of her had been missing. She wondered if she would ever find it.

It had been twilight on the third day of the Regan shoot. Joking with Brenda and Sara, she had wrangled a chance to try out one of "his" kisses.

"Hah!" She had thought. She'd been kissing since she was 13; there was nothing she didn't know about that. She'd show them! She was certain she could and gave him one of her best, but he had stopped her, halfway, with her mouth gaping and her tongue hanging out.

"No," he said, quietly, tenderly, "Let me kiss you." And he did.

Kelly shivered just remembering the moment, and her nipples, dark as chocolate and the size of large pencil erasers, puckered with the memory.

It was not just a kiss; it transcended that. Kelly was no virgin and no stranger to sex, but what his kiss did to her! It shouldn't even be called a kiss. He had licked her lips and nipped at her tongue, nibbled at the soft nape of her neck, kissed her eyes and softly bitten her ears. He had stroked the inside of her teeth with his own tongue and lightly, lovingly bitten on and sucked on her lips. He engulfed and entrapped her senses and emotions. She was powerless, already too far lost in his tender caress.

Kelly moaned and clutched her pillow harder. It had been like nothing she had felt, it was warm, it was love and she wallowed in it. It lasted forever and it was over much too soon. She had found herself wrapped round his leg, grinding away as the lust boiled and exploded in her. She had never climaxed like that, not fully clothed and certainly not with such intensity, her whole body had been one orgasmic mass.

Kelly's eyes closed as she fell into an armchair, the memory bringing a tremulous smile to her face.

She had been shocked, not just at her feelings, but that she never once felt dirty or lewd, humping like a bitch in heat on the boy, out in the open, as three of his girlfriends had looked on. Instead she was made to feel good, and natural, as Sherri and Sara smiled softly at her, their eyes saying they understood the joy she had just experienced.

Then Brenda had asked if she trusted her. All Kelly could do was nod yes, knowing at the time she would give anything to experience the rapture again. And then Brenda had shown her. Kelly now realized that was when the big change had occurred.

Peeling the sheets off the bed and picking up her discarded clothes, Kelly dumped them in the laundry room. Gloria would take care of the laundry Monday. It wasn't that Kelly was lazy; to the contrary, she tended to work herself too hard. Gloria was there to give her house a lived in look as much as the little cleaning Kelly required. Luckily Gloria liked working in the garden as well and in the past few years had turned Kelly's plain grass lawns into a beautiful landscaped front and an all natural herb garden in the back.

Kelly had met Gloria in Jamaica. Gloria had been working at the guesthouse in Mobay, (the local name for Montego Bay), where Kelly and some of the other models stayed for two weeks while doing a swimsuit "special edition" for a sports magazine. It was also where she had first met Todd.

Gloria was a large black woman, who spoke not only with her hands and eyes, but when excited dropped to the native patois. Though cultural differences should have set them apart, Kelly and Gloria became close friends and had stayed in touch since the shoot.

Gloria had one habit that never failed to crack Kelly up. She would watch and talk back to the television soaps to which she was thoroughly addicted. It had been a pleasant surprise when not long after Todd and Kelly had moved to Charlotte, Kelly got a phone call from her friend. Gloria was in the states and looking for work. Kelly didn't have much to offer at the time, but Gloria gladly took the job of housekeeping and house sitting. Kelly always paid her in cash out of her own pocket and never asked Gloria about how she wound up in Charlotte. Now she could well afford to give "G" a real job with the company but "G" insisted she liked taking care of Kelly. "Cha, me no go no where. Me place here by your side, somebody got to watch out for you." Over the past few years, more of her family started to arrive and where they could, Kelly and Todd helped them find work or get enrolled in schools.

One of Gloria's older daughters, Vanetta, manned the phones on a part time basis at the Charlotte studio. Todd had helped her get enrolled in an MBA program at the University of North Carolina, and this gave her a chance to earn some money on the side. For one of Gloria's sons, they had fronted the money for the young man to start his own landscaping business.

Kelly put fresh linen on her bed and headed for her bath.

Feeling a bit more settled, Kelly grabbed one of her 'sometime' favorite CD's out of the rack beside the high tech Pioneer stereo unit and slipped the disc in. She was in the mood for something from the former bad boy who knew all about broken hearts and wasted lives. As she headed into the bathroom, Larry Gatlin started to cry out "Broken Lady" from the big surround sound speakers, and Kelly cried right along with him, though just slightly off key. Sometimes, she thought, only Larry could understand what real life, Kelly's life, was all about.

Out of habit, after emptying her bladder, Kelly got on the scale and made a mental note. 112 pounds and holding steady, barely two pounds over her weight of four years ago when it really mattered. It was funny she thought. She could eat what she wanted and didn't need to watch her weight anymore, but old habits are the hardest to break and Kelly just preferred to be careful with her weight and what foods she put into her body.

She started the water, adding some herbal bath crystals and organic sea foam and sauntered out to the kitchen for something to eat while the tub filled. Grabbing a couple of stalks of celery, an orange and a bottle of mineral water from the fridge, and a banana from the counter, she next stopped at the kitchen island for the rest of her real morning meal. Two large multi vitamins, three cayenne pepper capsules, two celery seed capsules, a garlic capsule, ginseng, a handful of vitamin C's, a couple of lecithin capsules and most important of all, her birth control pill.

By the time she made it back to the bathroom, the tub was nearly full and she had swallowed most of the pills. The banana helped the pills go down better than the water.

Testing the temperature with her foot she climbed into the tub. Setting the jets on the Jacuzzi to a muscle-relaxing pace she slowly munched on the celery. Kelly believed in preventative maintenance. Taking a long leisurely soak was one of the few real pleasures in her life and as she continued to listen to Larry Gatlin croon out hit after hit, she slowly peeled the orange and savored it piece by piece.

Kelly played little games in her mind as the jets washed the tension out of her body. A fit body was nothing without a fit mind, and Kelly enjoyed solving complex math problems in her head while the jets did their job on her muscles.

Then it was time for the serious business of bathing and shaving. While Kelly preferred to keep most of her body waxed, there were always a few strays that needed attention, especially around the bikini line.

Satisfied with the effort she took a sea sponge and proceeded to scrub every inch of her body until her skin was a bright pink. With thoughts of Brenda on her mind, she draped one leg on the edge of the tub giving one of the jets a direct path to her vagina. Turning the pressure setting up just a couple of notches was a sure fire way to guarantee quick satisfaction.

Shuddering in the aftermath of a wicked orgasm, made more delicious by the thought of her red headed friend, she struggled to her feet, drained the tub and turned the shower on so she could wash her shoulder length brown hair. A few minutes later and a quick wipe down of the tub and Kelly was wrapped in a big fluffy towel.

Kelly padded back into her bedroom where she had a custom built vanity with an over size mirror and all her personal make-up.

She dropped the towel and did a turn in front of the mirror closely examining her reflection with a critical eye. Not bad for 25 she thought. A nice tight 35" ass that nicely filled out a pair of shorts or jeans, slimming to a 24" waist and swelling back up to a respectable 31" A cup. Thank God she didn't need a bra she thought. She hated the confinement and preferred the free and easy feeling of her breasts moving with the rhythm of her body. Pulling slightly on her nipples confirmed they were as sensitive as always and would stand out nicely against a white blouse or a t-shirt. The darkness of her nipples gave ample proof to anyone looking, and many people did, of Kelly's disdain for confining her mammary treasures.

Drying her hair took little time as she was blessed with fine hair, and just a touch with a curling iron gave it enough body to accentuate her face. A little bit of make-up, just enough to add depth to her brown eyes and add a bit of color to her cheeks and she was ready to get dressed, though preferred not to until absolutely necessary.