Chapter 32A

Cara and Ami were up at the crack of dawn Saturday morning. Cara because of her desire to please Kelly before she and Brenda had their night on the town and Ami because today was going to be a day of photography! Sherri's portfolio requirements meant there would be a lot of lighting changes and multiple outfits to try on. Ami secretly hoped for a chance to shoot some film of her own.

After her talk with Kelly the night before, Cara felt silly over her jealousy towards Brenda. She wanted to make Kelly a fancy breakfast and serve it to her in bed. Todd and Laura would reap the same treatment since the three were always in bed together, but Cara didn't mind. Laura treated her like an equal and a sister, and Todd... well, Todd was Todd, and you couldn't help but love him as much as Kelly and Laura did.

After mentioning her plans, Ami was more than agreeable to help Cara out. Slipping into her shorts and a T-shirt, Ami put her running shoes on and headed down Jane Ave to the fruit vendor located on the corner of Statesville Road. The vendor knew Ami by sight now, and knew she was staying with Kelly. Since her arrival in Charlotte, Ami, Cara, and Kelly had stopped there numerous times, and as always, he had the best put aside for his very special customers.

Cara started to mix the waffle batter by hand, not trusting the appliances to run silently enough to let Todd, Laura, and Kelly sleep. On every occasion when Ami and Cara had tried to surprise the trio, one of them always woke up before breakfast was ready.

Cara had mixed the ingredients from scratch, grateful that Gloria kept the cupboards stocked with fresh supplies. God knew that Kelly was too busy to attempt to do any real shopping these days. Whole wheat flour was the basis for the mixture, and Cara added the other ingredients carefully, having learned the hard way that it was easy to add more, but it was a bitch taking them out!

Ami returned with her arms loaded just as the waffle iron was reaching the right temperature and surprised Cara with a large bag of the biggest, ripest blueberries either girl had ever seen. She also had a quart basket of big, juicy strawberries, and she proceeded to clean the blueberries while Cara checked her mix to see if it would come out as fluffy as her mother's.

Satisfied that she had the mix as close to perfect as she could, she, towel patted the rinsed blueberries to remove extra water, added them to the mix, then poured her first batch. She turned the oven on to keep the finished waffles warm while Ami cleaned and sliced the strawberries. Cara wished she had the time to whip up fresh cream but didn't think she would, even though so far luck was running with them, and not a sound had come from the master bedroom yet. There was a store-bought bowl of ready-made whipped cream which Ami started scooping onto the five plates of completed waffles. Cara added a dash of cinnamon while Ami spread strawberries on top of the whipped cream. Inch high waffles, three to a plate, with strawberries artfully arranged, creating visually pleasing plates, the red strawberries contrasting nicely against the white cream. Ami carried a tray with five large glasses of orange juice and cutlery and napkins, which she placed on an end table outside of the bedroom and then helped Cara carry the trays with the five plates on it. The girls snickered; maybe this one time, they could actually surprise the three lovers with breakfast in bed. It was a quarter to eight.

Todd was in the midst of a sweet dream, cuddled between his two lovers, when he heard the giggling of two young females. Since he slept in the nude, his half conscious mind reached down to check if he was covered. He was instantly awake when his hand encountered no sheet, just his morning hard on. The girls just laughed. He had seen them nude on many occasions, but was careful not to expose his own genitals around the girls. Not that he had reason to be shy since Cara and Ami were clearly only in love with each other. He sat up so fast that Laura turned and rolled right off the bed while Kelly slept on undisturbed.

Laura awoke with a start, trying to figure out when and how she had ended up on the floor. She was rubbing her butt when she realized they were not alone in the room, and then she saw Todd sitting up with both his hands in his groin trying to cover his hard cock. Her sense of smell picked up instantly that there was food close by, and she looked at the young lovers and laughed. Reaching across the floor, she retrieved Todd's shorts and tossed them to him, which garnered her a look of appreciation.

Moving quickly, Todd slipped the shorts over his feet and slid them up in record time, though he had a difficult time getting them over his erection, but then he too chuckled. At least now he was covered.

Cara and Ami placed the trays on the dresser and snuck up on the still sleeping Kelly, lightly stroking her and kissing her cheeks and arms till she slowly opened her eyes.

Kelly smiled at the youngsters, and with no thought to her own nudity, sat up in bed.

"Surprise!" said Cara with obvious pleasure.

Laura climbed back on the bed and joined her lovers as Ami started passing around plates of steaming waffles.

Kelly sniffed the waffles and made a sound that reflected her pleasure, then said, "You finally managed to catch us asleep did you?" She smiled as she said it, then added, "I'll bet Todd was the most surprised," which caused a good-natured laugh amongst all of them.

They ate in relative silence except for the sounds of pleasure coming from the three in bed. Ami and Cara sat on the swivel chairs by the makeup counter, the only chairs in the room.

Twenty minutes later, fully sated, Todd got up to relieve the pressure on his bladder while Cara and Ami cleared away the dishes. Laura got up to put on a pot of tea and get the vitamins out, but Kelly had laid back down and curled nude in a fetal position in the middle of the bed and promptly went back to sleep. Eight in the morning was not her strong suit.

At 9 o'clock, Todd and Ami headed out to the studio. They had work to do before Sherri showed up for her 10 o'clock appointment. Laura and Cara sat drinking tea, trying to decide what they wanted to do that evening. They'd already decided to spend the day at the studio watching Todd and Ami work and would possibly do a shopping trip for underwear later.

Kelly finally emerged from the bedroom just before 10, ruffling her hair with one hand, reaching for the tea pot with the other. She still hadn't bothered getting dressed. She knew that Brenda would want to make sure that Sherri was comfortable before she and Kelly left for their overnight special girlfriend's night out. Brenda had been the one who had first introduced her to Sapphic pleasures, and except for a brief afternoon encounter at the opening of the Wheel, where she had shared Brenda with Laura, the two women had not had a chance to spend quality time together. Kelly's schedule for the next two months was so solidly booked that she knew this would be their last opportunity before she returned from Jamaica as a married woman.

Now, totally awake, she gave Cara a special kiss and thanked her again for the wonderful surprise and breakfast treat.

Cara blushed at the compliment but was secretly pleased that Kelly had enjoyed the surprise.

Seeing that her lover was up and awake, Laura logged off the computer. She was fitting as much of her study time on line as possible, when ever possible. It was actually faster and more in-depth doing her courses online than if she attended classes. She could pause in the midst of a lesson and research the facts presented. Without the distracting party time, not to mention obligatory socializing time with other students, travel time to and from school, between the buildings, etcetera, and sports activities usually associated with university life, she could devote more time to learning, and it left her more flexible time to pursue her career as a model.

After swallowing her vitamins and drinking her "go-juice," Kelly showered and got dressed in comfortable walking shorts and a light blouse. With Laura and Cara helping, she got a small overnight bag packed with slacks, shoes and another top. By 10:45, the three girls climbed into Kelly's Elantra and drove to the studio.

Vanetta had been awake early that morning, knowing that the studio would be a busy place today. Downstairs, just wearing a T-shirt, Vanetta stocked the fridge with mineral water, beer, and soft drinks. By 8:30, she had showered and rolled Bobby out of bed, sending him on a snack-shopping mission. Pastries, smoked fish, and other delicacies as he saw fit. Bobby didn't mind. He was happy to be driving the luxury van on loan from the dealer until the official "Seniors: TNG" van arrived later in the week. Later in the morning he would be picking up the Williams sisters and the three musicians who would back them. They had a rehearsal scheduled for the afternoon, and it had been suggested that group photographs of the new entertainment sextet might be taken as well.

Bobby returned an hour later carrying a large box. While he helped Vanetta put things away, she told him Todd and Ami had already arrived and were in the darkroom loading film cartridges. Since he had time to spare, he helped Vanetta peel a dozen oranges and a half dozen pink grapefruit, then separate them into individual slices and place them on ice in the fridge. Among the numerous items Bobby had brought back, one in particular required attention - a large block of mild Gouda cheese. Vanetta showed him how to slice and dice the cheese using a thin metal wire with wooden handles. It was much faster and more efficient than trying to force a knife through it.

Satisfied that everything was in place and all the preparations that could be done, had been, Vanetta and Robert headed back upstairs to their new apartment where they had breakfast.

"I still feel strange using a company debit card to pay for all these purchases," Robert said after they finished eating. "I understand the logic, but I'm afraid that I'll stop looking for bargains."

Netta smiled at him and said, "It's good to be cost conscious, Bobby, but when it comes to a choice between quality and a good price, stick with quality."

He nodded his understanding, remembering his purchase of the new computer and office recliner for the new enterprise. He could have saved half the price on a refurbished computer with fewer features, but at Kelly and Todd's insistence, he'd bought the best for his needs, along with an extended warranty. The reclining manager's chair might have been a bit extravagant, especially compared to the folding metal chair he had been forced to sit on at his last job, but he realized that he would be spending a lot of time in the chair on the phone and with emails. He was brought back to the present by Vanetta asking him if he was going to miss her when she headed to California and the City of Angels the next day.

"Of course I'll miss you, Sweetheart," he said. "But, it's only for one night this time."

"What do you mean, 'this time'?" Vanetta asked.

"Honey... you're now the president of one of the largest privately owned modeling agencies in the world. The company also represents one of the most famous photographers of our time, and the advertising department is growing daily. I've already accepted the fact there will be times when you'll have to leave to handle a situation you can't delegate."

"And will you miss me then?" she asked.

Robert smiled at her, the love for her clearly showing in his eyes. "I miss you whenever I leave your side, Netta, but this, this opportunity... it's a dream come true. I'll just love you twice as much when you return."

Vanetta leaned over the table to kiss him. She would have shown him just how much she could really love him; however, they heard laughter from downstairs.

"Keep that thought, Sweetheart. I'll show you later how much I love you, but it sounds like Brenda and Sherri are here."

Brenda and Sherri had arrived and were having tea with Todd and Ami. Sherri was a bit nervous but tried her best to hide it, though Ami and Todd both picked up on it.

"Stop worrying, Sherri," Ami said. "If Todd and Kelly think you've got what it takes to be a top model, you can take that to the bank!"

Todd smiled at his young apprentice. She was learning early that, to get the best out of a model, they had to be at ease, and Ami was saying all the right things.

"Kelly will probably want to spend a bit of time with Sherri before she leaves with you, Brenda," he said. "She'll want to pick out the outfits and do the initial hair and makeup. Vanetta and Laura will help afterwards on the touchups, but trust Kelly to find what will work best clothing-wise."

"Cara and I aren't in your league, Sherri," said Ami, "but we learned real quick that we're just the racks to hang merchandise on. You just have a nicer rack!"

That comment had everyone laughing and was what Bobby and Vanetta had heard upstairs.

Vanetta and Bobby came downstairs at the same time that Kelly, Laura, and Cara walked in the door. Todd looked at the clock, anxious to get shooting. Kelly sighed theatrically, claiming she was a slave to her job, before giving everyone a good morning kiss. She took Sherri's hand and said, "Time for your shower, Dear."

"Shower?" said Sherri with a questioning look. "I had one this morning."

"And it shows," said Kelly. "Your skin is all shiny and bright. Not what Todd will want for your portfolio."

Cara poured Kelly a cup of tea, just the way Kelly liked it. Laura offered help to whoever needed it, and seeing that her time was free for a few hours, grabbed a cup of tea and chatted with Brenda for a bit before logging back online to get a few more lessons completed. She knew that in three weeks, she would be going through this frenetic model prep anxiety in New York. Three weeks after that, she would be on a cruise to Jamaica to get married. She smiled as she looked down at the huge diamond on her hand. With a sigh, she turned her attention back to the computer. Education was still the most important thing in her life, and she had to set an example for her sisters.

Her sisters were currently helping their mom pack up all the knick knacks from their old house. It would still be a month before they moved into "Muriel's Place" but there were over 20 years of memories to pack up. Aunt Sally, Lew's wife, was helping as well. Harry was putting in extra shifts to accumulate vacation time so he would be available for moving day. He had less than a year to make his 25 and retire early. The offer to manage "Muriel's Place" was a dream come true. He and Meg would earn more in four months than Harry did working a full year as a patrol sergeant and Meg working at the grocery store.

Harry and Meg had placed their house on the market, and with the desire to get out from under that debt load, had listed it for slightly more than what was left on the mortgage. Steve, TKO's lawyer, had - at the request of Kelly - agreed to handle the details, taking the burden from Harry and Meg's shoulders. It was a favor Steve was happy to do after hearing how Harry and Meg had been caught in a financial bind, owing the bank nearly as much as what the house would sell for. He had met Laura when Kelly had first called him about the unlawful dismissal from the restaurant she had worked for. Then he had been surprised, though not overly shocked, when Todd had told him that he was marrying both Laura and Kelly. Steve and his partner owed a lot to Todd and Kelly, but they never mentioned it, and they treated him and his wife, Melanie, like family.

Steve smiled to himself, remembering struggling as a young lawyer when Todd and Kelly had first arrived in Charlotte. Within a year, there was so much business that he had to take on a partner, and between the two of them, they handled all of TKO's business assets and legal work. When Kelly had called with the tip on InterCoastal boats, Steve and his partner had bought nearly a quarter million dollars in shares in the company, only to see it double in the first week after they purchased. Of course, they were immediately investigated by the government for insider trading, but against the two lawyers - who could prove they had no connection and that they had never spoken to any representative of IC - the investigation was quickly dropped. They had always been conservative with their investments, but on the advice of their stockbroker had taken chances before. There was no law against gambling on stocks or for doing your homework before deciding to invest. Steve and his partner had smiled at each other after the investigators left; IC stock had been climbing slowly for months before the big jump, and it was a logical decision. The extreme climb on an established company gave even more credence to their story.

Kelly pointed Sherri to the shower and told her to use the soft cream soap she handed her.

"Aww!" said Sherri. "I've got to take a shower by myself?"

Kelly laughed and said she was saving herself for Brenda, and that Ami was busy with Todd, but she might be able to convince Cara or Laura to shower with her.

Sherri sighed and asked if Kelly would at least stick around till she was finished.

"Of course I will, Sweetheart. I've got to get you covered with the proper body lotion and then powdered."

Sherri quickly showered and washed her hair with the shampoo supplied by Kelly. She stepped out of the shower nude and dripping, expecting a towel waiting for her, but instead, Kelly handed her a bottle of body lotion, telling her to cover every square inch of her skin, but not to put any on her hair.