Chapter 29

Todd was at it early Friday morning. He had left with Ami and Cara shortly after the sun had come up, and they were at the studio before 8:00. Todd had quietly slipped out of bed leaving his two lovers to embrace each other in sleep as he dressed, ate with Ami and Cara, and driven to the studio. Vanetta had come down when she heard the door open and helped Todd as he worked on the gymnasts' make-up. Then the girls had gone into action.

Robert came down at 9:00 and had breakfast with Vanetta before he headed out the door to get a loaner van from Eric.

Kelly and Laura had slept late after their special day out at the spa and when they arrived at the studio, they found Ami and Cara switching poses nearly as fast as the CrossTrain outfits, and Todd had already gone through four A-12 magazines. Vanetta had been helping Todd out with the girls' makeup and hair. Todd had said it was important that they look natural, so very little was needed in that department other than liner and charcoal to help define their faces.

When Kelly and Laura arrived at 10:00, Kelly took over adjusting makeup and hair. Todd knew he should have waited for her, but he was eager to get this job done. There were so many things happening in their lives right now that he felt a bit pressured to complete this extensive assignment.

By 11:00, Todd had shot six of the magazines and called for a break.

"You girls are starting to look tired," he said to Cara and Ami.

"We're fine, we can keep right on going," said Cara as she stripped out of another outfit. Todd stopped her and replaced the A-12 on the back of his 'Blad' with the Polaplus and shot a picture of her in the buff, leaning against the vault.

Both Ami and Cara had changed in front of Todd so many times already this morning that it felt stranger to be dressed than nude, and Cara casually waited to see the results of the instant photo.

"Shit, Cara. You look wasted!" said Ami. "Your face looks all drawn and your eyes are lifeless!"

Cara looked at the photo, and sadly nodded. "I think a break would do me good," she finally said. "And some carbs!"

Kelly laughed at them and told them to take a leisurely shower, and when they were done, she would have something full of energy to boost them back up again.

As the two gymnasts left the bay, not bothering to dress, just slipping on Ts, Kelly turned to Todd. "They don't look that bad, Todd," she said looking at the picture. "How did you manage this?"

Todd smiled and showed Kelly the exposure meter. "I deliberately overexposed her by two F-stops," he said. "I don't want them getting worn out, and they'd keep on working till the job was done. I want them to take a break!"

"You're a good man, Todd Ayres," she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

Kelly and Laura had arrived home late the night before and found Todd asleep on the sofa, static on the TV screen, a half naked girl cuddled up on each side of him, their arms wrapped around him.

"I told you those schoolgirls in those little uniforms would steal his heart," said Kelly to Laura. Both of them giggled.

"Should we let them sleep?" Laura asked.

"I don't know," said Kelly. "I wouldn't want Ami and Cara to be stiff tomorrow. Todd's going to be doing their CrossTrain shoot."

Laura giggled and using just her hands made some suggestions to Kelly, who in turn started to giggle.

They moved behind the sofa and Laura started to stroke Cara's waist and breasts, while Kelly stroked Ami's cheek, neck, slowly moving her way down to Ami's nipples, which were now puckered.

Both Cara and Ami moaned softly in their sleep and cuddled closer to Todd, their own hands dreamily stroking the body between them.

Kelly had to bite her hand to stop from laughing as a very visible tent was starting to appear in Todd's shorts!

Laura just smiled and continued to stroke Cara until her moans became more pronounced, and she started to squirm on the sofa. Kelly bent over and gently nibbled on Ami's ear, which caused Ami to turn and start to reach for her lover.

Both Ami and Cara were still asleep and responding to unconscious stimuli, and as they turned towards each other, hands started to grope. They found each other's hand right in the middle, on top of Todd's erection!

Ami's eyes popped open with shock. Her hand was on something she had never felt before, and then she realized what it was!

Cara, for her part, was content to stroke the unusual growth till Ami whispered, "Cara! Look at what you're doing!"

Kelly and Laura had dropped to the floor behind the sofa, out of sight, and were struggling not to laugh. Todd managed to stay asleep throughout the entire exchange.

"Oh my God!" whispered Cara, her eyes as big as Ami's.

"Well, take your hand off of it before it explodes or something!" whispered Ami, carefully removing her hand from Cara's.

"It's big isn't it?" asked Cara.

"You're asking the wrong girl about that," said Ami. "You're the one who's seen one before."

"This is definitely bigger," Cara said.

Todd moaned in his sleep now that his hard on was no longer being fondled.

"Quick," said Ami, "let's get to bed before he wakes up!"

"That's not really fair to Todd," Cara said. "We did this to him."

"He'll live," said Ami. "Besides, Kelly and Laura should be home soon and they can take care of him."

With that the two gymnasts sprinted to their bedroom.

And Kelly and Laura had taken care of him. Though both very sated from their day at the spa, they couldn't let a good erection go to waste. They moved around to kneel in front of their fiancé, and as Kelly undid his shorts, Laura pulled his erection free and engulfed it with her mouth.

Todd moaned louder now, still deep in sleep. Kelly shook her head in wonder, and then bent forward to help Laura out, or more precisely, get her share of Todd's very potent baby making juice.

Between the two of them, it didn't take long before Todd climaxed, a load that was equally shared by his lovers. This time, when he climaxed, his eyes opened and he smiled at the two beauties kneeling in front of him. He pulled them both up to sit beside him on the sofa, kissing them both deeply and with passion before asking how their day had gone.

Laura was busy scrambling eggs in the studio kitchen, while Kelly made a big pitcher of juice full of raw vegetables including lots of red beets. Vanetta finished the call she was making and came to see if she could help.

Robert returned shortly after 11:00, just in time to join the group for a drink of the concoction from the juicer. He told them that he had picked up a courtesy van, another luxury model. He could get used to this kind of life!

Toasted scrambled egg sandwiches with fresh sliced tomatoes on top were served to, and devoured in quick order by, Cara and Ami. Robert hadn't even given them a second glance when they entered after a long refreshing shower; wet hair combed back, and wearing clinging Ts to their still damp bodies, nipples prominently visible.

Robert was scheduled to pick up his 'band' at 12:00, and had been told by Meg that the "Williams Sisters" would try to be at the studio by noon. He had spent a better part of the night calling friends who had horses trying to find the best tack shop in town. The problem was that most of them shopped out of town, and he knew that Todd and Kelly supported local business first. His dad had suggested a number of stores that combined would provide him with what he needed. Of course they were all advertisers in his paper! But Robert had a list in hand, an afternoon with which to see how the boys of the band mixed with the sisters and a lunch to look forward to. Next week he would sit down with the two gymnasts and review their progress through their final year of high school, as he was quite serious about his teaching duties.

Harry had traded shifts so he could have the morning off, and had loaded Meg and the girls into the car for a visit to "Muriel's Place."

The girls were excited, though not for quite the same reasons as their parents. They knew that this place they were going to look at was important to their folks, and they also knew they would be expected to help out, but what really had them excited was they were getting new clothes today!

Like Laura, neither Sam, Jen or even Kat would ever think to complain, but they had grown up wearing discount clothes from the seasonal sales racks. Today, Laura and Kelly had promised them designer name clothes, and the teacher they were supposed to meet today was taking them out for lunch and then to buy costumes to wear when they sang! Their mother had warned them not to ask for anything, but they had seen what their older sister was wearing, and how excited Todd had been when they sang. He had applauded the loudest and with the most enthusiasm, not giving a damn what any of the neighbors might think. He was a hot looking guy, and Kat especially felt a bit jealous of her older sister. But, she was happy for her as well. The last year had taken a lot out of Laura, and now she positively glowed with life and love.

Harry pulled into the big empty parking lot at the apartment building, and for a while, he and Meg just stared at it. The brick had been sandblasted and then coated, giving the building a rich look. They took a tour around the outside first, checking the lawns and gardens, while Harry mentally calculated how long it would take him each week to keep the grass trimmed. Todd had said they could contract it out, but Harry was looking forward to riding a rear-bagger and keeping the lawns as sharp looking as any golf course he had ever seen.

Meg was looking at the windows and the doorways, doing her own calculating. Then Harry, spinning the keys around on his finger, marched to the front door. With a flourish he opened it and ushered his family inside.

Meg gasped when she saw the hallways and the common room on the first floor. Instead of laying down tile, the builder had taken a lot of effort to pattern a motif on the floor out of polished and grouted stone. She understood that most of the first floor apartments were designated and built as handicapped units and she could see that this would make life much easier for anyone in a wheel chair. Cleaning it would be no problem, she thought, wondering what the other floors looked like.

In the main lobby, just across from the entrance there was a sign welcoming visitors to "Muriel's Place" and a picture of an elderly woman. There was grace in her features and the lines of age said more about laughter and happiness than it did about becoming old. She didn't need to see the photo credit at the bottom of the picture to know it was one of Todd's portraits.

Before risking the chance of falling in love with their brand new apartment, Meg, with clipboard in hand, insisted on a complete checklist of all the chores listed in the contract. She and Harry had decided on what they would subcontract, and a family discussion on sharing of work amongst the three sisters still living at home had followed.

Necessity had made Harry a handyman. He was good with plumbing and wiring, and often Lew would help him on jobs he couldn't do on his own. Talking with Lew after the family meeting, Harry and Meg were surprised to hear that Lew and his wife wanted to apply for an apartment. Harry had mentioned retiring after his 25 years were in, and Lew - who was close to 30 years of service - had expressed a bit of envy. Since his accident, Lew had been looking for something, anything he could do besides ride a desk. There wasn't much of a future for Lew except learning to love to watch television.

Financially, Lew and his wife were going to be reasonably comfortable, owned their home, and their two kids had long ago finished school and were living on their own.

Lew had always been Harry's friend. When Harry had joined the force Lew had been his training officer, and a few years later, the two had been teamed up as partners. Their friendship had been strong since they first met. Now, nearly 25 years later, they were closer than most couples. It had nearly devastated Harry when the drunk had rammed Lew and forced him to a desk job. Hell, when Laura was born, Lew was the only choice to be her godfather.

Lew had suggested on the phone that if he and Sally could qualify to rent at the new place, Lew would be more than happy to help Harry out, and he'd gladly do it for free, just to have something to do.

Harry had promised to talk about it with Todd and Kelly. Technically, Lew wasn't severely handicapped, and Sally was a few years younger and still working at Mercy Hospital as a nurse practitioner.

Harry and Meg read over the terms of the contract again after the phone call, and it appeared that they would have complete autonomy on running the building except for a few basic regulations. They could technically do it, but Harry felt that if they took it on, he would still feel better asking Todd first.

As Meg counted off windows and checked access, Kat, Sam, and Jen were riding the elevators up and down, checking out the plush pile carpeting in the halls on the upper floors.

"I could vacuum this hall in 30 minutes," Kat said to her sisters.

"If we went along with you," said Jen, "we could probably dust, and clean the windows at the same time."

"Don't forget there's three floors of carpeting and one of marble," said Sam.

"Two hours then to do all four floors, and the main floor isn't marble," said Kat. "It's some kind of polished stone."

"Okay, whatever," sighed Sam. "My point is, between the three of us we could do the entire building, vacuuming, dusting and washing the windows in about two hours. Mom said the contract called for doing this once a week, but if we do it twice a week, it will never get so dirty that we have to work hard at it. What do you think, Kat?"

"I think you might be on to something, Sam," said Kat, "but how about this? We do only one floor a day. That means we'd only be at it for half an hour per day between the three of us, and three out of the four floors would be done twice a week while the remaining floor will alternate to the first day of the following week. That way, we can do all the normal stuff we want to do, get our homework done and still have time to perform!"

Both Jen and Sam nodded their agreement to Kat's suggestion. They walked down the stairs on the end of the building closest to where their own new apartment was going to be.

"Damn," said Kat. "We have to remember there are two stairwells. We'll need to maintain them as well."

"Kid's play," said Sam. "Jen and I can do those with dust mops when we finish the hall. We'll take a stairwell each, and meet you back at the main floor."

That settled, the girls decided to tell Mom and Dad they had made up their minds!

The Williams gathered at the "Manager's" apartment, obviously designed by the builder for his own family. There was a separate office and a giant utility room with access to the apartment and the hall, already set up with utilities and shelving. The master bedroom was large, easily 16 feet wide with a large window that looked out on the gardens. A walk in closet made Meg sigh. There were two bathrooms in the apartment, one attached to the Master bedroom and another located between the other two bedrooms. All brand new fixtures as well, not a single mark on anything. The other bedrooms also had windows facing the gardens at the rear, and both were larger than the ones at their house.

The living room was large, but the windows to the outside world opened up to the main front lawn and part of the parking lot, though it did have sliding patio doors and a raised 8 x 12 foot patio deck, the only one of its kind in the entire building. Flooding would not be a problem as the building's main floor was three feet above ground level.

The open plan kitchen, filled with all new appliances, made the entire apartment seem larger.

Meg looked at Harry and the girls looked to both of them. Harry was looking around slowly nodding as he took in all the possibilities. Sam and Jen ran for the bedroom they had already tagged as theirs, hollering, "Dibs!"

Meg knelt down on the brand new carpet in the living room feeling the quality texture, then sat on the floor looking at the walls, mentally planning where she would put her pictures.

Harry smiled. "Do we need to take a vote on this," he asked Kat.

Kat looked lovingly at her father. He had been so good to them, and finally understood what Laura had said to her. "Daddy," she said. "The twins and I have decided, and if you and Mom want this, we'll do the bulk of the cleaning. We've already figured out how to do it so that it won't disrupt our school work or interfere with anything else."

Harry listened to his second eldest daughter explain the way they had figured to vacuum and dust and clean windows. He was impressed. Harry had always tried to teach his girls to think for themselves and to be creative and this would take a big burden off of Meg. They would figure out how to manage the common room for the tenants, but Harry figured they would want to take care of much of that themselves. He had seen places like this before, and lonely seniors would rather watch TV together than by themselves in their own apartments and he could already see card games and board games being played through the daytime.

Harry called his troop together, and helped Meg off the floor. "Well, mother?" he asked her. "The final word is yours."

Three young heads were bobbing up and down enthusiastically, and Meg smiled and gave Harry a kiss. "Let's go home and start packing," she said.

"Maybe we should stop at the studio first," he said, "and give them our answer. Besides, we're supposed to be dropping the girls off there so they can meet with the teacher and the boys in the band, and I believe there is a small matter of some second hand clothes for the girls..."

"Daddy! Those are designer clothes!" said Sam.

"I can hardly wait to see if there's anything in my size," said Jen.

"If Laura said there is," said Kat, "you know there is. Laura has never lied to us. Besides... we're also going to be getting stage costumes today!"

"Well, just don't you be letting all these fancy clothes be getting to your heads now girls," Harry gently said. "You're still the same girls. Clothes don't make the person, their actions do."

Meg smiled at him, putting her arm through his as he started locking the doors. "So," she said quietly, "how is Annie these days?"

Vanetta called Kelly away from her work putting fresh makeup on the girls to take a phone call.

"Kelly, you better talk to him. He doesn't want a model, and I haven't a clue what he's talking about!"

"Kelly Jennsen speaking."

"Miss Jennsen?" said a deep male voice. "I'm David Klassen, executive producer of Miami Blue. Have you seen our show?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Klassen, but then I don't watch much television. Should I be watching it?" she asked with a laugh.

He laughed as well. "It would make my job a bit easier," he said, "but the basic premise is a cop/private eye/action adventure show set in sunny Miami. Our demographics are straightforward. The show is geared to a male audience age 18 - 35."

"That's very interesting, Mr. Klassen, but what does this have to do with our company?"

"Well, we've been renewed for a fourth season, which is pretty critical to a series if it hopes to get into syndication. Five years, and we are set for residual checks for a long time to come. But the network thinks there are too many muscle men in the show and want to add a female."

"Uh, Mr. Klassen, we don't represent actors, just models, and a show geared to your market, you have no females in it?"

Dave Klassen sighed. "I told you it would be easier if you were familiar with the show." Then he laughed. "Yes, Miss Jennsen, we have lots of females on the show. After all, it's part of the appeal for our market. Lots of pretty ladies in bathing suits to give the show color, but the main characters are all male. Miami Blue is set on the waterways of Miami. Lots of boat chases, fancy stunts, you know the style."

"Ah, yes." said Kelly. "Bad guys get chased by good guys except instead of on a highway, you use the water. But I still don't understand what that would have to do with our agency."

"One of our tech consultants was at Brookhaven a while back, it's a little island off the..."

Kelly interrupted. "Yes, I know Brookhaven, Mr. Klassen, and I think I know what you're after. Your consultant was there for the testing of the new wing on the IC boat, and he happened to spot one of our models driving it. Have I got that right?"

Dave laughed. "Yes, exactly! I've seen the pictures of course, but my tech guy said they don't compare to what that young lady can do with a boat. Now, nothing against IC boats, Miss Jennsen, but we don't use family cruisers on our show except to run into or over them. We use powerful speedboats and cigarette boats when we're chasing drug smugglers or bank robbers. The network wants us to add a female detective to the squad, but trying to find an actress who can properly drive a boat is impossible. We thought since you represented her, perhaps we could get her as a stunt double. Our cameras are just too good now to use a man behind the wheel, and surprisingly, for all the female race car drivers we have available, we can't seem to find one stunt woman who can make a boat stand on its nose, which according to my tech consultant your Sara Douglas can do."

"Hmm... what kind of money are we talking Mr. Klassen?" Kelly asked.

"Ah, right to business. Good. We'd be willing to offer her 10 grand per week during shooting."

"For how many weeks?"

"We shoot 20 weeks out of the year," Dave replied.

"I'm sorry Mr. Klassen, I can get double that for her just to be a demo driver for IC or for Regan Boats. Perhaps you'd be better off teaching an actress how to drive a boat."

Vanetta snickered, which earned her a smile from Kelly.

"Well, can she act?" he asked. "Does she present well on camera?"

"For $25,000 you can do a week of tests with her," Kelly said.

"That's a lot of money, Miss Jennsen," he said.

"She's worth that and a whole lot more. Call Regan's and ask about how she tunes her own boats. Wouldn't it be worthwhile to have someone who could get her hands dirty and know what part she was holding and make it look like she was totally at ease with it? Or is the network not interested in trying to capture reality? I should also add that Ms. Douglas is a licensed light aircraft pilot as well and flies as well as she drives a boat."

Dave thought it over for a minute. Hell, his male stars couldn't drive their own boats and they got 200 grand per episode. "Deal," he said. "How soon can we set this up?"

"Let me give you back to Miss Clarke, who will finalize the paperwork with you and I will contact Ms. Douglas and arrange for a week, say the first week of September?"

Dave chuckled. "And if we like her, I'm sure you'll be ready with a contract. Right, Miss Jennsen?"

"Mr. Klassen. I'm shocked. I thought you would like to deal with professionals. If you like the test and you run her footage through your screening group and her TVQ is high, we'd be willing to let you have her for one season at $50,000 per episode. She won't receive residuals from the first three seasons, so if season four boosts your ratings, we would want $100,000 per episode for season five and $150,000 per episode for season six if it goes that far."

"Thank you, Miss Jennsen. We'll see how the test goes and if all works out well, we'll let our lawyers do the rest."

"One more thing, Mr. Klassen," Kelly said. "I know how much the actors on "Friends" and "ER" make per episode, so, please don't think you've managed to slide one by us. This is an opportunity for Sara to gain some national exposure at what she does best, so it works in both our interests to make sure she comes off as knowledgeable and capable, and not a dumb blonde or window dressing. If we are clear on that, we will work with you to give you and the network what you need."

After a moment of silence, a subdued Dave Klassen said, "Thank you for your candor, Miss Jennsen. I will give you my word that if Miss Douglas works out, that she won't be a dumb blonde or just window dressing."

Kelly nodded to Vanetta who took over the line again and arranged for a time and contacts plus flight and accommodations for Sara's time in Miami.

Kelly called Sara on another line and told her the good news.

"Miami Blue?" screamed Sara. "I love that show! Man! I'd really get a chance to drive one of their babies? Triple Mercury 150 outboards? How much do I have to pay them to let me fly one of those?"

Kelly was laughing as she explained to Sara that the producers had seen her work and wanted to do a screen test on her, and she might land the role of the new mechanic savvy detective. Kelly held the phone away from her ear as Sara squealed.

"I'm glad you aren't too excited by this, Sara," said Kelly. "Vanetta's arranging for you to fly down and a place for you to stay. If you want to take somebody with you, that's up to you, it's all covered. If nothing else, you'll get chance to play with the boats and have a nice vacation in Miami and get to roam the sets."

Seeing Vanetta hang up from her dealings with Mr. Klassen, Kelly said, "I'll pass you over to Vanetta now, Sara. She's got the details and can answer any questions you have. By the way, you are still coming to the company party next weekend, right?"

"You bet, Kelly!" said Sara. "Most of us have arranged to get away from what we're doing. Hell, with everybody all over the place now, it will be more like a reunion for us! Love you! See you next weekend!"

Kelly smiled as she hung up the phone and Vanetta took over. It was time for a smoke!

Though Cara and Ami weren't tired, they didn't mind the break either. Todd had shot off two more A-12 mags, and they were running out of poses. Todd had suggested they redo some of the more ambitious ones in other outfits, just to cover all the bases.

They were sipping on mineral water listening to Kelly retell the tale of Sara's good fortune when the Williams family walked in.

Todd looked up and saw the smile on Harry's face, and grinned back as he got up to shake his hand. Laura was up giving her mother a hug as Kelly introduced the younger sisters to Robert.

"I take it you like the building?" Todd asked.

"The whole family loves it," said Meg. "I'm curious about the picture in the lobby. Is that Muriel?"

Kelly smiled and said it was. Todd had taken it on Muriel's 100th birthday.

Robert had tried to explain to the girls that he had a great lunch planned for them, but Laura saw the look in their eyes. She asked him if he could wait a few minutes longer and let the girls have some fun first.

Robert looked at Vanetta who winked at him. "Sure, why not? We have all the time we need, right?" he asked as he looked at Harry.

"As long as you have them home by supper time," Meg said.

Cara and Ami grabbed the hands of Kat, Sam, and Jen and practically raced them to the storage rooms!

Laura laughed and said to Kelly, "I remember when I used to get so excited by clothes. I guess you were right, Kelly. After a while, you realize it's just something to wear."

"Maybe you could take your mother back after the girls are done and see if there's anything she would like?" suggested Kelly.

Meg tried to protest, but Laura was having none of it. "Let the girls check out the hot new styles, Mom. Then we can look at the swanky stuff in peace."

Meg blushed, but nodded.

Robert introduced himself to Meg and Harry, and told them what his plans were for the girls, along with assurances that this project would not interfere with their schoolwork when summer was over. "After all," he said, "there's nothing more important than a good education."

Todd offered Harry a beer, but Harry said he had to work the afternoon shift. "I'll be glad when I can say goodbye to that job," he added.

"So?" asked Kelly, "are you going to take it?"

Harry smiled at her. "We're going over to your lawyer's office right after we leave here. I only have one question that I really need an answer to."

"And that is?" asked Todd.

"We have an older couple that are interested in moving in, but they aren't seniors, at least not for a little while. You met Lew the other night. It's him and his wife. She works at Mercy Hospital, but Lew, he's my oldest friend. He's coming up on his 30 year mark, and though he can't run too great any more, he can still walk, so he's not exactly handicapped either."

"You don't have to explain, Harry," said Todd. "Look at the contract. You and Meg will have full control over who rents there or not. Kelly and I are not going to interfere at all!"

Harry let out a sigh of relief. He would have hated to turn down his old friend.