Chapter 25: The arrangement

Charlie met me at the airport, saying he and Debra had enjoyed their time together. He added that Victor and Gladys had been no trouble. "She made your bed and cleaned the whole apartment."

The apartment was spotless. I could tell that Gladys had done a thorough job of cleaning under my bed when I saw four tennis balls on my desk. I put three of them in a can and kept the fourth handy for squeezing while studying.

My first telephone call was to Kelley. There was no answer at the Harvey home so I left a message and called home.

"Did you have a good time, honey?" Suzanne asked.

"We had a fantastic time."

"Where did you go?"

"Huh?"

"Did you take in Disney World or watch any spring training games? Did you play golf?"

"We went to the beach and out to dinner a couple of times. Mainly, we stayed near the house. They have a deck overlooking the water and there's a hammock. Oh, we played chess and..."

"I see," Suzanne said, knowingly, and I got the impression that she really did 'see'.

Before I could respond, she said, "John wants to have a word with you."

"Sam, did you have a good time?" he asked in a cheery voice.

"Yes, Sir."

"My accountant has your income taxes ready and I looked them over before mailing them to you for your signature. I see your bonus and earnings are still in a bank account. It reminded me that we haven't discussed your investment plans," he said, his voice turning gruff.

"No, Sir. I need to talk to someone about that," I answered, already making plans to speak to Doctor Mercer about investment options.

After several seconds of silence he said. "I'll have my broker send you some suggestions."

"Thanks you, Sir," I said,

"I'm glad to hear that you had a good time in Florida," Mr. Oldham said. I thanked him again and we said goodbye.

My telephone rang and I just looked at it, dazed from my conversation with Mr. Oldham. Why hadn't I looked into investing the money on my own?

"Hello?"

"Honey? You sound ... distant," Kelley said.

"Hey, how was your flight?" I asked, snapping out of my funk.

"It was okay, but I'm already lonesome. My mom asked what we did and all I could think of was that we went shopping," she whispered.

I laughed. "I told Suzanne that we played chess."

"When can I see you?"

"I thought you were planning to come here?"

"I will. When's a good time for me to come? Do you have any days off?"

"No, it's going to be twelve solid weeks of classes."

"If I go there the middle of April and you come here the middle of May it will break up the twelve weeks."

"That sounds like a workable plan, but why the middle of the month?"

She didn't answer for several seconds. "It's ... there won't be any conflict with my ... period."

"Oh."

"And, we'll be together to celebrate my birthday next month. I wish I could be there to celebrate your birthday with you. Will you be home? I'll call you."

"I'll be here." I said, already making plans to skip the weekly pizza and beer party.

"We'll talk for hours," she promised before reminding me that she loved me. I responded that I loved her too and we said goodbye.

I called Marcie and reported that we'd had a great time in Florida, emphasizing the view from the deck while downplaying the fact that it was the only view we had taken advantage of. I think she got the picture and didn't probe the way Suzanne had.

"Did you get a nice tan?" she asked.

"Mmmm."

"All over?"

"Mmmm."

"She's got her hooks in you," Marcie laughed.

"She's coming here the middle of April to celebrate her birthday and I've got to think of a suitable gift."

"I'm sure she'll love anything as long as it's from you," Marcie said, without offering any suggestions as to what would be unique for a girl who had everything.

I agreed and promised to keep her informed. After a week of lounging around the beach and lying in the hammock I needed to stretch my legs and went for a run. When I got back to the apartment I offered to take Charlie to dinner at Stella's. He accepted and we swapped stories about our week off. The closest I got to anything specific was, "I took my tennis racket, but forgot to take any balls."

He laughed and then became serious, telling me that if Debra's application to transfer to Pontiac was approved, they planned to rent an apartment. "Debra said this week was fun, but she wants some privacy when we're living together."

The next day there were two letters in my mailbox, one from Jeannie and one from Hilda. Jeannie wrote that she was only going to be home for a month during the summer and wanted to know when I was planning to be there. She said the boys were getting jobs and she and Celia would be busy getting their apartment ready for the next year.

Hilda's note was short. She asked if I ever got to New York City, giving me her telephone number at work and at home. She said she just returned from attending fashion shows in Paris, but planned to stay close to home during the summer and asked me to call her when I was in town.

A thought struck me. I wrote back, saying that my girlfriend's twenty-third birthday was the nineteenth of April and I wanted to give her a dress to wear to dinner with me.

As I told Marcie later, "I don't expect to get any fashion advice from her, but it should put a damper on her wanting to get together when I'm in New York."

Thinking that giving Kelley a dress for her birthday was a good idea, I stopped by the dress shop and told Aunt Olivia what I wanted to do. She first showed me the dresses on the rack and when I couldn't find anything I liked, she suggested a tailor-made creation.

"She'll be here the middle of next month," I said, beginning to panic.

"I have an excellent dressmaker. We'll make time for you to meet on Saturday," Aunt Olivia offered.

I was skeptical. What did I know about women's dresses? "Sounds good," I said.

"Are you going to want the apartment next year, Sammy?"

"Yes," I said and went on to explain that Charlie was moving out, but I would probably let Victor have the second bedroom. "I may stay for a fifth year, but that's not confirmed yet," I added. She nodded, seemingly happy about my plans to keep the apartment another year.

But as I found out the following night, a fifth year at Pontiac would not meet the approval of Kelley. "What's your summer schedule?" she asked.

"I don't know. Mr. Oldham never tells me his plans for me until I'm home for the summer."

"Can we find out if you'll be traveling? I have one date in Seattle for the groundbreaking ceremony, but otherwise, my schedule is flexible."

When I couldn't offer much hope of learning Mr. Oldham's plans for me until I got ready to tell me, she said she would talk to me on my birthday. "Be prepared to whisper sweet things to me, Birthday Boy," she said in the raspy voice that made the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention.

Later that night the hair was still tingling when I went out for a run. Doctor Mercer joined me and I told him about the money I needed to invest. He said he would do some research, but suggested we hear what my dad's broker offered.

I thanked him and told him I would keep him informed.

On Thursday afternoon there was a large carton propped against the back door when I got home. In addition to my name and the apartment address, there were air freight company labels and a picture of a hammock on the box. I managed to carry the box inside and was unpacking the hammock components when Charlie came home.

"Where are you going to put it?" he asked.

"In my bedroom," I answered as I looked over the assembly instructions.

"It won't fit," he declared.

We had to move my desk, computer stand and bed, but we found space for the hammock near the windows.

The next day was my twenty-first birthday, and when I picked up my mail between classes, I found the box packed with cards from Jeannie and the freshmen, Marcie, Suzanne and John, my mother signed her name and included Heather and K.O., Alice signed her name and included Connor, Brenda and Benny, and Penelope, who included Ned and Samantha. There was a package from home, too large for the mailbox.

Also in my mail was a magazine from Hilda with a note telling me to see if I found a dress that appealed to me. Otherwise, she said to give her my girlfriend's skin tones, color of her hair and eyes and she would recommend a pattern suitable to wear when celebrating a twenty-third birthday. Thumbing through the magazine I found a model that so nearly resembled Kelley it was scary. She was wearing a black dress that I simply had to have.

I wrote a note to Hilda, thanking her for the magazine and enclosed a picture of Kelley that I had taken on the deck with the water in the background. On the back of the photo I wrote, 'She likes to wear green to match her eyes'. Kelley was wearing a green bikini, showing lots of skin.

I was lying in the hammock on Friday night when Kelley called to wish me happy birthday.

"This is beyond my wildest imagination. I was going to give you a dress for your birthday, but now I'll have to find something exotic," I said to show my appreciation for her gift.

"A dress you select will be exotic," she answered. "I can't wait to see what you pick out." And then, as an afterthought, "will you need my measurements?"

I chuckled, making my voice sound lecherous. "I know your measurements."

You don't!"

"Your measurements are etched in my mind. You're five feet, seven inches tall, thirty-four, twenty-three, thirty-four and a half."

Kelley's reaction, a soft sigh, told me she was blushing. "That's amazing. How did you do that?" she asked, breathless.

"I mentally measure you every time I take your breasts in my hands, every time I put my hands around your waist and every time I hold your ass."

"I can't wait to have your hands on my ass again."

"Have you considered coming on Thursday instead of Friday? I'll cut classes and give you a hammock orgasm."

She laughed, but didn't respond to my question. "When I think of our week together, lying in the hammock, walking to the beach, posing for pictures, can you guess which night always comes to mind?"

"The night we went to the seafood restaurant?"

"You're right. How did you guess?"

"I think about that night a lot too. You wore the summer dress and all the guys leered, even the old ones."

"I was going to wear slacks, but you insisted that I wear the dress. You even buttoned the buttons. Do you remember?"

"I remember unbuttoning the buttons when we got home."

"I was getting to that," she said, dreamily. "We slow danced on the deck and you undressed us. When you eased my panties over my hips, we were dancing so close that I could feel your cock wedged between us. I kept thinking you would push my panties down further, but you didn't and they were around my thighs for the longest time. You had your arms around me and you moved your middle finger down between the cheeks of my ass. The song ended and another one started. I wanted you to move your finger lower, but you didn't. My panties slipped down to my knees. Are you lying down, Sammy?"

"Yes, I'm in the hammock."

"Is your cock hard?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you move your finger down? Don't tell me. The song ended and my panties were still around my knees. I was so wet and I remember wondering why you didn't fuck me. Sammy?"

"Yes, Kelley."

"Please promise me something."

"Sure."

"That night, if you had fucked me without using a condom I would have let you. I remember wanting you to. Please promise that you will always use a condom."

"I promise," I said.

"Promise me that even if I beg you to fuck me without a condom, you won't do it."

"I promise."

"Even if I become angry?"

"I promise not to give in, even if you become angry."

"Thank you, sweetheart. It's important to me that I save that for marriage."

"Are you wet now?"

Kelley laughed. "If you were here right now I would beg you to fuck me without wearing a condom. Does that answer your question?"

"I wouldn't do it."

"I would be angry and call you names."

"I still wouldn't do it."

"Thank you, my darling," she said and became quiet for several seconds. "You do understand that it's not just my fear of becoming pregnant before I'm married, don't you?"

"I understand. You want to enjoy that special feeling with your husband."

"Isn't being in love splendid?" she asked as we said goodnight. I agreed with her.

The ringing telephone woke me and I realized I had slept in the hammock.

"Happy birthday," Suzanne greeted me.

"Thanks," I said, heading to the kitchen to pour a glass of orange juice.

"I didn't call you yesterday because Kelley said she was going to talk for hours. Did she?"

"Yes, she wanted to make sure I got the gift she sent me. It's a hammock."

"Did she say anything about your summer schedule?"

"No, we talked about ... other things."

"Sammy, that girl has been an absolute pest about your schedule. I finally got John's approval to give it to her and then she called again, wanting two of the dates changed. I suppose she's informed you about her time-of-the-month?"

I was in the kitchen, starting the coffee maker. "Yes," I laughed before it dawned on me that Kelley already knew Mr. Oldham's plans for my summer and I didn't. "What am I going to be doing?"

Suzanne agreed to send my schedule in an email attachment.

"I understand she's paying you a visit in April?"

"Yes, she's coming for a weekend. April the nineteenth is her birthday. I'm arranging to have a dress made."

"I hope you know where this is leading, Sammy. Even John remarked how persuasive she can be."

"Thanks for the gifts, Suz. In case you're wondering, everything fits," I said without responding to her assertion that Kelley could be persuasive.

Suzanne sighed dramatically, "Happy birthday, Honey," she said as we ended the call.

What Suzanne had said about Kelley being persuasive, 'even John remarked how persuasive she can be' haunted me. So Kelley gets what she wants. That's a good thing, isn't it? She was standing up for my right to know my summer schedule. Or, was she being persuasive for her own benefit?

Her email and attachment arrived a few minutes later. Basically, it called for me to travel every other week, visiting the company's offices in Denver, Boston, Seattle, and Newark and back to the Seattle. While at home I would work in the home office, but no specific jobs were mentioned.

After breakfast, I prepared for my meeting with the dressmaker, arming myself with the magazine Hilda had sent me and some photographs of Kelley.

Aunt Olivia escorted me to the back of her shop and introduced me to Sheri, the dressmaker, whom I had never seen before. She remarked that she had known Shirley, forcing me to tell her I hadn't heard from Shirley for months.

That out of the way, we got down to the business at hand. I showed her the magazine Hilda had sent. Sheri leafed through magazine with interest, stopping at a page with an article entitled, 'What French Women are Wearing to Parties Next Fall', by Hilda Honeycutt Hegg.

"That's Hilda. She sent me the magazine," I said, surprised that I had missed the article while looking for the ideal dress for Kelley.

"You know her? She's beautiful," she said, pointing to a small photograph of Hilda.

"I'm a friend of her cousin. They're almost identical," I said, taking a closer look at the photo and agreeing with Sheri. Hilda, like Trisha, was indeed beautiful.

Eventually, I was able to steer Sheri to the page showing the dress I had in mind for Kelley and then I produced the pictures of her, wearing the dress I had chosen for her the night we went to the seafood restaurant and another wearing a bikini.

"Do you have her dimensions?" Seri asked and I recited them.

She studied the photographs and dimensions, looking dubious. "She's a lovely girl, but I can tell by the dress and swimsuit she's wearing in the photos that she's a particular person. I don't want to disappoint her or you."

"Perhaps it would help if you spoke to her on the phone? She knows about the dress and she says she'll be happy with whatever I choose.

Sheri agreed to my suggestion. Kelley's mother told me she was at the office so I reached her there and they spoke for a few minutes. Sheri hung up the phone and turned to me. "She's coming here for a fitting."

"When?" I asked, excitedly.

"Saturday, the fourth of April," she said and watched as my expression changed from glee to gloomy.

Sheri said the dress in the picture I showed her appeared to be made of pure silk and when she showed me a sample of the material I agreed that it looked suitable. She said she was looking forward to meeting Kelley and would be ready for the fitting on the fourth of April. With that out of the way, I excused myself and ran upstairs to call Kelley.

"I know what you're thinking," she laughed.

"Why you're coming so near the first of the month?"

"Sammy, there's nothing sacred about my schedule. In the first place, there's a good chance my time-of-the-month will be over by then. I have a feeling that all that sexual activity in Florida moved my date forward. Anyway, there are other ways to reach satisfaction besides intercourse."

"Oh," I answered, in awe of her knowing my concerns.