Chapter 21

Kelly flopped down on the bed. It had been a great weekend, but the ride home had tired her out. With all the excitement Celeste had created with Meuller's Wheel and the reunion of Chuck and Deanna adding to the general flow of adrenaline, she hadn't been able to sleep on the ride back to Charlotte.

They had dropped Erin off after leaving the marina, and the five had been bubbling with news from their various encounters for the rest of the four-hour drive back. It had been late and dark when they turned on to I-77, and since nobody was hungry, Todd had just kept on driving. They would just have to order a case of Maurice's BBQ sauce on line.

Kelly could hear Cara and Ami in the other room as they changed out of their road gear and unpacked their bags. Todd had left to take the Hummer back to the studio, and would pick up Chinese takeout on the way back. Laura had gone with him and Kelly smiled as she thought of Laura sipping the cream of 'Sum Jung Guy' when they changed vehicles at the studio. She didn't mind, and hoped that Todd enjoyed Laura's talented tongue, something she was intimately familiar with!

Cara and Ami came bounding into the room.

"Kelly, you're still dressed," said Cara. "How am I going to oil you down with all these clothes on?"

Kelly rolled over on her back to look at the two naked nymphs. She was about to reply that she was too tired, but the two gymnasts bounced onto the bed and started to undress her. Kelly closed her eyes and just enjoyed the attention. She was going to miss these girls when they went home to finish school.

Cara unbuttoned Kelly's blouse exposing her bare breasts, as Ami undid Kelly's shorts and slid them and her panties down her legs. Kelly allowed herself to be pulled forward so they could remove her blouse, marveling again at the strength of these former Olympic hopefuls.

Now, nude on the bed, Kelly heard the hissing of the aerated body cream fill willing hands. There was no hesitation on the part of the gymnasts this time at all as they started right in on her breasts. After seconds of their loving care, Kelly's nipples were puckered and standing at attention. Reluctantly, knowing this was an actual job to keep Kelly's body supple during her pregnancy and to avoid stretch marks, they moved from her sensitive breasts to her stomach, arms, and legs. Sensual, sexual sensations were washing over Kelly as the girls stroked and rubbed her all over, firmly but gently working the special oil into her skin.

As Ami worked on Kelly's arms and shoulders, Cara moved down to rub the sensuous cream into Kelly's stomach, gently massaging around her belly-button, then lower, her strong fingers working the cream firmly into the taut muscles and feeling them loosen under her touch. She worked in tiny circles, gradually working lower until her fingers were brushing Kelly's pubes, watching as the movement of her massaging pulled on the swollen nether lips.

The friction of her labia against her sensitive clit combined with the sensuous pampering was too much for Kelly and her climax gently washed over her, bringing a long breathy moan to her lips.

"Wow, Cara," said Ami. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing!" said Cara. "I didn't even touch her pussy!"

All too soon, Kelly's front was done and the girls just rolled her over and started on her back. Kelly closed her eyes again, just savoring the attention and still basking in the warmth of her climax. She could hear the girls whispering as Cara worked her shoulders with the strength of a professional masseuse.

Ami continued to work on Kelly's arms and sides as Cara made her way down to Kelly's lower cheeks. With powerful hands, she kneaded the soft flesh beneath her fingers knowing that the movement might well bring Kelly over the edge again.

Kelly could feel another climax starting to well up inside her and moaned out that she was ever so close when a well-lubricated thumb slid into her anus. That was all it took to send Kelly into the throes of another climax, this one even stronger than the first.

By the time the girls had finished rubbing the lotion into Kelly from head to toe, she was still quivering from the orgasm. With genuine affection, Cara and Ami lay down beside Kelly and wrapped their arms around her, just holding her in a loving embrace.

For Kelly, time had stopped and she was just relaxed enough to start drifting off to sleep when she heard Todd and Laura enter the house. Cara and Ami heard as well, but neither made any move to untangle themselves from their embrace, which is how Todd and Laura found them.

Laura sniffed the air and smiled. "Somebody's had a good time," she said.

"Oh, God, that was me," said Kelly with a sleepy smile. "I'll stay barefoot and pregnant if it means I can get this kind of treatment all the time!"

Todd laughed. "Let's see how you survive the first one," he said.

"Well, I am definitely going to endorse this cream," said Kelly. "And Cara, I've had some experience with masseuses, and you are a natural. If you only take the basic course in massage therapy, I know of a place right here in Charlotte that will hire you in a flash, and not for cheap labor either, but for real money!"

"Maybe I could work there when I get to the University?" Cara asked. "Make enough money to pay my own way?"

"Not till you're 18," said Kelly, "but don't you worry about money. You'll make enough just taking care of me."

"Well, are we going to talk or eat?" asked Todd. "The food is in the kitchen."

With a collective sigh, Kelly and Cara and Ami got off the bed, none of them bothering to dress, and Laura quickly stripped as well.

Todd just shook his head. As the lone male, he was stuck wearing clothes.

The late supper turned out to be more of a late night snack, and they all had trouble staying awake through the various entrees Laura had selected. Chicken fried rice, fried wontons, and spring vegetable egg rolls. And of course their evening dose of vitamins.

Finally Ami couldn't take it any more. "I'm even too tired to chew," she said looking at her third egg roll. "All I want to do is go to sleep."

"You'd think with all of the excitement we'd be wide awake," said Cara, "but we used to get this when we were on bus trips as well."

"Road fatigue," said Todd. "You finally stop moving and it affects your system. You'll be okay after a good night's sleep."

"Go ahead and go to bed, ladies," Kelly said. "We'll put all this away and see you in the morning."

They all exchanged hugs and kisses and Cara and Ami stumbled off to bed.

Todd went to relieve himself and while he was gone, Laura and Kelly packed up the leftovers. "Flying really does have its advantages," said Kelly.

"And it might have been easier if we could have stayed longer as well," said Laura. "That was a busier two days than the weekend at Brookhaven."

"Just think, Sweetheart," Kelly said as the two girls headed to the bedroom. "In only three weeks, we'll be back there again."

Kelly was so tired she didn't even have a last cigarette of the night.

Todd closed the bedroom door and slipped in between his sleeping beauties.

The light was streaming in through the bedroom window when Todd finally woke up. Both Kelly and Laura were still sound asleep. Softly he slipped from beneath their embrace and padded to the kitchen where the most pleasant smell of French Toast made him salivate.

Cara was standing at the stove flipping slices of bread while Ami topped them off with fresh cut strawberries and thick whipped cream. Both were wearing T-shirts. A smart idea, since hot butter bouncing from the skillet could seriously hurt!

"Good morning, girls," he said.

"Damn!" said Ami, and promptly smeared a gob of whipped cream on Todd's nose.

"We wanted to surprise you guys with breakfast in bed," said Cara.

Todd laughed. "It might have been you two that would have been surprised. I sleep in the nude."

"Nothing we haven't seen already," said Ami, then she blushed furiously.

"Ami!" said Cara.

"Wait a minute," said Todd. "Oh, I see. A couple of peeping tomasinas looked out their bedroom window one night." It was his turn to blush.

"And oh, what a night, what a sight," Cara said.

Todd just blushed deeper.

"Look, Ami. I never thought I'd see Todd blush. He comes in last night, finds us naked in bed with Kelly, then Laura shucks her clothes and he's eating with four naked women and he doesn't blush, but the thought that we saw his dick is making him squirm."

"Seeing me nude is one thing," said Todd, "but I distinctly remember I was 'engaged' when you saw me."

"Entangled is more like it," said Ami.

"Don't tell us you have double standards, Todd," Cara said.

"No, no I don't," he said. "It just caught me off guard, knowing I had been seen."

"Of course we couldn't see your face," said Ami. Seems to me that Kelly was parked on it!"

"Okay, enough of that," said Todd laughing now. He took a paper towel and wiped the cream from his nose. "I'll give you a hand and we can wake up Kelly and Laura. By the way... where did you get the fresh berries?"

"That fruit stand at the end of the street before you turn for the studio," said Ami. "Kelly stopped there once, so I just ran down to see what he had. Told him it was for Kelly and he had a whole tray hidden beneath the counter. Said it was for his special customers."

"I hope you were wearing more than just a T-shirt when you ran down," said Todd. "I can see both your butts!"

"Smart Ass," said Ami. "I put my shorts on first."

It took another ten minutes to finish preparing breakfast and then the girls slipped off their T's and with Todd's help carried the five plates into the bedroom along with a bottle of Maple syrup and cutlery.

Breakfast was wonderful and Todd told Kelly and Laura that they had been caught in the act by two peeping tomasinas. Laura smiled and said she already knew that. It was a gorgeous morning and with laughter the day promised all kinds of happiness.

They cleaned up the dishes and drove to the studio, where they did their exercise routine with Ami and Cara. Kelly participated but passed on some of the more strenuous exercises. She had a baby to think about now.

"It's time to take some pictures," Todd said after they had all showered. "Kelly, I think I should do you first. And you girls, you might want to stick around and watch a pro at work."

"We've seen you at work, Todd," Ami said.

"Not me," Todd said. "I meant Kelly."

In the same section of the studio where he had taken the pictures of Laura, Todd set the lights to bring out the best in Kelly, and from years of experience, knew exactly how to bring out her best features.

"Since we don't have a sponsor yet for maternity clothes, Kelly," Todd said, "I think we'll do the beginning stages of your adventure in the buff. Some nipples and some bum, and a whole selection of strategically placed arms and hands."

"Got ya, Babe," she said, and headed off to the makeup table where she started to apply the various layers of makeup that would ultimately look like she was wearing none at all.

Ami was torn between wanting to watch Kelly apply her makeup and watching Todd set up the lighting. Finally she decided to stick with Todd. She'd soon see enough of the makeup process when it came time for her to pose.

Todd selected a multi-toned backdrop for Kelly, heavy in the greens, one of those he had ordered specifically from a custom painter in New York. There were no sharp or defining edges on it, the colors just blending into one another like a chalk drawing on a sidewalk after a heavy rain. He liked the predominantly dark green with earthy brown swatches for Kelly. It set off her eyes and her body tone. He explained all this to Ami as he fastened the sheet six feet in front of the posing position thus ensuring there would be no seam to distract from the image he intended to create.

Todd placed a wide beam flood above and behind where Kelly would pose to separate her from the background and then using Ami as a stand in, adjusted the primary flood at 60 degrees and the secondary at 30. When Ami asked why, he explained that the primary would cast shadows on Kelly's body, and that the secondary would remove the harsh shadows yet enhance the 3D look.

Then, he would use two highlight spots, one to add depth and color to Kelly's hair and another to accentuate her facial features without washing them out. Together they went to Todd's workstation where he calculated the wattage and showed Ami the math required to figure out the resulting light bursts from the strobes. As this was part of a professional lighting system, Todd explained that the computer console would do most of the calculations but a real photographer should still have to learn to do it by hand.

"God," said Ami. "I thought I was doing well with using the flash!"

"That's why a diploma in photography is a two year course," said Todd. "Then to become a pro, you need to serve an apprenticeship as well."

"Is that what I'm doing with you, Todd?" Ami asked.

"Yes, you are, Ami, but when you start University, I really want you to take the Fine Arts program. Photography is changing, but the way an artist sees things, that will never change."

While Laura and Cara were busy with Kelly, and Todd and Ami were powering up the lighting system, Vanetta had been busy working the phones. She had seen Todd work before, but there was a smile on her lips as she watched Todd mentor his new protégée. So much had changed in the last few months.

Vanetta had been seriously working the phones. This was her chance to prove to Kelly and Todd their faith in her education and abilities had not been misplaced, and that she could put together a package deal for the mother to be. She knew about the moisturizing lotion Kelly was now using to minimize stretch marks, and how much she enjoyed it. It made that company an easy sell, but the problem was that the major magazines wanted to promote their own sponsors. Vanetta knew that was something that Kelly would never go for.

Vanity Fair had offered half a million for the exclusive rights to the growth of a former top model enjoying her pregnancy, but wanted to place their own ads alongside the pictures. Today's Parent had offered close to the same amount, but again wanted to promote from within their own list of advertisers. Kelly would never allow her name to be associated with a product that she didn't personally endorse. That was the kind of girl Kelly was.

In frustration she called Bobby. She needed somebody to bounce ideas around with and she didn't want to fall back on Kelly or Todd. She was determined to make this a package deal.

She arranged to meet Bobby at the realty office where he was working and they would go out for lunch together and brainstorm.

"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Ayres," Kelly laughed.

Todd finished setting up the same kneeling pew that had worked so well for Laura. It was one of his favorite props and worked so much better than a stool.

He whistled when he saw Kelly stand up. "Wow, Honey, you look great!" he said. And she did.

It had been a long time since he had photographed Kelly as a model, years in fact, and he made a conscious effort to look at her with his professional eye, recognizing some of the things he had shown Laura that fateful first day.

She had styled her hair with colored mousse, giving her light brown hair gold highlights, artfully arranging it to look wild. Her nipples were darker, and she had emphasized her bust with an under brushing of charcoal powder and a trace of eyeliner drawn between her breasts and blended in with a makeup sponge. Her itty-bitty tits were no longer those of a young girl, but now of a mature woman and looking to need a bra at least a cup bigger. She had also used the charcoal powder on her thighs and bellybutton, making her lower stomach look a little more rounded and sensuous.

Though she was always beautiful to him, he had forgotten just how beautiful she could be to the camera.

Laura and Cara had helped buff Kelly's nails and had applied a frosted polish in a light chocolate shade. All this would serve to add highlights to her naked form. Nudity was hard to capture properly on film, contrary to the fantasies of millions of men who thought of being a glamour photographer.

Todd turned off most of the lights in the studio, and dimmed the rest.

Posing Kelly on the pew, which he had covered with a mottled hunter green cloth, he resisted the urge to kiss her and moved to his lighting panel. He had shown Ami earlier in the morning how to load the A-12 magazines for the Hasselblad, and had six packs with him and another six in the darkroom. He would have put them in the cooler, but he knew he had more pictures to take today.

Kelly had scrubbed her teeth with peroxide and they shone as white as snow. As usual, he slipped the Polaplus Polaroid magazine onto the camera for a shot to verify his setup, so he could do any lighting adjustments required.

"Okay, Kell," he said, "I need you for a test shot."

Kelly leaned forward, thrusting her boobs at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

The ready lights were all on and he plugged in his longest flash cord and then hit the master switch that would fire all the strobes and floods in sequence to his camera. The gold cable had cost him a small fortune, but with multiple strobes, a 60th of a second left little room for error. He took his test shot and waited for the Polaroid professional grade film to completely set before he took it to his workbench and examined it under the illuminated enlargement lens.

The camera really adored Kelly. The highlights in her hair stood out, her darkened nipples and polished nails all adding contrast to her lightly tanned body. The charcoal accents she had placed under her breasts and on her thighs and belly button looked natural and gave them depth and distinction. He carefully examined all portions of her body checking to see if there were any distracting shadows or under lit areas. Satisfied, he gave the proof to Ami, who had remained at his side the entire time. He allowed her to look at it under the magnifying lens and then told her to take it to Kelly while he replaced the Polaplus back with the first A-12 magazine.