Chapter 16

After Janice and Abigail left, Amy went looking for Jean -- and found her in the barn, looking at lamps. "These four are all signed," Jean muttered. "They're Tiffany -- the real deal, I'm pretty sure."

"My mom will know," Amy insisted. "She had a shop. We had to move, and she had to sell it, but..."

"I bet that was tough," Jean commiserated.

"It was," Amy agreed. "Now, she doesn't know about the group -- and wouldn't want to..."

"I understand." 'Sometimes I wish I knew nothing, ' Jean added to herself. Of course, there was the up-side -- Martin, for instance. The baby was gone, and that hurt -- but it got rid of the last issue between them. There were no more conflicts -- self-imposed, or otherwise.

"Okay, let's pack it -- VERY carefully," Amy insisted. The pair gently disassembled the lamp -- as far as removing the shade, anyway -- and put the parts in the back seat of Jean's car, the leaded glass shade further buffered in a cardboard box. Then they drove to Amy's.

Amy made the introductions between Jean and her mother, Sharon, and then Jean said, "If you have a moment, I have something I'd like your opinion of."

"Certainly," Sharon agreed.

Jean and Amy went back out to the car and Amy gently collected the lamp base while Jean carried the box containing the shade. Sharon eyed the blown metal base oddly, then approached the cardboard box. Looking down at the lead glass fish lamp shade made of Favrile glass and bronze, Sharon's eyes popped. "Sweetheart, please bring me the base..." Sure enough, it was signed and numbered ... Gingerly, she removed the shade from the box and assembled the lamp; the shade was also clearly authentic. "May I ask where you found this?"

"We bought a bed and breakfast on the edge of town and are converting it into a small social club. I found this in storage," Jean related.

"I think ... I think this is very valuable," Sharon said quietly.

"How valuable is 'very valuable?' Jean asked.

"I need to verify this, but over one hundred thousand dollars, I expect," Sharon said, her voice shaking. "I think I saw where one of this series sold at auction for one hundred twenty-eight thousand! I'll be right back!" Sharon's composure deserted her and she RAN to a computer in the den! A couple of minutes later, she returned with a printed article and a picture, "It IS! Look!" She shoved the paper in Jean's hand, then eyed her. "What ELSE is in storage?"

Jean pursed her lips. "Um, three more of these?"

"OMIGOD!" Sharon's eyes popped.

"I'm sure there are other items, too -- there are some tall, carved headboards for relatively narrow beds ... Roll-top desks ... I really think one could open a shop..."

"You could open a shop with THIS!" Sharon croaked. "Four of them, carefully vended, could bring a half a million dollars!"

"Wouldn't we have to be careful?" Jean asked. "Wouldn't quantity decrease the price?"

"You have a point, but there are ways..." Sharon noted. "If you sell one publicly, then wait a bit and just let it slip that there might be another ... You'll be under the eye of the collectors."

"We need an expert -- someone who knows what we're dealing in. A partner..."

"What would it cost me to buy in?" Sharon asked.

"Well, we have a barn we would be remodeling extensively to create the shop..."

"When can I examine things?" Sharon asked.

"I'll have to speak to the group," Jean replied, "and get something in the way of a partnership agreement or something. We haven't approached anyone else -- Amy is a member, so your name came up."

"I'd do, well, almost anything, to get in on the ground floor of this," Sharon husked.

"Give us a few days. We'll be in touch via Amy," Jean promised. She began gently disassembling the lamp.

"This could still be a very clever forgery," Sharon noted as she assisted with the packing, "but I know a couple of good appraisers. Here, wait a minute -- we can't risk this." The lamp left the building in bubble wrap, packed very carefully.

Outside, Amy called Toby. "My mother looked at one of those lamps and grew long fangs," she announced. "We may need secrecy."

"How valuable can it be?" Toby replied dismissively.

"Would you believe a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars?"

"I'm on my way!"

And that's how Toby got his introduction to the Winston family ... The secret was too much for Sharon to keep to herself; they barely stopped the word from spreading like wildfire! But they got things -- and Sharon -- under control.

This presented another good reason for Toby to work on security and surveillance systems. He hunted down an electronics firm and pulled ten thousand from various accounts so that he wouldn't have to work on it alone, figuring that if the lamps were real, they were safeguarding at least fifty times that amount. People stacking and moving things in the barn were enjoined to be careful -- without always being told EXACTLY why. The value of the merchandise was a closely held secret.

But that didn't happen until Monday...

Monday morning, Wanda was workin' it, going to school in a jean skirt that just missed flaunting the dress code, an empire-waisted blouse with a scoop neck that displayed a LOT of cleavage, wedgie sandals that did nice things for her legs, an ankle bracelet, and a big smile.

"Holy shit!" Pete Franklin muttered, "Miss Piggy..."

"Miss Piggy has big hooters and nice legs, and I seem to remember SOMEBODY saying she had a nice pussy!" Ray chuckled, adding, "Somebody who owes her a couple of dates!"

"Yeah," Pete said faintly, "I have to take it easy on her -- she IS kind of sweet."

"Yeah, you really ought to, since you're taking her out two or three times over the next couple of weeks," Chuck rubbed it in.

At lunch, Wanda showed up at the team table -- not to stay, but long enough to lean over it and say to Pete, "I want to thank you for a wonderful time Friday night!"

"Uh, sure!" Pete gulped, trying to lift his eyes out of her exposed cleavage to make eye contact.

"My sister FREAKED over us making out in the car! It was such a hoot!" Wanda continued. Pete blushed and flicked a glance at Chuck, who he could tell was sharpening his fangs. "Too bad you guys couldn't do something for her and Gina's sister Bethany before they both turn into lesbians..." Then she looked around a bit before asking, "Do you know when we're..."

"No," Pete cut it off. "We'll have to arrange something -- maybe a movie, or a visit to the arcade and burgers. I'll ... talk to the guys."

"Okay," Wanda replied, airily. "I'm in no hurry. I don't want it to end right away." She turned and swayed off.

"Shut up!" Pete said, eyeing Chuck sidelong, "Don't even start!"

"You made out with Wicked Wanda in her driveway? Her sister caught you?" Chuck announced at a hundred decibels. "Hey, was that a hickey on her neck?"

"Awwww, FUUUCK!" Pete howled. Everybody laughed.

"Gina," Amy asked in an aside, "What's up with Bethany?"

"Julio Vasquez," Gina replied. "Bethany was one of his little conquests. He is SUCH an asshole!"

"Terence punched him out on Saturday!" Bonita related. "Julio said some bad things about women -- about me -- and Terence lost his temper, and POW!"

"There are a lot of girls out there that would like to have seen video of THAT!" Gina noted. "Don't crow too loud -- some of them might start hanging around Terence!" Bonita's eyes popped at that...

Amy pulled Gina aside after lunch. "We have a plan for Cindy and Bev. It's ... pretty bad. Are you sure you want to play?"

"Tell me," Gina said softly.

"We figured that if you told them that we drew nasty slogans on you with magic marker and took pictures -- you know, 'cum dumpster' and 'slut for black cock' -- stuff like that -- that they might roll over and go for an initiation. So we would blindfold them and get them naked -- and give them to Tyrone Baker and Otis White and a half-dozen of their buddies, instead. And if we're lucky, we might get it on video..."

"Oh my God!" Gina chortled. "What if it takes?"

"Yeah..." Amy grinned back.

"Look, if you do something like that, don't do Mary," Gina requested.

"Mary?"

"Mary Vargas. She doesn't deserve it -- and I think she likes Ray," Gina related. "She's a little chicken about it, though."

"Okay. Will you play? I know it's rough, but..." Amy asked.

"Yeah, I'm in."

"Be real reluctant -- but we would like to do it Friday night. In particular, we all want to be somewhere else, if you know what I mean..."

"Yeah, cool." Gina nodded. "Too bad you couldn't screw that asshole Vasquez!"

"Well, he's made himself a target ... Give us a little time."

Nicky Mangia was hiding from Vince -- and it all came back to breakfast at his house way back on Saturday morning...

Nicky's mother Myra came out in a slinky-looking nightie and robe combo and started cooking up eggs and stuff, asking Vince if he had a good time and so on -- and when she turned around to serve, she looked over at Nicky and said, "Your father was a top, you know."

"Wh-what?" Nicky gasped.

"I see that you know what one is. Vince is a top, clearly. He gave you a pretty good ride last night, didn't he?"

"Uh ... Mama? What are you talking about?"

"I waited a little while before taking that sleeping pill, Dear -- long enough..." Myra spooned out eggs onto the three plates. "It sure took me back, watching Vince slide his cock in and out of you. Your father was a serious jock and worked out every day, but he had a weakness for booty. Back then, you couldn't come out, so he needed an alibi -- and I don't have much on top and look a little twinky and I LOVE anal sex, so..." She shrugged. "I got him to try the other hole every once in a while and voila! Nicky was born."

"Uh, maybe I shouldn't know this," Vince mumbled.

"No, it's time Nicky knew and I think it's probably a good thing that you're here," Myra argued, forking breakfast sausage onto the plates. She looked back up at Nicky and said, "I'm sorry Dear -- you took after my side of the family a bit too much. You were a disappointment to your father -- he wanted you to be buff like Vince, here, and it was pretty clear by the time you were five that it wasn't going to happen. Of course, that was only part of it -- the call of the wild was pretty strong. Your father discovered T-girls when you were about three -- I lost out to a black chick with 'C' cups and an eight-inch cock..."

"Oooohhhh..." Nicky was SURE he was going to die of embarrassment! Then Myra turned around and flipped up her nightgown and robe, baring her ass, and asked, "Vince, Dear, what do you think of my ass? Is it okay, do you think -- you know, as a sort of dickless twink substitute -- or does it need to be more muscular or something?"

"I, uh..." Vince stammered. "Why don't we, uh, look into that after breakfast?"

But of course they didn't, Vince ate quickly and all but ran out the door. Nicky couldn't decide whether he should be hiding or trying to apologize or what...

Vince didn't know, either. Nicky's heritage was a little embarrassing, but probably not a surprise -- but his mother ... She had to be the first woman ever to bare her ass in his presence like that and more or less ask him if girls' asses were different than boys'. They were, of course -- or at least, some of them were. Nicky's was pretty girlish -- but it took a dick well, and Nicky liked it. What the Hell did you do to a girl while you were fucking her ass? Maybe they just rubbed themselves off...

Eddie Ray had gone over to the Dark Side, apparently -- maybe that old chunky woman gave up her booty to him like Nicky's seemed to be offering to do for Vince -- they'd been talking about it, after all ... Nicky didn't know -- and Vince didn't, either. Eddie Ray seemed perfectly normal at school -- but then how would anyone know the difference until he started drooling on some girl?

Eddie Ray knew. For the first time in his life, drooling on a girl was an option. He and Iris (Flower had told him her real name) had done this and that and had a great time! He'd fucked her big ass and she'd used a dildo on his and rimmed him and they'd fucked again and taken a long soak in a tub full of bubbles while he played with titties slick from bath oil and she played with his cock. Young chicks were still questionable, but Iris was a blast!

Wanda hunted down Amy before the end of the school day to ask, "Do you have to be in school to go to the club?"

"Why?" Amy asked.

"Well, Sis might like to do the dark room thing..."

"I'll, um, ask," Amy replied. "I really don't know..." It could be real tough getting someone male in that room after someone had a run-in with Kelly...

Brenda and Bonita were in the stands at football practice, just behind the bench. Toby overheard Bonita say to Brenda, "You know, Julio should fall in love -- and it should be very embarrassing for him." Toby grinned and shook his head...

Toby had to get out early to talk to the electronics installers, so he left things to Hank. Amy met him at the work site, just to spend some time. "Do we have some kind of limitation on who comes to the clubhouse, as long as they obey the rules?" Amy queried.

"I don't know -- why?" Toby asked

"Wanda wants to know if her big sister Kelly could use the dark room," Amy related. "I guess it would be a real charity thing..."

"I don't know," Toby grunted. "Wanda was pushing it. Who would we get to go in there -- and not come running back out? Once the word got out..." Toby had a mental picture of Kelly gleaned from Wanda earlier when she related the whole necking episode with Pete. He touched Amy's hand to pass it to her, and there was some bleed-over.

<She must weight three-fifty, > Amy mused. <What was that?>

<What?>

<Something Bonita said?>

<Oh, yeah. She said her brother Julio ought to fall in love -- and it ought to be embarrassing.>

<Hmmm.> Amy grinned.

<Yeah.> Toby grinned, too.

There were just too many balls to keep in the air, so Toby went to Randy with the initiation requirement. "Can you put Cheesecake and Bobby and Pete in a room and get some video of it? I'm maxed out!"

"Yeah, no problem." Randy could stop hiding; Miriam was with Frank and seemed happy about it. That left Bernice as an issue, maybe, but he could handle that, one way or the other -- probably on the fly. Maybe she could help with this whole video thing... "Is tomorrow still good?"

"Yeah, fine."

"Okay, I'll hook it up," Randy promised.

But Brie threw Randy a curve, "Can Lillian come?"

Randy frowned. "Lillian isn't a member, Cheesecake."