Chapter 55

Kim woke Trent the next morning. They cuddled in bed, kissing and rubbing their hands over one another's naked bodies. Kim shifted so she could lie against Trent's chest and rested her head against his shoulder.

"You were amazing last night, Baby," Kim said.

"Why do you say that?" Trent replied, as he raked his fingers through Kim's long blonde hair.

"Because you were, that's why. I couldn't believe how long you lasted. You're getting good at making love." Kim squirmed and giggled. "I think I came four times before you did."

"I'm trying to learn how to control myself. I want to make you happy, Sweetheart."

"Trent, you make me very happy. You make me happy when we make love and when we have sex. You make me very happy because you're not trying to change me. If you haven't noticed, I happen to love sex. I love sex almost as much as I love making love to you."

"I'm trying to understand, Kim. It's just that everything with you guys is so different from the way I used to think things would be when I had a girlfriend. I know I keep saying it, but this is all so new to me."

"Yeah, I guess it would be different to someone who hasn't hung around with us for long. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and remember that no matter what happens, I love you," Kim said.

"I love you too. That's what makes it so confusing. I guess that if I want you for my girlfriend and if I want to be part of the team, I have to learn to accept things."

"When we discover new things and meet new people, we have to decide if we want to join in, or do something else. I don't want to change you and I don't want you to try to change me. If we have open minds, we can change ourselves, but we can't change anyone else."

"Well, I can tell you that I don't want to be the asshole I used to be. I'm glad I quit smoking and that I'm not giving my mom a hard time anymore. Everything is getting better, Kim, much better."

Kim giggled and gave Trent a kiss. "I'm glad you feel that way. I hate the smell of smoke and the way you used to taste when I kissed you. Now, I have to get up or I'm going to wet the bed."

Trent laughed as he pushed Kim off his body. They got up and went into the bathroom. Trent stood against the counter, waiting for Kim to finish. After taking care of his morning piss, they climbed into the shower.

Kim and Trent took turns washing each other and shared kisses. They laughed and played as they enjoyed the closeness. Finished in the shower, they got out and dried off. Kim wrapped a towel around her waist and headed for the kitchen. Trent went to the bedroom to put on clean clothes before joining her.

"I'm going to make coffee and then I'll get dressed," Kim said when Trent came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her shoulder.

"I can make the coffee if you want to go," Trent said.

Kim turned around, gave Trent a kiss, and left the kitchen. He finished setting up the coffee maker and turned it on. Standing at the counter, he watched the coffee begin brewing.

"Good morning, Trent. I was going to make coffee, but I see you've already started it," Sally said.

Trent turned around, chuckling when he saw Sally standing in the kitchen stark naked.

"I don't like clothes," Sally said as she giggled.

"That's fine by me," Trent replied.

Sally took a seat at the table to wait for coffee. Trent began taking mugs from the cabinet and placed them on the counter. Tom came in, greeted Trent and his sister, and took a seat. A few minutes later, everyone was up and in the kitchen. They all got coffee and then went to the main house for breakfast.

As soon as they walked into the house, the teens could smell the aroma of hot muffins. They went to the kitchen and greeted the adults. Laura told them to sit down and she would get them breakfast.

After eating, Don and Marc excused themselves. They kissed their wives and told Marge and Anne that they would see them later. The two men left the house and drove to Joel's office for an early meeting.

The teens sat talking to Marge, Laura, and Anne for a few minutes. They helped clear the table and rinse the dishes before heading back to the guesthouse to wait until it was time to leave and meet their friends.

"My mom wants me to spend some time at home after our meeting so I'll drive my car to the meeting," Trent said.

"I'll go with you," Kim said.

"Tom and I will take his truck and meet you two there," Jack said. "We should get going."

Kim and Trent went to his car. He opened the door for Kim, closing it once she was in the car. He got in, started the engine, and gunned it. Kim giggled at the sound of the souped up motor.

Trent backed up and followed Tom out of the driveway. He stayed close so he wouldn't get lost on the way to Joel's office.

"I really like this car. It's so cool!" Kim said as Trent shifted gears.

"When we have time, I'll teach you to drive it," Trent said.

"That would be so cool! Aren't you afraid I'll mess it up?"

"No, it isn't that hard to drive. You just have to learn to shift."

Placing her hand on top of Trent's as he held the floor shifter, Kim said, "Can you teach me to shift while you drive?"

"Sure, just watch what I do."

The next time he stopped, Trent shifted into first. He explained how he held in the clutch and then eased it up when the light changed. As he shifted, he told Kim about the shift pattern. She kept her hand on his, watching Trent's every move.

At the next light, Trent removed his hand from the shifter and told Kim to shift. She shook her head, but he assured her she would be okay. Trent took off and when it was time, pushed in the clutch. Kim moved the shifter from first to second gear and he released the clutch.

"That was good. Now get ready to shift into third. Remember that it's an H pattern. You move the shifter up, over toward you, and up again."

Kim shifted when Trent told her to, giggling when she moved the shifter into fourth gear. At the next light, she shifted into first and waited for the car to begin moving again. For the remainder of the ride, Kim shifted the car.

Trent pulled into the parking lot behind Tom and parked his car next to Eddie's van. He shut off his car, jumped out, and ran around the car to open the door for Kim. She got out, gave him a hug, and giggled.

"Thanks for teaching me to shift," Kim said. She released Trent and told the others what she learned.

The team went into the building and up to Joel's office. The receptionist showed them to the conference room and asked if anyone wanted something to drink. Several of them asked for coffee and the rest asked for water.

"Mr. Levinson will be in shortly," the receptionist said as she served the beverages.

As soon as the receptionist left, Eddie stood up. He put his hand on Jenny's shoulder and glanced around the table.

"Jenny and I were talking last night and she told me that she's feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything that's going on right now. Jenny said that she thinks we're biting off a lot with the boat, the team, the production company, and soon, school.

"I thought it would be a good idea to talk about it before we signed the papers for the production company. How does everyone else feel?" Eddie said.

"I'm okay, Eddie. Last night I was tired and didn't think about what I said," Jenny said.

"That doesn't matter, Jen. If it's bothering you, I think we should talk about it," Brad said. He put his hand on Jenny's arm.

Jack excused himself, returning a moment later with his dad. Don stood near the door and Jack sat down.

"What's bothering you, Jenny?" Molly said.

"I don't know. It's just that we're so busy that I don't feel like I have any time to myself. We're always doing something together. I don't want to mess things up for everyone else, though. Don't worry, I'll be fine," Jenny said.

"Do you want to give up on the idea of the production company and the television show, or anything else?" Kathy said.

Tears began running out of Jenny's eyes. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and shook her head.

"May I say something?" Don said as he moved closer to the table.

The teens all nodded.

"Jenny, I think I understand what you're saying. To tell you the truth, I'm amazed that you kids find the time and energy to do everything you're involved in right now. That and you're all taking on more.

"The thing I think you're overlooking is the fact that not all of you have to do everything all the time. If some of you want to do something other than fish a tournament, so what? Any of you should be able to do what you want to whenever you want to do it.

"You have ten members of your fishing team. Most of the other boats I've seen only have three or four members. You could field a team if half of you wanted to miss one of the tournaments," Don said. He paused to take a sip of coffee and glance at the teens.

"It's important that you don't let the things you love doing become a chore. If any of you do, it will cause resentments. That will lead to fighting and then none of you will have a good time.

"In a couple months you'll all start school. I know I can speak for all of your parents when I say that if the fishing or the television program begins to cause your grades to slip, we'll put a stop to it. Fishing is fun, but your educations are more important.

"The fact that you kids are in relationships with each other also adds to the unique dynamic of your group. I don't have any way of proving it, but I seriously doubt that any other group of ten teenagers is able to get along as well as you kids seem to. You are truly special.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do. You have to figure it out for yourselves. If you want my, or any of the parents' advice or opinion, just ask. As far as what you kids are discussing, I think that if you all agree that it isn't necessary for everyone to do everything together you can still have fun fishing and doing the other things.

"As I said, not every one of you needs to fish every tournament or be in every episode of every television show if you decide to go through with the production company. If you think about it, adding the television show isn't going to change much. You're just going to tape what you usually do anyway." Don looked around and smiled. "I have to get back to my meeting. Mr. Levinson will be in shortly.

Don left the room. The teens all looked at each other and began smiling. Jenny cleared her throat and then giggled.

"So, would anyone be upset if I missed a tournament?" Jenny said.

"I'd miss you, but I wouldn't be upset," Jack said. "I never thought about it before, but my dad's right. We don't always have to do everything together. With school coming up, we might not be able to, and I wouldn't want the rest of you to miss doing something because I couldn't go with you."

The teens continued to discuss the future of the fishing team as well as them as a group. They all agreed that no one would chastise or be upset with anyone else if they decided to do something on their own. As they chatted and laughed, Joel came in.

"Okay, what's your decision? Are we going to form the production company or not?" Joel said.

"We're going through with it, Mr. Levinson. Where do we sign?" Jack said as he spoke for the group.

Joel began taking forms and documents out of a large portfolio. He started them around the table and explained what each one was. He told the team that he would have Fran and Randy sign them when they arrived in a couple days.

"So, when can we start taping our shows?" Sally said.

"You can start anytime you want to, Sally. Once we get the papers filed and a few other legalities taken care of, we can start marketing the show," Joel said. "If there isn't anything else, we're finished for now."

The teens thanked Joel and said goodbye. They went outside, agreeing to regroup at Sid's Tackle shop. Getting into their cars and trucks, they headed for the shop.

"Hi, Grandpa, how are you doing?" Trent said as he led his friends into the shop.

"I'm doing well today, Trent. How are all of you?" Sid replied.

The team greeted Sid and started looking around the shop. No matter how many times they went there, they liked perusing the items displayed.

"I have a few gaffs and a harpoon set aside for you kids to look at. Nate stopped by and told me what you would need," Sid said.

The teens gathered around Sid as he showed them the items. They picked three gaffs and one harpoon for the boat. Sid put protective covers over the sharp points on the gaffs and the harpoon.

"How much do we owe you, Sid?" Eddie said.

"These are on me. They're part of my sponsorship," Sid replied. "Just make sure you do well in the tournament."

"We'll do our best," Kathy said.

Tom took the items out to his truck and put them in the back of the SUV. He returned to the shop and began looking at the lures.

"Do we have all the tackle we'll need?" Tom said.

"I think so. If not, we can get it when we get to the tournament," Eddie said.

"How about those little jiggy things we used to catch bait? Do we have any of those?" Molly said.

Chuckling, Brad said, "No we don't. Do you think we should get some?"

"It would help if we're going to catch our own bait," Jack said. "Do you guys remember what we used?"

"I think so, but I'll call Nate and ask him," Jenny said as she pulled out her cell phone.

Jenny chatted with Nate, asking him which jigs they should have. He asked to speak to Sid and Jenny handed him the phone. Sid started writing on a pad and nodding his head. He gave the phone back to Jenny and she thanked Nate before hanging up.

Sid took a basket to one of the aisles. He began pulling packages of jigs from the rack, dropping them in the basket. A few moments later, he went to the counter and began adding up the cost. He made a note on a piece of paper, put the jigs into a bag, and handed them to Eddie.

"There you go, kids. I'll add these to my sponsorship tally. You kids still have money available if you need anything else," Sid said.

"I think we're all set, Sid. Thanks," Eddie said.

Trent took Kim into the back room to see if his mom was there. He saw Jane and asked about his mom.

"Hi, Trent. Your mom isn't here yet. She said that she would be in a little later," Jane said.

"Okay, thanks," Trent said. He introduced Kim and they went back out to the shop.

The team thanked Sid and left the shop. They gathered in the parking lot to make plans for the day.

"I have to go home for awhile," Trent said. "Mom said she wants to spend some time with me before we leave for the tournament."

"Why don't we plan to get together tomorrow afternoon? We can pack our things and spend the night on the boat. That way we can get underway the first thing Saturday morning," Jack said.

"That sounds good to me," Kim said.

The girls moved into a group to discuss what they planned to take to wear on the trip. Kim and Sally told them that they would make sure all of the uniforms were clean and ready to go. Jack and the other boys talked about the trip and about the meeting that morning.

"I hope Jenny is okay now," Brad said.

"I think she'll be fine, Brad. If you ask me, knowing that we don't always have to do everything together is a relief to me too. I wondered how things would shake out when we returned to school and now I think everything will be great," Eddie said.

The teens talked for a few minutes and then decided to leave. They agreed to get together the next afternoon and finish preparing for the trip to North Carolina. Tom, Jack, Sally, Kim, and Molly got into Tom's Expedition. They waved to their friends and pulled away.

Eddie and Kathy sat in the front seat of the van and Jenny and Brad sat behind them. As they pulled away from Sid's shop, they waved to Trent.

"Are you feeling better now, Little Bit?" Brad said. He reached over and took Jenny's hand in his.

"I feel much better, Baby. After Mr. Graham talked to us, I realized that I was over thinking things. How would you feel if I missed a tournament once in awhile?" Jenny said.

"It won't bother me, Sweetie. Maybe we'll miss together," Brad said.

Eddie chuckled and looked in the mirror. Kathy noticed and reached for him. Placing her hand on Eddie's leg, she said, "Things are going to be great you know. I think that knowing that we can do other things without anyone getting upset is great, but I also think that just knowing will relieve some of the stress. There were times I felt overwhelmed too, but I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to make anyone upset."

"We're guilty of something we all agreed to. We didn't talk and we let things fester," Eddie said.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I know that's what I did. I can assure you that I won't let that happen again. The funny thing is how simple the solution was. Mr. Graham can sure put things into perspective, can't he?" Jenny said.

"Yeah, and all he did was point out the obvious," Brad said.

"Oh well, we have our answers for now, don't we?" Kathy said.

"You know, one of the things Mr. Graham said really hit home. The television show is just going to be a record of what we do. I don't think any of us are looking for a reality show with all the drama and bullshit that goes with most of them. Our show is going to be about ten friends fishing and having fun," Jenny said.

Kathy began laughing. "We won't be taping all of our fun, that's for sure!"

Eddie and Brad laughed at what Kathy said. Jenny giggled and said, "I don't know about that. I wouldn't mind making a movie; you know, one that we wouldn't be able to show anyone else."

"Don't you mean anyone except the team?" Kathy said.

"I thought they'd be in it," Jenny replied with a giggle.

"We'd better learn how to use the video equipment," Brad said.

The two couples laughed and began making comments about the idea of making a video. Eddie dropped Kathy and Brad off at their house and headed home.

Tom parked in the garage and everyone got out of the car. Molly went into the house to see her mom while the rest went to the guesthouse to change into shorts. A few minutes later, Molly came in and went to the room she shared with Tom.

"My mom said that I don't have to go home if I don't want to. What do you want me to do, Honey?" Molly said.

"I want you to stay with me as often as your mom will let you, Molly." Tom wrapped his arms around her and grabbed her butt.

"That's good, because I want to be with you as much as I can. It's going to suck when school starts and we can't stay together," Molly said.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's just have fun. We should go see what the rest of the guys are doing," Tom said.

"Do I have time to change?"

Chuckling, Tom nodded. He watched Molly strip down to her underwear and said, "Times up, you'll have to stay like that."

Molly giggled, shrugged her shoulders, and headed for the door. Tom laughed, watching her butt wiggle as she walked. He and Molly went to the living room and joined the others.

"Aren't you going to get dressed so we can go work on the boat?" Kim said when she saw Molly in her bra and panties.

"I have to stay like this. Tom told me I didn't have time to put anything else on," Molly said.

Laughing, Kim said, "Oh well, it sure doesn't bother me."

Tom gave Molly a smack on her bottom and told her to go dress. She giggled, put her hands on her hips, and said, "Make up your mind."

"You'd stay like that I if I wanted you to, wouldn't you?" Tom said.

Nodding, Molly said, "Of course I would, Tom. You know I would."

"Go get dressed."

Molly giggled and went to her room. She put on shorts and a top before heading back to the living room. The five of them went to the main house for lunch.

Don and Marc drove to Harry's boatyard. They went into the office and asked for Harry. The receptionist paged Harry, calling him to the office. When he got there, he greeted Don and Marc.

"What's up?" Harry said.

"Do you have a few minutes? We want to talk to you about Sheer Delights," Don said.

"Sure, do you want me to call Jack too?" Harry said.

"That would be a good idea. This is important to him too," Marc said.

Harry asked his receptionist to page Jack Waters. He led Don and Marc to the conference room and asked his receptionist to get them coffee. Jack came in, greeted Don and Marc, and sat down.

"Marc and I met with Joel this morning. Mrs. Akins accepted our offer," Don said.

"That's great, but I've been thinking about this. Isn't three million a lot for a lingerie store?" Harry said.

Don chuckled and said, "It's way too much for a lingerie store, Harry. However, the three million includes the real estate."

"I wasn't aware that Mrs. Akins owned the building," Harry said. "Ellen never mentioned it."

"The property is held by a shell company. She leases it to the business," Don said.

"Mrs. Akins doesn't only own the building that Sheer Delights is in, she owns most of the block," Marc said.

"So what does that mean to the women?" Jack said.

"Not too much. They'll own the business and Marc and I will hold the property. They will lease the store from our holding company. I wanted to tell you before we closed so you weren't surprised," Don said.

"So, how much is the business minus the real estate?" Harry said.

"Sheer Delights alone is about one hundred fifty thousand plus the inventory. Ellen said they have a couple of million in inventory, but that's at retail. The actual value is less than half of that. I didn't realize that underwear had the margins it does. It's like jewelry," Don said.

"When do you think you'll close?" Harry said.

"Joel said we should be able to take possession in about three weeks. We're buying the real estate on a very favorable land contract. The business is cash," Don said.

"Just how much property is there?" Harry said.

"It includes all but one of the buildings on the street. The jewelry shop on the far corner isn't part of the deal. The other five stores are rented and produce enough to pay the land contract. I don't know why Mrs. Akins wanted to sell the property, but I don't really care," Don said.

Jack laughed and said, "What the fuck, were you two born with silver spoons in your mouths?"

"Not hardly. Don's generosity is the reason my family is doing so well. It just seems that he manages to be in the right place at the right time," Marc said.

"Hell, if it weren't for you two, I would still be sitting on two boats. If I haven't told you, thanks for everything you've done for us." Harry pointed at Jack. "All of us."

"I'm just happy that we were in the position to do the things we have. I know the kids are having a blast with the fishing boat. Our kids were hell bent on owning and operating Tomiko, but now they're more interested in fishing. We don't care though. As long as they stay out of trouble, we're happy," Don said.

"When are you going to tell the girls?" Jack said.

"I haven't decided. Do you think we should have some fun?" Don said.

Laughing, Harry said, "What do you have in mind?"

"I haven't thought about it yet. I told Joel not to say anything so it's a secret," Don said.

"We could wait until we're on our way to North Carolina. It might be fun to tease them while we're on the yacht," Marc said.

"This is your show, yours and Don's. We'll go along with anything you decide," Harry said.

"Well I hope we tell them soon. Sarah hasn't talked about anything else since the other women asked her to be their partner." Jack laughed. "I think she's brushing up on her blowjob skills. She won't leave me alone."

"As if you mind," Harry said, and then he laughed.

"We better get going. Marge told me she wants to have dinner tonight as a family. I think she's a little apprehensive about the kids heading to the tournament without an adult on the boat. I told her that they can take care of themselves, but you know how mothers can be," Don said.

"Okay, we'll see you two on Friday evening. I know Ellen and Sarah want to spend some time with the kids before they leave Saturday morning," Harry said.

The men shook hands and then walked outside. They said goodbye and then Don and Marc climbed into their car.

"Are we doing the right thing here, Harry? What if the girls don't make a go of the shop?" Jack said.

"I'm not worried about it, Jack. I know that they'll work hard and be successful. If I thought I would fail, I would have never bought this place. It was hard work, but the fruits of my efforts are starting to show. We're almost out of debt and have enough work to last over a year. You have been a great asset to the operation and I appreciate everything you're doing."

"Thanks, Harry. I'm doing my best. This has been the best job I've ever had," Jack said. "Sometimes working with friends doesn't work out, but we've been able to keep business and friendship separate."

"I agree, and I feel that the girls will be able to do the same thing. I know that Ellen is looking forward to owning the shop. Like Sarah, it's about all she talks about now. She told me that the four of them have a lot of ideas to grow the business," Harry said.

Jack Waters and Harry headed toward one of the sheds to check on the progress of the latest project. They were about ready to flip the new one-hundred foot yacht and begin working on the superstructure.

Jack, Kim, Tom, Sally, and Molly finished their lunch and relaxed on the patio. Laura came outside and asked if they needed anything. The teens told her that they were set.

"We should go see how things are on Tomiko. We haven't spent much time with the yacht," Jack said.

"I know and I feel a little guilty about it," Tom said.

The five teens walked down to the seawall and over to Tomiko. Kim yelled out, asking if anyone was aboard. Jeri came out to the deck and laughed.

"Come aboard," Jeri said and she opened the hatch.

Kim led the group up the ramp and onto the yacht. She giggled when Jeri shook her head and said, "You don't have to ask for permission to come aboard. This is your yacht."

"I know, but it's fun," Kim said with a giggle. "We wanted to come see how things are going. Are you ready for the trip to North Carolina?"

"Yes, we're ready." Jeri opened the cabin door, holding it for the teens.

April came into the main salon and said hi to the group. She invited them to sit down and offered them cold sodas. Erin came into the salon carrying her cleaning supplies. She smiled at her friends and said, "Hi."

"Hi, Erin. How are you and Frank doing?" Sally said.

"Great, Sally. How about you? You never come over to see us," Erin said.

"I know and I'm sorry. We've been busy," Sally said.

"No problem, we've been very busy too. We're getting the boat ready for our first long trip," Erin said.

"Where's Frank?" Jack said.

"He's below in the engine room. Jeri told him to make sure everything is secure," Erin said. "April, can I show my friends my quarters?"

Smiling, April nodded. Erin told her friends to follow her down to the crew's quarters.

"This is Frank's and my stateroom. Jeri said we could have it even though it's supposed to be for the captain. Jeri and April's stateroom is the one adjacent to the pilothouse." Erin opened a hatch to another crew's stateroom. "This is Yoshi's stateroom when he stays aboard."

"I like how you've decorated this area! It's nice and homey," Kim said.

Jack and Tom went into the engine room to say hi to Frank. They startled him, but as soon as Frank saw who it was, he greeted his friends. He told Tom and Jack what he'd been doing and showed them around the spotless engine room.

"How do you like living with Erin?" Tom said.

"It's absolutely amazing, Tom. I think we're going to get married someday soon." Frank smiled.

"That's cool. Have you two been talking about it?" Jack said.

"Yeah, we've talked about it a lot lately. We both love each other and we love our jobs. Thanks for thinking of us," Frank said.

"We're glad it's working out for you guys," Tom said.

Jack and Tom told Frank that they'd talk to him later. They left the engine room and went to find the girls. Kim, Sally, Molly, and Erin stood in the common area of the crew's quarters hugging. Tom nudged Jack, leaned close, and said, "I think Erin told the girls what Frank told us."

Molly saw Tom and grinned. Sally giggled and told the boys Erin's news. Jack and Tom congratulated Erin and then told her that Frank had told them.

Frank came out of the engine room and washed his hands. All of them went up to the main deck and milled around in the salon. Kim heard a girl's voice and asked Erin who it was.