The next morning, I managed to catch the phone before the second ring; Lucy stirred next to me, but didn't actually wake up. I eased myself away from her – with a mild noise of complaint – and went over to get some coffee started before heading into the bathroom. When I got out, the coffee was about half done, and Lucy was starting to stir – perfect, I thought: waking her up as gently and easily as possible.
As the miniature coffeemaker was starting to hiss that it was done, Lucy opened her eyes, and saw me sitting there, looking at her. She blessed me with a radiant smile, and as she started to roll over, caught sight of the ring I'd put on her finger the night before. She suddenly stopped, and turned to look at me, saying "It wasn't a dream last night, was it?"
I smiled back, and said "No, not for either one of us."
She suddenly sat up – letting the covers fall down and making her breasts jiggle in a most interesting way – and hugged me fiercely before telling me "I love you!"
I hugged her back, and told her that I loved her, too – but that we needed to get ready to go to the FBI office. At that, she pulled away from me a bit, and said, "I was hoping that part of it was just a nightmare", wistfully.
I kissed her, and told her "It won't be long, and you'll think it was, though", in an effort to comfort her, before gesturing toward the coffee. She nodded, and I got up to make us both a cup.
After we'd both had a few sips, I told Lucy "Last night, Agent Gallery asked me a favor."
"What's that?"
"He asked me if I'd bring the girls with us this morning."
Lucy looked at me sharply, and asked "What for?"
"A couple of reasons. First, they just want to make sure the girls understand what all this is about. Second, they want me to go with them when they hit TechnoDynamics, and having all of you at the office just makes their job a little easier. Last, at my request, they're going to give you and the girls some brief lessons on self defense, and an introduction to guns."
Grudgingly, Lucy admitted that it was probably a good idea, adding "I'm not too sure about the guns part, but if you think it's a good idea, then I'll give it a try."
I assured her that I did think it was a good idea – "If for nothing else than to make sure they understand what a gun can really do".
When we'd finished our coffee, Lucy headed for the bathroom while I went in to get the girls out of bed. I found them wrapped in each other's arms, their legs intertwined. They were so lovely, I went back to knock on the bathroom door, telling Lucy there was something she'd want to see. A minute later, she came out, and I took her over to look at the girls – and she immediately fell in love with them, all over again. I got an idea, and dug out the digital camera I'd bought; when Lucy asked, I told her that it didn't use film, so there wasn't any problem with anyone but us seeing the photos. She nodded her agreement, and I got several images, from different angles, of Robyn and Sandra laying there.
I put the camera away as Lucy headed back for her bathroom, then went and sat on the edge of the bed. I reached out, and began caressing their upper arms in turn, first one, then the other, until they finally opened their eyes. When they saw me, both of their faces lit up, and they quickly threw off the covers to give me a good morning hug. I told them that all of us were going to the FBI office that morning, and both of them brightened at the idea. As I watched their cute backsides head for the bathroom, I called down to the front desk, and simply asked for the duty agent; a couple seconds later, a female voice answered "Agent Jones. What can I do for you, Mr.
Andrews?"
"You can start by calling me Dan. Mister makes it sound like I'm even older than I feel, some days."
She laughed, and said "Okay, Dan. Agent Gallery told me you were pretty relaxed about all this, I should have listened to him. What's up?"
"We'll be wanting some breakfast this morning before we head in to the office. I was thinking the caf here in the hotel would be good, unless you think it's too small, or too crowded."
"No, sir, it'll be just fine. The morning rush is over, and it's pretty empty now."
"Great. We'll be heading down in, oh, twenty minutes, thirty at the outside."
"That'll be fine, sir. We'll be ready. Thanks."
"No problem."
With that, I hung up the phone, and decided that the girls wouldn't mind sharing the bathroom with me while I shaved. After retrieving my vest and pistol from Lucy's room, I went into the bathroom to shave and brush. Since the girls were in the shower, giggling, I doubt they even noticed I was there.
After I'd dressed, I stuck my head in the bathroom to see Robyn and Sandra toweling each other off, with a little groping tossed in. I let them know that we'd be having breakfast in the hotel caf in about fifteen minutes; both protested it wasn't enough time, then made a face at me when I answered "Fine. Go hungry, then!" – knowing full well that neither would pass up food after all the activity of last night.
Back in Lucy's room, I found her putting the finishing touches on her makeup. I told her where and when we'd be having breakfast, she smiled and said that was fine, with her – it gave her time for another cup of coffee. I smiled back, and poured each of us a cup as I told her about watching Sandra and Robyn heading for the bathroom, and how I'd found them after making arrangements for breakfast. She laughed when I told her about telling them to be ready, or go hungry – she knew better than I did that neither of them would willingly skip a meal. How they ate so much, and still stayed so slender, was a mystery to both of us.
Lucy and I were just finishing our coffee when the youngsters swarmed into the room. At my suggestion, all three had selected comfortable blouses and pants; even covered up that way, they were all a treat to see.
By then, enough time had passed that I knew it was okay to head off to get something to eat – Robyn and Sandra weren't the only ones feeling hungry that morning. They waited patiently as I opened the door a bit and checked the hallway before opening it all the way. We made our way to the elevator, and stopped only once on the way down to pick up an older gentleman. At the main floor, I spotted a couple of FBI agents, and the troop of us made our way to the caf. I let Lucy and the girls find us a booth while I waited near the door for Agent Jones to let me know which one she was. I wasn't disappointed when a few seconds later, an apparent businesswoman got up to walk toward me. At 5'6" and maybe 120 pounds, dark red hair and nicely curved, I doubted anyone would take her for a gun-toting FBI agent.
She looked every bit the attractive business exec – other than the all-but-issue purse she was toting that held her pistol in a convenient inside pocket. I saw several guys watching her, but she didn't seem to notice them, for some reason.
When she got close, I stuck my hand out, and said "Good morning, Agent Jones."
She looked surprised, but took my hand and shook it before asking "How did you know it was me?"
"Educated guess. I figured the only one of your crew to approach me would be the agent in charge. You sure didn't sound like a guy on the phone, and that purse is all but a giveaway that you're carrying. Too bad that none of the fashion houses make purses that are designed for carrying a weapon."
She grinned at me wryly and said "Believe me, Dan, I wish they would, and am afraid they will – it would be nice to have some more choices, but I'm afraid I'd spend too much of my salary on them if they did!"
Both of us laughed at that before she told me "Agent Gallery said you were good; I'll have to apologize for doubting him about that, too."
She followed that a moment later by saying "Dan, I'm sorry to ask, but Clara was very clear about it: are you wearing your vest?"
I grinned at her, and said – in my best little-boy tone – "YES, mother!" – and getting a grin in return before I told her "I'm also carrying my little purchase from last night."
She smiled at me, and said "Good. My people have already heard how you did, and seen the results. They're impressed, and they don't impress easy. Hell,*I'M* impressed – I only wished I could shoot that good. We're going to have to get you out on our combat range some day – I'll bet you could give our course record a pretty good run."
I thanked her, and then it was down to business as I told her "As Agent Gallery requested, Lucy and the girls will be staying at the office while I'm out. Lucy knows why, and I'll be telling the girls over breakfast. You can see I managed to convince them to dress for the occasion. If there's anything else I need to tell them, this would be a good time to let me know."
"No, that's it. I'm sure our office people will appreciate them being dressed appropriately. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yeah, there is. Last night, I was told that Mike could smooth out the trigger on this thing for me – it's feeling a little gritty. If he can, I'd like to clean the action on it a bit, too – it's a little mushy when it trips. He might like a little warning before I get there, I'm thinking."
She nodded, and said, "I'm sure he would. I'll make sure he gets a heads up. Anything else?"
"Nope. After breakfast, we'll be heading straight for your office."
"That's fine, thank you. My people are ready to leave whenever you are."
I nodded, and thanked her as I headed for where Lucy and the girls were waiting for me. I looked over the menu, and quickly made my choice; when the waitress arrived a bit later with coffee, all of us were ready to order.
As we were waiting for our meals to arrive, we chatted about a number of things before I managed to ease the conversation toward the FBI.
As I'd hoped, Robyn and Sandra were anxious to know what we'd be doing there. Lucy and I shared a look before I started telling them about what the day held for us all – that I'd be going with the FBI to TechoDynamics office while they and Lucy stayed with the FBI. I went on to explain that the FBI liked the idea of all of them staying together while I was out, then brought up the idea that there might be something for them to do there. They perked up at that idea, and I suggested that maybe the people at the office could even show them some of the stuff that FBI agents learned. They seemed to think that was a*great* idea, and actually started to look forward to spending some part of the day at the FBI offices.
Lucy leaned over to give me a hug and kiss, whispering "You are *such* a devious turd. If you'd told them that they WILL do that stuff, they'd have fussed; but when you hinted that it might not happen, well, you had them cold." before kissing me again.
About then, the waitress showed up with our order, and Lucy and I listened as the girls wondered about the different things they might be able to do that day.
When we'd finished our meal, the waitress was prompt to clear away our dishes, then return a few moments later with our check – I got to it before Lucy did – and coffee refills for Lucy and me. When we'd finished our coffee, I left the money for the meal with the ticket on the table, and nodded to Agent Jones, who stood up and led the way out of the caf. Out in the lobby, I saw a number of people not paying the slightest attention to us as we headed for Lucy's car. I saw a car leave the parking lot ahead of us, and another behind us after we'd pulled into traffic. Both kept direct visual contact on us, despite the vagaries of city traffic, even though they were careful to change position so as to try and stay inconspicuous.
Once at the FBI offices, we found that Clara was waiting for us, as was Bill, to my surprise. He reached out to shake my hand, saying "I'm here to brief the rest of the people that will be assigned to you. If you've got a minute, I'd like to introduce all of you."
I looked at him and said "Far as I know, my time is yours. We'll be glad to."
Lucy and the girls quickly agreed, and the four of us followed Bill back to his office, then through another door into a conference room full of people. Once there, Bill cleared his throat, and the light chatter quickly stopped. When it was quiet, he told them "Folks, this is Mr. Andrews. You've all read his file, and seeing him, I trust you can understand why you've been instructed not to interfere with him if he takes a, uh, active part in events. I tried him yesterday, and was lucky enough to come out of it with only a broken rib. With him is Lucy White, her daughter Robyn, and Robyn's friend Sandra." As he mentioned their names, Robyn and Sandra gave the group a small wave, and earning themselves a number of smiles.
Bill went on to tell them "People, just to make it clear, Mr. Andrews here is armed. Here are the targets he used last night when he was checking out the weapon." At that, another agent came in with the three targets mounted to some kind of foam backing, keeping them straight and flat. The white background also made the holes in the targets stand out.
"This one was his FIRST magazine, at twenty feet. His first shot was the one furthest from the x-ring; they got better from there, as you can see.
"This next one was a magazine he shot using the classic antiterrorist double-tap; that is, two shots fired in rapid succession. The target was at thirty feet. He fired these from a standing position, his weapon in his hand, but at his side. The owner of the range called out for each of the four exercises.
"Last is this target. He started from a standing position, the weapon in a holster at his back. The range owner called the start; Mr.
Andrews fired all eight of these in less than six seconds. The range was FIFTY feet. I think you can put away any fears you might have had about Mr. Andrews accidentally shooting you", he said to general laughter.
"Agent Gallery has reported that Mr. Andrews is a very cooperative protectee, as are the ladies. Last night, they gave the detail plenty of warning before moving anywhere, actually asked for input from the detail about security measures AND LISTENED to the answers." – this drew general laughter – "Mr. Andrews even made arrangements for his detail to get something to eat while they were at Caf Triomphe, whose owner is an old friend of his. Folks, he has an eye for security, and the training. Best of all, he's got good instincts, so don't be afraid to let him take over, if need be. Mr. Andrews understands some of the problems we're facing here, so don't hesitate to be honest with him. How much diplomacy to exercise is up to you.", he added with a grin.
Here, Agent Jones, who had been standing in the back spoke up "I can vouch for how helpful Mr. Andrews is. Mr. Andrews actually prefers that you address him informally, so call him Dan. He took the time to call down to us this morning to inquire if we had any problems with him and the ladies having breakfast in the hotel. When we didn't, he even let us know when they would be moving so that we could have our people in place. From my own experience, and from what Gallery told me, I have every reason to believe that Dan and the ladies will be helpful and understanding. I also want to add that Dan is a most observant person: he had me spotted as FBI well before I could introduce myself; further, he had me identified as the head of the detail. So if he spots one of you, don't take it personally."
As she was talking, I nudged Bill, and when he turned, asked him "I'm going to guess that she'd not a junior agent?"
He grinned, and said "Nowhere near it. She's one of my best; her and Gallery get the important ones" before turning back to the crowd.
About that time, the door behind us opened a bit, and Clara stuck her head through to ask Bill if we were free. He nodded, and gestured she should wait a moment. She did, and heard him tell the agents "Okay, people. You already knew the why. Now you know the who. Thank you, and you're dismissed."
They easily got to their feet, with most of them pausing to give us a close look before heading out the door.
When they were gone, Clara told us that she had an agent to show the girls around while we talked about what would be happening that day.
With that news, both of them perked up considerably, and were ready to go when Clara opened the door to introduce them to Special Agent Abigail O'Malley, a cute young agent fresh out of the FBI Academy.
Mid-20's, short brown hair, hazel eyes, slender but nicely curved, she looked more like a surfer girl than an armed agent.
When they'd left, I told Clara that I'd hinted to the girls that they *might* get a chance to see some of the training the agents went through, so they'd be more agreeable to the self-defense and weapons introductions they'd be getting. Clara smiled at my ruse, and said that she figured her people could come up with plenty to show the girls to keep them busy. That out of the way, she led us to a smaller conference room where there were several agents around a table. Clara led us to the gap they'd left us, and when they'd stopped chatting, told them "Folks, this is Dan Andrews and Lucy White. They're the people that brought us the goods on TechnoDynamics. Lucy is going to be staying in the office today, but Dan will be going with you, for several reasons. First, he's already been inside, and is familiar with the layout of the place, and the people. Second, it's his work that got us here. Third, he's had some damn good ideas about how to go at this. For those of you who haven't read his file, let me tell you that he was the team leader for a group that was the prototype for the Delta Force, and he's been 'in the field'. He's rated expert pistol and rifle. He has a Masters degree in computer science, from MIT. He's smart, and he's got good instincts; if he makes a suggestion, you should listen before making up your mind. If he insists, you better be ready to justify it to me if you say 'no'. Any questions? No? Okay, let's get on with the briefing."
Lucy and I sat there as different people talked all of us through what would be happening shortly after 1:00 PM that afternoon: First, several cars full of agents would pull into the TechnoDynamics parking lot, and the lead agent – Agent Hernandez – me, and a couple of others would enter the lobby where we'd get the head of security and the head of personnel to the front desk. At that point, the other agents would enter, and spread through the building to establish themselves in certain key offices. That done, Agent Hernandez and I would head for the IS supervisors office while the other agents began the process of letting people know what was going on. Depending on what we got from the IS supervisor, one or two of the junior agents might be pulled off to assist us. All computers were to be properly shut down and secured, and all employees below management level – except for a select few – were to be escorted out of the building after being cautioned not to communicate with anyone about what was happening; there were a number of junior agents that would be assigned to that task. With only management personnel left, they would be isolated from each other, and read their rights before questioning. Any that seemed unduly nervous or otherwise apprehensive were to be brought to the attention of Agent Hernandez. When the building was secured, there were a number of accountant and other special agents that would begin the process of going through the files and records of the company. As this was happening, a number of bank accounts would be seized throughout the country, and records would be analyzed to identify all transfers involving the suspect accounts; then THOSE accounts would be analyzed, and so on, to a level of 5 removes from the TechnoDynamics accounts.
At that point, one of the FBI computer people got up, and explained to the rest of them just exactly how and why the computers were to be secured. He also told them that I was the one that figured out what was going on, and that I'd had to walk the rest of them through it before they saw what was happening. He also added that his group had requested my presence to help with any problems they might run into.
Another agent told us that the local police had been notified, and were ready to provide additional personnel, if needed.
When the briefing was done, all of us were thoroughly familiar with what was going to be happening, and when. Agent Hernandez and I had a brief conversation in Spanish after he asked me a question.
When we were done, he laughed and said "Mr. Andrews, I'm impressed with your fluency in Spanish; but that accent is something else!"
Clara told him that it might be Russian or German – that I was also fluent in both of those. He got a dumbfounded look on his face before Clara led us back to her office. There, she asked me if there was anything I needed, and I told her "Only a cup of coffee, and to see your gunsmith, Mike." She nodded, and excused herself with Lucy before leading me to a coffeepot, then the gunsmith, a slender black man.
"Mike? This is Dan Andrews."
"Mr. Andrews? A pleasure to meet you. I hear you've got a little something for me to do."
"Call me Dan, Mike. Yeah, I do" I told him, before reaching under my shirt to pull out the pistol – carefully, then getting the weapon safe to show them that it wasn't loaded. I added "The trigger on this thing feels kinda gritty, so if you could smooth it out some, I'd appreciate it."
He nodded, and asked "Jones told me you said something about it being mushy when it trips?"
"Yeah. Seems like there's a little too much play in where the hammer is released."
Again, he nodded, and told me "Easy enough. I can have the trigger polished up for you in about ten minutes, or so. If you've got another hour or thereabouts, I can take care of the rest of it."
"If you need some ammo, I've got a box out in the car", I told him.
"No, I've got plenty here, but thanks for offering. Don't see much in this caliber, these days."
He promised me the weapon would be ready by twelve o'clock, and I told him I'd see him then.
When we got back to Clara's office, I mentioned to her that I had noticed most of the agents were looking at me strangely. She looked confused for a moment, and then laughed, explaining "It's several things. First, you're the first person in a LONG time to come in and just hand us a case like this. Then there's the fact that word of your military record has gotten out. Finally, the agents that saw you shoot last night have been talking about it – a LOT."
Seeing the mildly confused look on Lucy's face, Clara told her "Short form – they're impressed. Shucks,*I'm* impressed."
Lucy looked at her, then me, then back to Clara before asking "You mean he's even impressing the FBI?"
Clara laughed, and answered "Yeah, even us. And believe me, Lucy, we don't impress easily. I personally have busted bank robbers, kidnappers, con men, drug dealers, and all kinds of people. I've been shot at, several times, and even hit once. I was in on it when we busted a spy ring. But this man sitting next to you? He's *something*."
"He sure is. I think I'm going to find out what, after last night – he asked me to marry him, and I accepted" Lucy told her.
Clara got a delighted look on her face, then spotted the ring on Lucy's finger. In moments, the two of them were like long-lost friends, talking about marriage and all the rest of it. I just sat back and drank my coffee.
A while later, they finally ran down a little bit, and Clara told us "If you'd like, we can go see what O'Malley has been up to with them."
Both of us nodded at the suggestion, and Clara got on the phone to ask the receptionist to have O'Malley call her. A few seconds after she hung up the phone, it rang. When she answered, she nodded to us that it was O'Malley, and asked where they were. She nodded at the answer, telling her we'd be there in a few moments. When she'd hung up the phone, she told us "O'Malley's going to be one of the good ones, I think. She's shown them our fingerprint facility, and has them in the lab now, showing them how we can collect evidence from damn near anything. I think the two of you might like to see it, too."
We stood up, and she led us through a few twists and turns before we went through the door into what could only have been a lab. Around the middle of it, we spotted O'Malley, with Robyn and Sandra flanking her as she talked to them about some object she was holding. We managed to get about halfway to them before the girls spotted us, and came rushing up to start telling us about all they'd been doing, and how much fun they'd been having, and how interesting all of it was. I looked around, and saw that a couple of the lab people were watching all this with amusement; I figured if they could laugh about having Robyn and Sandra in the middle of their work area, things couldn't have been too bad.
When Robyn and Sandra had caught us up on what they'd seen so far, O'Malley stepped up and asked us to follow her. She led us over to a corner where one of the technicians was positioning a sheet of paper on a small platform inside a small booth, underneath a couple of strange-looking lights. O'Malley told us that he was getting ready to check the paper – a note from a kidnapper – for fingerprints and other evidence. We watched as he dimmed the lights in the booth, and hit another switch. Immediately, the paper began to glow strangely, and we could see several dark smudges on it. O'Malley told us that he was looking at it with a special light that brought out the oils left behind that made fingerprints. As we watched him, the man carefully applied a liquid to the paper, and let it dry before he turned the light off – revealing that whatever he'd done, it had made the fingerprints visible in normal light, too. Then he switched on another light, and we saw some spots glowing in an arc at the bottom of the sheet. O'Malley let us know that he'd turned on a special laser that showed them where there were body fluids – in this case, apparently saliva, since the arc resembled what happened when someone licked the flap on an envelope too much, and left saliva on the paper inside. The man carefully took several photographs of the paper before using a scalpel to cut out one of the spots. O'Malley let us know that the sample he'd just collected was enough to run a DNA test that would be compared to their suspect's. She went on to tell us that they were confident of a match, since they'd captured him after he collected the marked money they'd left for the ransom; but that they were going through the entire process to make sure that they didn't leave anything to chance – the man had kidnapped a couple's 3year-old daughter, and they wanted to be certain they put him away for as long as possible. When Lucy asked, O'Malley told us that the child had been returned unharmed, and was attending pre-school.
I eased my way back a little bit, and got Clara's attention.
Together, we walked a few feet away before I told her "Thanks. That little demonstration is going to do wonders to put to rest any fears they may still have."
She grinned at me, and said "You can point to damn near anything in here, and we can give you a similar story. I told you, O'Malley's good – she knows why you're all here, and she understands what those folks are probably going through. She's determined to let them know that her FBI isn't going to let anything bad happen to them. We've got good people here, Dan."
"I know that. It's just getting those three to see it, too, and know that your good people are watching out for them."
"And that you're watching out for them, too. From the way they all look at you, I know that's more important to them than anything else, right now."
"Well, Lucy and I had a talk about it last night" – "I'll bet!" she interjected – "and she understands why it's so important. Not just to you, but to me, and even herself. She's not happy about it, but she can live with it."
"And the girls?"
"They're tolerant-to-amused at the attention. They understand that the people we're after are bad guys, and why. I'm figuring that being here will help it sink in just important this is, and why."
"I think we can help with that."
I grinned at her, and said "I'm counting on it!" and getting a smile in return.
We went back to join Lucy and the girls, and followed O'Malley as she showed us some of the other technology and techniques that the FBI used to solve crimes, or prosecute offenders. By the time we left their lab, it was time for me to collect my pistol from Mike. Lucy and the girls followed O'Malley on to their next destination, saying they already knew I could shoot good.
Mike told me what he'd done, and I gave it a couple of dry-fires to check it out. He invited me to try it out on their range, an offer I readily accepted. What I didn't expect was the audience I drew. There must have been twenty agents that had nothing better to do than watch me.
I went through the first clip nice and slow, appreciating the fine work Mike had done on smoothing the trigger out – it felt like two pieces of polished glass sliding across each other. With the target at thirty feet, I all but eliminated the 'X' in the x-ring.
Following that, I went through another magazine, getting a feel for where the hammer released. This time the target was at fifty feet, and I*almost* took out the 'X' again.
When I'd reloaded, I turned around to see the crowd had grown to about thirty people. One of them stepped forward to ask me if I'd do them the favor of going through their combat range; I checked my watch, and saw that there was still plenty of time, and agreed. They led me outside, then down to a hilly area where I found Bill, and Agents Gallery and Jones. Bill told me that the range was set up no differently than it was for any other agent, with random pop-up figures. Some were targets, others were 'civilians', some were a combination. The goal was to go through the range and fire 3 magazines before getting to the end while using whatever cover and concealment was available. I was to start with my weapon holstered, and my hands at my sides. Scoring was done through a calculation of the number of 'kills' and 'wounded' for both bad guys and civilians, and elapsed time. Time would start from when I first drew my weapon.
I nodded my understanding, and the three of them stepped aside for me to enter the range. I found myself going down a stereotypical city street, with a mix of single and two-story 'buildings', alleyways, cross streets, and so on.
The first thing to happen was a couple of generic thugs to cross in front of me from opposite sides; both quickly sported half-inch holes. To my right, a figure popped up, a child with a toy gun. When that dropped, another slid out of a hood with a shotgun; that one was perforated, as well. A few more steps, and I heard something behind me, and added a third eye to the two the woman with a machinegun already had. A couple more steps, and a lady with her arms full of groceries came out of a doorway, then disappeared back inside – followed by her reappearance with a handgun. Another half-inch hole, and I move forward again. A construction worked pops out of a manhole, then disappears. A cop pops out of an alley. Another hood shows up in a second story window, and gets ventilated. When he 'falls', he's replaced by another one, who gets the same treatment.
The next window down, a kid pops up. A granny appears in a doorway; her shotgun gets her shot. A hood slides out of a doorway, with a kid held in front of him. He gets a third eye, too.
I duck behind a dumpster, and change mags in a couple of seconds; when I step out, a biker-looking character pops up. Armed only with a kitten, he goes free – but not the biker chick with a magnum that follows him. A woman with a baby is next, then another kid with a toy gun. A couple of bikers with rifles get dealt with, then the 'druggie' with a machete. A psycho with a kid hostage is next to get shot, but not the little girl with a doll. A cop in an upstairs window, then a terrorist with a rifle gets dealt with. Another terrorist, with a pistol, then a thug with a rifle, get taken out.
Change mags on the move, and the President shows up; he's followed by another terrorist, who gets holed. A woman with a baby carriage, flanked by a couple of gangsters with machine guns – they fall, she doesn't. A paperboy on a bicycle to ignore, then a biker with a rifle to get perforated. Behind me, a noise – the lady with the baby carriage apparently had a machine gun in it, and she gets ventilated.
An unarmed biker goes free, but not the guy in a suit packing a shotgun. A couple of kids, a housewife, then a female terrorist gets shot, as does the construction worker with an Uzi. As the slide on the pistol locks back, I shout "Time!" to stop the clock.
Behind me, I hear cheering, and make my way back to where the assorted agents are all waiting. Bill is grinning at me; so is Agent Gallery. Jones is just staring, as are a few of the others. A few seconds, and another agent walks up to Bill, handing him a sheet of paper. Bill looks it over before looking at me, then the other agents, before saying "Perfect score on bad guys – every one a lethal first shot. No innocents wounded or killed. Time was just 3 seconds short of a new course record. He's added seven points to set a new best score."
Bill turns back to me and says "Dan, you've broken the best range score we had, and did it your first pass through. If you ever need a job teaching firearms, I'm sure we can get you a job at the Academy.
Don't you think so, Amanda?", he added, looking at Agent Jones, who just stood there staring at me.
When she realized her name had been used, she gave a sudden start, and blushed, making several of the other agents start laughing. I looked at Bill, and he told me "Jones, here, set the score you just beat. Took her thirteen tries to do it, too."
I apologized to her, saying "Sorry. Didn't mean to embarrass anyone, or anything."
She gave me a shy grin, and said "It's okay. At least it took someone as good as you to do it!" – getting a few chuckles from some of the agents around us.
"Well, if it'll help make it better, I'd be happy to buy you some dinner tonight, to make up for it."
"Deal!", she laughed, before we all headed back to their offices.
Back inside, Mike quickly offered to clean my pistol as I reloaded the magazines. As I was holstering the loaded pistol again, Lucy came up and gave me a hug, saying "I just heard that you did good on their range."
"Pretty good."
"Hmmph. Set a new course record, Agent Jones told me. Blew by HER course record."
I just shrugged, and Lucy said "Funny thing is, she doesn't seem mad or upset about it. Just said she was going to practice more, and get the record back."
"That's how it is with folks like this: records are the harmless way of measuring how good they are. When it gets down to it, the only thing that*really* matters to them is whether or not they're good enough. They are, and that's all they need to know."
Lucy looked at Mike, and he just smiled at her, and nodded.
About that time, another agent showed up, and said "Mr. Andrews? It's almost time, sir. If you'll follow me?"
At that, Lucy suddenly got serious, and I told her "Look, it's nothing, really. We're going to shake up a bunch of office drones.
How dangerous, really, are the people YOU work with, compared to these agents?"
She thought about that for a few seconds, the smiled at me, and answered "Nowhere near. Just be careful, okay?" before giving me a kiss.
As we got to the cars we'd be taking, Agent Hernandez came out to greet me, saying "A gringo speaking Spanish with a Russian accent.
Damnedest thing I've ever heard!", with a smile.
When we got to the TechnoDynamics offices, Agent Hernandez and I, followed by a couple more agents, made our way to the front desk. The receptionist recognized me, and greeted me by name – and completely lost her composure when Agent Hernandez showed her his ID, and told her to get the Personnel manager and their head of security there.
*NOW*.
She got the numbers dialed easily enough, but stammered her way through telling them that the FBI was there to speak to them. In about zero seconds flat, we could see that both were hurriedly making their way down the stairs from the second floor. I told Hernandez which was which, and he greeted them by name when he showed them his ID. With a small wave of his hand, the agents outside came in, and quickly made their way to the offices they'd been assigned as Hernandez explained what was happening, and why, to the Personnel manager and security chief. Both paled when he told them, and he had a couple of other agents lead them off to separate rooms before he and I headed for the IS supervisors office.
As we entered, she looked up at me, and asked what was happening.
Agent Hernandez showed his ID again, and told her what we were doing there. That done, he stepped back a bit, and let me deal with her first. I explained to her what I'd really been there for, and what I'd found – and not found. As I was talking, I could see understanding on her face, and when I'd finished, she said "Well, that explains a lot."
"How so?" I asked.
"Why someone with your credentials and education would be pulling security checks."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, when I was told you were coming in here, I got on the Internet, and did a search on your name. Found out the masters thesis you did, and couldn't believe that the same person that wrote it was in here doing security tests on our system. I finally decided that it was just a coincidence that you had the same name. Now I know better."
"So will you be able to help us?" Agent Hernandez asked her.
"I think so. I knew something was going on, but couldn't quite figure out what it was, or how it was happening. I mean, I'm good, I'm just not in*his* league." she told him, gesturing at me.
He grinned, and answered "Ma'am, believe me, you're not the only one not in his league!"
She looked a little confused, then turned back to look at me when I asked her "You said that you knew something was up, but not the how or what?"
"Yes"
"What made you suspicious?"
"When the Finance VP comes in here and tells one of my techs to change out a hard drive, I'm going to figure something is up."
"What happened, exactly?"
"That ass McKinley came in here one night, and told my tech to change out one of the hard drives. Even told him which one. All of our stuff is hot-swappable, so the guy did it. McKinley then tells him to format it, then toss the drive, and leaves. The tech checked the records, just I've taught them, and sees that it's still under warranty. He leaves it for me, with a note about what happened."
"And?"
"And I had a look at it. None of the stuff on it made any sense to me, but it still seemed good, so I hung on to it, and replaced it with a new one. A few days later McKinley calls to see if I've tossed the drive yet. I tell him I did, and he's happy."
"So you've still got the old one?"
"Sure. It's the bottom one of that stack in the corner, there."
I dug it out, and told Agent Hernandez "I knew there were some missing files. I couldn't find them*anyplace*. The records showed that they'd been archived to a drive, but not which one. I'll bet money that this drive has what you need to not only nail their coffin shut, but wrap it in chains and bury it in cement."
The IS supervisor looked at me, and said "But it's been FORMATTED.
Surely, you don't think you can get anything off it now, do you?"
I just smiled, and said "Oh, there's ways. I know a guy that can pull a surprising amount of stuff off here." Then I turned to Agent Hernandez, and asked "Can you get one of your computer people up here?" He nodded, and spoke into a small radio. A couple minutes later, an agent came in and identified himself as Special Agent Carson of the Technical Division. I quickly filled him in on the details of the drive's history, and he nodded his understanding. I asked him if the FBI had anybody in particular to retrieve the data, and he said that the only person he was aware of would take several weeks to do the job. I told him to send the drive to the person I knew, saying "I'll give him a call, and he'll put it on the front burner. You'll have the data in a week, tops. Just a couple of things. First, the agent that delivers it is NOT to ask questions of ANY kind; Lacy will tell them when it'll be done. Second, the agent is to ignore any comments or other remarks that Lacy makes."
Agent Hernandez couldn't help asking "Why?"
"Because Mark 'Spacey' Lacy is a guy I went to M.I.T. with. Hardware weenie. He thinks software is only useful when it makes his hardware do something. He's pretty eccentric; if the agent asks him for anything more than the time of day, Lacy's likely to figure the FBI is after HIM, and get real uncooperative. Second, he's REALLY eccentric, and may voice a few less than flattering comments about the government, or suggest some pretty improbable conspiracies. The scary part is, the way he explains them, they sound almost reasonable. As long as the agent just delivers the drive and collects it when Lacy says it'll be ready, everything will be cool. He's one of those rare people that's so good at what he does that you'll forgive him anything short of being an axe murderer when you need him." I answered.
Hernandez nodded his understanding, as did the other agent, who assured me that my instructions WOULD be followed. That done, he took the drive, put it in the padded aluminum briefcase he had with him, and left to get it back to the office for transport.
The next few hours went by pretty easily. With the suddenness of what had happened, the FBI agents didn't have any problems with the staff.
Their technical people ran into a couple of problems, but the IS supervisor was able to help them with all but one that needed my attention. Knowing that her suspicions had been correct, the IS supervisor was a more than willing participant in helping the FBI techs ferret out the information they were after. Agent Hernandez had to take the lead on questioning some of the staff, and asked me for info on a couple of them. I told him what I knew, and what I suspected, and he was finally able to convince them to cooperate fully. By five o'clock, Hernandez agreed that my presence wasn't necessary any longer, and had one of the agents take me back to their office – with another car full of agents for company.
When I got back to FBI headquarters, Clara showed me back to where Lucy and the girls were getting some basic education in firearms. I stayed back out of the way, so they couldn't see me, as I watched them take their first, tentative, shots with a single-fire.22 pistol. After a few shots, they got comfortable with the weapons, and weren't as hesitant to try a.38, then a 9mm. Lucy went on to try a ..357 magnum; the youngsters weren't up to trying something that powerful. Finally, the instructor got all of them to try just one shot with a.45; all three put it down with relief after they'd pulled the trigger. All of them were still willing to have a try with a 9mm machine gun, though – putting it down with a combination of relief and regret when they'd emptied the magazine. Finally, he let them go through a magazine of ammo with an M-16; all were reasonably comfortable with it when they'd finished. When he saw me standing back, the instructor gestured for me to go ahead and join them – all three quickly hugged me and started telling me about what they'd been up to. I congratulated them, and expressed my satisfaction with how they'd shot.
After we left their firing range – and the instructor had congratulated me on setting a new combat range record – Robyn and Sandra were insistent on holding onto my waist as they told me about all they'd done that afternoon. They were even enthusiastic about the self-defense training they'd gotten the instructor to give them.
Talking to them about it, I realized that they understood that they weren't ready to walk down dark alleys yet, but were at least past the point of just standing like a deer in the headlights if there was any trouble. As we were going down the hall, Agent Jones met us, and told me that Clara would like to have a word with me before I left, and that our detail was ready whenever we were ready to leave. I thanked her, and asked her when she wanted to join us for dinner. She smiled, and asked if seven o'clock would be acceptable. I assured her that it would, and she headed on her way.
In Clara's office, I found out that the drive we'd gotten from the IS supervisor was on it's way to Lacy; with Clara's permission, I gave him a call to let him know that it was coming, and who would be bringing it. A brief conversation followed before he got around to telling me that he'd be done with it three or four days after he got it. I thanked him, and that ended the call. Clara thanked me for speeding things up, and told us that we were pretty much free to do as we pleased; that if they needed anything else, they'd let us know.
Lucy asked if that meant we could go home, and Clara thought it over for a moment before saying "If you'd stay here in town for a couple more days, I'd appreciate it; but if you want to go back home right away, I'll understand that, too."
Lucy and the girls shared a look before Lucy looked at me. I gave her a small shrug, letting her know that either was fine with me. She turned back to Clara and told her that we'd go ahead and stay at the hotel for another few days before heading home. Clara thanked her, and wished us a good evening. On the way home, I told Lucy and the girls about inviting Agent Jones to join us for dinner, and why. They all agreed that it was a nice thing to do, and welcomed her company.
Once outside, I saw that Agent Gallery was with us again, and gave him a friendly nod; he gave me a big grin and a thumbs-up, apparently having heard how things had gone at TechnoDynamics.
Back at the hotel, we were making our way to our rooms after getting off the elevator when the door to one of the other rooms opened up.
We'd just passed the FBI agent watching for us, and even he was surprised when a couple of large, burly guys came out and stood in front of the four of us. Lucy took one look at them and gave a little squeak before stepping back, in front of the girls. I just stood there looking at them, waiting to see what they had in mind – and ready to deal with it. Behind me, I heard the FBI agent ask "What do you want me to do, sir?"
"Just hold on a second, and let's see what these gentlemen want." I told him.
The one on the left asked "Your name Dan Andrews?" I nodded, and he went on "A friend of ours believes that you're involved in something that doesn't concern you. Our friend thinks that it would be best for everyone concerned if you were to remove yourself from any involvement in the matter."
"And if I don't agree?"
"Then there exists the possibility that some unpleasant things could happen to you. Or maybe the broad."
"What kind of unpleasant things?"
He looked at the FBI agent behind us before looking at me again, and said "Things like maybe your house could burn down. Or maybe you could get hurt, or even dead. Or these things could happen to someone you care about."
I looked at him, then his partner. Both had the cold, dead eyes of a shark – they were so used to doing this kind of thing, and following up on it, that it simply didn't mean anything to them any more. Legal problems aside, killing someone meant as little to them as removing a callous.
When he saw that I wasn't noticeably afraid of them, the one on the right started to get a little nervous. I asked the leader "By any chance, do you know Jules Francone?"
They shared a look, and the leader answered "It's possible. Why?"
"You got a cell phone?"
He nodded, and I went on "Suppose you do us all a favor. Call him up.
Tell him you're here with Boomer, and ask if he wants to talk to me."
"Why should I do that?"
"Like I said, it could save us all some time and trouble. You're already here, and you've delivered your message. What can it hurt to call him?"
He thought that over for a few moments, then reached into his jacket pocket. I heard Lucy gasp behind me; the FBI agent was playing it cool.
He pulled out a phone, and we watched as he dialed a number, then asked for Jules.
A moment later "Jules? This is Vincent. I'm here with somebody called Boomer. You want to talk to him?"
He listened for a few seconds, then looked surprised before handing me the phone.
"Hey, Boomer, what the hell are you doing with Vinnie?" I heard.
"Hey, Guido, what's up? Listen, I'm standing here in a hotel hallway.
I got a woman and two girls with me. There's an FBI agent behind me, and a couple of legbreakers in front of me. So far, everything's cool, but after these guys talked to me, I'm thinking that the cool isn't going to last very long."
"No shit? Boomer, I don't know what you're into, but if you've got Vinnie's attention, it's not good. What hotel you at?"
I told him, and gave him my room number, then he said "Okay. Look, you know I'm not in the family business, right?"
"Sure. Saw Muddy, he told me. Anyway, you told me you didn't want to do it that way, so why shouldn't I believe you?"
"Okay, just making sure. Look, I'm not in the family business, but they're still family, right? Let me find out what's going on, and call you back."
"Sounds fair to me. I'm pretty sure I know what it's about; what I'd like to do is see if we can't stop this bullshit before it gets too deep, you know?"
"Yeah, I got ya. So Muddy told you I was staying out of it? Before or after he offered to help? And with how many other guys?"
"After. A few, he said."
"Oh, shit. Okay, let me tell them to lay off you, okay? Then I'll call you back later."
"Fine with me."
With that, I handed the phone back to Vinnie. He took it, and listened for several seconds before handing it to the guy on the right. The other guy listened a little bit, too, then gave me a strange look, and took a step back before closing the phone and giving it back to Vinnie.
"Jules says we should leave you alone, if we know what's good for us.
Says he'll tell… he'll explain it. Says if we mess with you, *we'll* be the ones to get hurt, not you." Vinnie said.
I just shrugged. That seemed to make the one on the right even more nervous, and he took another step back.
"I think it's a buncha crap. I think I could kick your ass from here to Tijuana and back, not even break a sweat. Jules isn't even *family*, not really."
I just looked at him for a moment, and said "Vinnie? Don't let your alligator mouth get your hummingbird ass in trouble."
He got red in the face, and tried to hit me.
A moment later, he was laying on the floor, out cold, his leg sticking out at an odd angle from his knee. When the other one looked up from where Vinnie was, he was looking down the business end of my pistol. His eyes got real wide, and I told him "You, you're the smart one. Somebody isn't afraid of you, it's one of two reasons. Either they're a whole lot badder than you think, or they're flat-out crazy.
Either one is bad news. Now, you can go away and leave me and these folks alone, and I won't hurt you. If I see you again, I'm going to figure you're not as smart as I thought, and I'm going to take you out. We understand each other?"
His eyes locked on the muzzle of the.45, he nodded.
"Now, get the fuck away from me. Take this lump of shit with you. Do it easy, and slow, right?"
He nodded again, and carefully reached down to grab Vinnie by the collar, then drag him back into the room they'd been in. His eyes never moved from the pistol.
When the door had closed behind them, I pushed Lucy and the girls past me – Lucy was white as a sheet, and the girls were quietly crying. Right on their heels was the FBI agent.
"Sir, I'm sorry, sir. I don't know how they got this close!" he exclaimed, his weapon drawn as he watched the door.
"At ease, there, agent. It's a big hotel. You can't be everyplace at once, and you can't watch everything. I'd have been surprised if somebody hadn't shown up with a message."
He looked at me strangely, and I went on "You folks warned us that there might be organized crime involved. They've been at this longer than you have, and they don't have to play by any rules."
He looked only slightly mollified at that, and said "Still, I need to tell Agent Gallery about this."
"That's fine. He can call the ambulance that Vinnie needs."
The agent finally grinned at that, and asked "Uh, what was that, sir?
That you used to take him down?"
"Tai Chi"
He looked at me in disbelief, and I told him "Watch a Tai Chi tape sometime. Run it on fast forward. It's a martial art, done slow. Do it at regular speed, it's right useful."
As he reached for the radio on his belt, I nodded to him, and made my way to Lucy's room, where I found the three of them sitting on the bed in a huddle, crying.
When they saw me come in, all three jumped up and ran over to hold me for reassurance. I hugged them, and rubbed their backs, and generally muttered comforting words at them until the waterworks dried up.
About that time, there was a knock at the door, and they let me loose long enough to go answer it – finding Agent Gallery there, looking worried.
I let him in, and the first thing he did was to look over at Lucy and the girls to make sure they were okay – and earning himself a LOT of brownie points with me. Then he turned to face me and said "Dan, I think we need to move you. Tonight. As soon as you can."
"I understand where you're coming from, Agent Gallery, but that won't be necessary. I'm sure no one will be bothering us tonight."
"What makes you so sure?"
"You talked to the agent in the hallway?" – he nodded, and I went on "He heard me talking to Guido. Well, Guido is Jules Francone. He's a member of the local Family, but he's not family, if you know what I mean." He nodded, and I told him "Me and Guido, we did a little time together on a mission. He got shot down someplace or other, and me and my boys went in to pull him out before the locals noticed he'd lived. Got a little interesting, but we all made it out okay. On the way out, he told me who he was, and we got to talking the way GI's do. He told me about the Family, and that he didn't want to make his mark that way. Of course, along the way, he picked up the name Guido, kind of a left-handed compliment at him trying to stay out of the family business. Well, when Vinnie and Lugnut out there showed up and had their say, I asked them to call him. Gave him a little description of what was happening, and said I'd like to avoid trouble. He's going to talk to some people, and get back to me. In the mean time, he tried to put the leash on Vinnie. Vinnie tried to get cute, and found out I wasn't interested."
Agent Gallery looked at me, surprised, and said "We weren't aware that you had any contacts in the Falcone family."
"Like I said, I helped pull him out of a jam. No official contact, technically."
He nodded, and said "So why are you so sure nobody will bother you tonight?"
"Couple of reasons. First, the first bunch got sent back with their tails between their legs. Second, Jules is going to talk to somebody; I'm willing to bet that even though he's not in the business, he's still got some influence. That'll slow them down enough to think about what happened."
Agent Gallery nodded, and said "Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Still, I'd feel better if you didn't go out tonight, okay?"
"That's fine. I was kinda in the mood for room service, anyway."
He smiled his relief, and suddenly brightened, telling me "Well, you'll still have Agent Jones here – she told me that she'd be coming to collect the dinner you offered as consolation prize for breaking her record. I'll feel better knowing she's here with you."
I nodded, and told him "You got a phone number or something for her?
I probably need to warn her that it's not going to be as dress-up as I'd figured."
He laughed, and said "She's already been told what happened. She said she'd be casual."
I thanked him, and he went over to check on Lucy and the girls before letting himself out.
By the time I'd finished with Agent Gallery, and he'd left, the others had calmed down appreciably; but they were still shaky enough that all were more than agreeable to my suggestion of a group snuggle on the bed. In short order, I had Lucy in my arms on one side, with Robyn and Sandra on the other.
As we lay there, Lucy told me that Agent Jones had been very helpful in making sure the girls had plenty to do, and had even joined in with the three of them on the self-defense classes to let them 'beat up' on her. She'd also shown them a few things that she'd learned on her own, that particularly applied to females defending themselves.
All three agreed that they liked Jones a lot. Lucy even went so far as to tell me "Every time she talked about you, she got this*look* on her face. Dan, I swear, if you smiled at her right, she'd go to bed with you!" – and I teased her right back, saying "And of course, YOU would never think about joining me, would you?" and making her blush. All of us had agreed that Amanda Jones was a right attractive female, FBI agent or not.
We were still laying there, holding each other when we heard a knock at the door. Sandra started to get up to answer it, but Lucy quickly gestured for her to stay where she was, getting up to answer the door herself, instead. I heard her ask who it was, then the locks on the door being undone a few moments later. As Agent Jones came in, she gave a silent whistle at the rooms we had as I heard Lucy re-setting all the locks on the door. Agent Jones was dressed in a light cotton dress, pale green to show off her red hair and slightly pale complexion; it also showed that she had a nice pair of trim, muscular legs, and a slim, but definitely female, shape.
When she'd had a good look around, Agent Jones looked at the three of us on the bed, and smiled, saying "That's about as comfortable group of people as I've seen in a long time!", making Robyn and Sandra smile back at her. Lucy came in then, and said "Well, you know things got a little 'interesting' out in the hall, and I think all of us just needed to hold each other for a little while."
Jones said, "Yeah, I heard. I also heard that it was interesting for the two goons, too!"
Lucy smiled at her, and answered "Yeah, thanks to Dan.", before looking at me lovingly.
Robyn asked Jones "Uh, Agent Jones?"
Agent Jones said "It's okay, Robyn. Just call me Amanda, or Amy."
"Amy? I wanted to thank you again for what you showed us today. If it wasn't for that, I think I would have done something to mess things up when those guys were bothering us."
"Yeah, me, too!" Sandra added.
"It's okay – that's what I'm here for" she told them.
I noticed that her eyes kept drifting down to a spot below Robyn's waist. A quick glance revealed that Sandra's hand was on the inside of Robyn's thigh – and rather high up, at that. I decided to try something, telling Amy "Sorry we didn't get up, but we're a pretty casual group; we're not ashamed or afraid to show affection for each other."
She pulled her eyes away from where they'd been, and when she saw that I'd been looking at her, blushed faintly, saying "That's okay.
My own childhood was kind of strict, and I always envied the other kids that had families that were, uh, more open with each other."
Lucy listened to this, from behind Amy, and gave me a look that plainly asked "Am I hearing what I*think* I'm hearing?"
Robyn told her "Well, then, why don't you kick your shoes off, and join us, then? Nobody here bites, and I'm sure we can make room for you between me and Sandra!"
For the first time in what I suspected was a long time, Amy seemed to find herself flustered at the invitation – but after a few moments, brightened up and did just as Robyn suggested – kicked her shoes off, set her handbag on the table, and climbed up onto the bed with us.
Sandra readily moved to the side to make room for her, and in just a few moments, Agent Jones was neatly bracketed by Robyn and Sandra, who both took one of her hands in theirs. Lucy resumed the position she'd had before, next to me.
Though visibly nervous, Amy was a trooper, and stayed between the youngsters even when each of them rested a hand on her leg. As we sat there chatting, she began to calm down, eventually joining in our talk without prompting. When the girls finally let go of her hands, she let them stay in the girl's laps; and even putting them back after using them to emphasize something she was talking about.
After a while, I realized that Amy might have other plans, and asked her if there was anyplace she had to be. She quickly assured me that she didn't, saying that with the additional agents we'd met that morning, there were more teams assigned to us – meaning that she'd work a shift, get a shift off, work another shift, then get TWO shifts off before coming in to repeat the cycle. She had the next day off, and would meet up with us again the next evening.
I told her that I'd planned to feed her something better than room service fare, and she quickly assured me that it was the gesture that mattered – that she'd be just as flattered if I took her out for a burger and fries. I asked if anyone was hungry, and Robyn's stomach growled – I told them that I'd take that as a 'yes', even as Robyn was blushing. Lucy handed over the room service menu, and when I asked for it, the phone. I called down and told Agent Gallery that we'd be having room service, so please, don't shoot the waiter. He laughed, and said that the waiter would be one of his people.
We all had a look at the menu, and after everyone had made up their minds, I called down and placed the order. While we waited, we continued to talk with each other, with most of the conversation going on between Amy and the girls as they asked her even more questions about what it was like to be an FBI agent. I think she was getting a little tired of talking about herself when we heard a knock at the door. About that time, the phone rang, and when Lucy answered it, I saw her listen a moment, then smile. After she hung up the phone, she told us "That was Agent Gallery. He was letting me know that the person at the door is one of his, with our order."
She got up and went to the door, taking possession of the meals we'd requested. When the door was secured again, she wheeled the cart in, and we all worked our way off the bed to get our food, then sit around the table to enjoy it. Sandra and Robyn positioned themselves on each side of Amy and listened attentively as Amy, Lucy, and I talked about what had happened that day, and what we could expect in the coming weeks and months.
When we'd finished, we piled the dishes back on the cart, and I wheeled it out into the hall, after checking it first – and finding agents at each end of it. Both raised a hand in recognition when they saw me looking at them.
With the meal over, I could see that Amy wasn't in any particular hurry to leave. As I was talking with her, I saw Lucy and the girls go into a huddle behind her, and knew they were up to something.
After they rejoined us, things seemed to go along fine for a bit – until Robyn asked Amy if she'd like to see the clothes they'd bought at the mall the day before. Amy readily agreed, and the fashion show was on – with a little prompting from Sandra, even Lucy agreed to join in. As Amy and I sat at the table, I assured her that she'd like what she saw – letting her interpret it in whatever way she wanted.
She blinked when I said it, and I could all but see the gears going in her head.
The first part of it was pretty much a repeat of what had gone on the night before – each of them taking turns to change in the bathroom before opening the door to show us what outfit they'd bought. It was when Lucy finally opened the door to show us the teddy she'd bought that we finally got a reaction out of Amy. From the corner of my eye, I could see it when she quickly looked over at me; I turned my head and smiled at her, saying "I told you I thought you'd like what you saw. Very pretty, eh?"
She gulped, and nodded her head before looking back at Lucy. Still, I don't think she was really prepared for when Robyn made an appearance in her bra-and-panty set. Amy looked at me, then Lucy, who told her "Like Dan said – we're a casual bunch, and affectionate. You might even say that we're private nudists – most of the time at home, we don't wear much, if anything."
"Uh, doesn't that get kind of, um, embarrassing?"
"No, why should it? I mean, all of us know what parts we all have, so it's not like there's any surprise*there*. If anything, it's actually relaxing."
"How so?"
"Well, with all of us naked, there's no mystery to it. I mean, since we can all look at the others pretty much any time, there's no sneaking looks, or any of that nonsense. If Dan wants to look at my tits, he can – he doesn't have to try and cop a look when he thinks the girls won't notice or anything like that. And if the girls want to know what a penis looks like, well, there's Dan, any time they care to look. It's kind of surprising, actually – when you can look any time you want, it takes the 'dirtiness' out of it. And if he gets an erection when he's looking at us, we know that it's not just because he's looking at*a* naked female, but because he's looking at US, and finding US sexy. We all know what he finds attractive in a female, so when he get an erection while looking at us, we take it for what it means – as a compliment."
"You've all seen him like that?"
"Sure", Robyn told her, adding, "Like mom said, we're pretty relaxed at home."
Lucy spoke up, telling Amy "I don't think it's a big deal. First, it's not something he's completely in control of, any more than we are about our nipples getting hard. Second, I figure if the girls see that a guy with an erection can still behave himself, they won't fall for any stories they hear from guys their own age trying to get between their legs."
Amy nodded at that, and watched as Sandra headed into the bathroom, only to reappear a few minutes later in her 'look what I have for YOU' outfit.
Amy stared at her for nearly a full minute – Sandra just stood there, looking back at her while the rest of us looked at each other.
Finally, Amy flushed slightly, and turned to look first at Lucy, then me, before asking "You're okay with her wearing that?"
"Sure, why not?"
"But isn't it a bit, um, mature for her?"
"Amy, you spent time with them this afternoon. Didn't they seem mature to you?"
She nodded, and I went on "Considering the situation we're in, and the way they've handled it, wouldn't you consider that a sign of maturity?"
Again, she nodded her agreement before I continued "I'd say she's got the emotional maturity, and the intellectual maturity. Obviously, she's got the physical maturity. Why, then, should her age be a factor? Haven't you ever met people whose emotional age was just a fraction of their chronological? Yet, no one objects to what those folks do. Seems a bit a of a double standard, to me."
She looked at me doubtfully, and I told her "When I was in the Army, I could consistently shoot a six-inch grouping at five hundred yards.
I could spend days out in the field with nothing more than a knife and the clothes on my back, and come back in fine shape. I knew a couple dozen ways of killing someone without using a gun. I was routinely trusted with many thousands of dollars worth of sophisticated equipment. But because I was only twenty years old, people in authority didn't think I could be trusted to drink beer.
Was that fair?"
She shook her head, and I asked "Then why is it fair to judge these girls solely by their age, which they have no control over? By their own actions, which they CAN control, they've shown me – and Lucy – that they're level-headed and responsible people when it matters. I'm not going to fuss at them about something as inane as their skivvies, for crying out loud."
Lucy told her "Amy, they've proven to us, in a number of ways, that they're mature enough to make their own decisions. Both of them have shown us that they're not only ready to make decisions for themselves, but to stand ready to take the consequences of those decisions if they made a bad choice. They've both shown us that they're ready and willing to deal with serious matters before they go on to pleasurable ones. Robyn, what did you tell me this afternoon, while we were in that self-defense class?"
Robyn looked Amy right in the eyes, and said "I told you that I knew Dan was worried about us, and that he wanted us to take the class and learn about guns so we'd learn something, and he wouldn't have to worry about us so much."
"And?"
"And that I wasn't mad or anything because I knew this was all really serious and really important, and I wanted to help you, and especially Dan, even though I was kind of scared by all of it."
"Sandra, what did you tell me when we went in to see the guns?" Lucy asked.
Sandra, too, looked Amy in the eyes as she said "I told you that I was scared about all of this, but that I knew you and Dan had to catch the bad guys, so I wasn't going to make any trouble for you.
And that if you and Dan thought we should know this stuff, then I was going to pay attention and learn it so you wouldn't have to worry about us so much."
Amy looked at Lucy, who told her "Amy, if Sandra and Robyn are grown up enough to recognize the situation, and deal with it maturely, do you seriously think I give a happy damn about what kind of UNDERWEAR they choose?"
That said, we waited, watching as Amanda Jones, FBI agent, thought through what she'd just been told, and what she'd just seen and heard. Several times, she looked from one to the other of us, though Lucy and I seemed to get most of her attention.
Finally, she drew in a deep breath, and told us "I can't see anything wrong with what you've said. It goes against so much of what I've learned so far, but there's simply no escaping the fact that what you say is true; and that your attitude about maturity and responsibility is right. The only thing that has mattered to me, for as long as I can remember, is the FACTS, the EVIDENCE. What you show me here is indisputable fact; with my own eyes and ears, I know the evidence that these young ladies are mature well beyond their years, and deserving of the trust and responsibility you give them."
With that, Sandra moved over to Robyn, and they kissed before putting an arm around each other. Amy watched as it happened, then asked Sandra "Why did you do that?"
Sandra looked at her as though Amy weren't quite right in the head, and answered "Because she's my best friend, and I love her."
"You don't care that she's another girl?"
"No. All I care about is that she's my friend, and I'm her friend."
"Would you kiss another girl like that?"
"Yes, if she was my friend, and I loved her."
"Is that how you kiss boys?"
"The ones that I love, yes."
"And you know what love is?"
"Love is when making someone else happy means as much to you as making yourself happy. When you'd rather get hurt than have them hurt."
Amy then asked Robyn "And you?"
"What she said. She's my best friend. We love each other. We love my mom. We love Dan. Different ways, but love is love, right?"
Amy turned to look at Lucy, who just smiled at her and said "She's got a point, you know. I love each of them, in different ways. That doesn't mean that I love one more than the other, only that I love them differently, just like my love for Dan is different from what I feel for them. But it's still*love*."
"And you're okay with that?" Amy asked me.
"Sure, why not? They're not hurting anyone, least of all each other.
They really do care about each other. They've been best friends for a pretty long time, even by adult standards. Most of society would frown on what they do, but then, most of society has it's head on backwards about a lot of things. To paraphrase something the science fiction author Heinlein said in one of his books, 'If everyone knows such-and-such, then it isn't so, by a factor of at least a hundred to one.' We've already agreed that they're mature; why deny them the freedom to express honest, caring emotions in a physical way just because they're both the same gender?"
She sat there, blinking at me as she thought for a couple of minutes before nodding her head, and saying "Go on."
"You look tense. If Lucy were to rub your shoulders, would that be helpful?"
"Yes"
"If you were nervous, or afraid, and she held your hand, or hugged you, would that be a caring gesture?"
"Yes"
"Then if you were feeling sexual desire, and she was willing to help you relieve some of that desire, it wouldn't that just be an even greater help, and a more caring gesture? Simply more of what she'd already shown, and not something different?"
"But she's another woman."
"So? Do you think your body would care the gender of the hands that soothed your brow? Do you think your body would care the gender of the arms that held you in times of stress? Do you really think your body would care the gender of the lips and fingers that brought it sexual relief? Or would it be only your mind that would object? A mind that you've already admitted has accumulated a number of misconceptions?"
Again, she got a distant look on her face as she thought through what we'd just told her.
A few moments later, she excused herself, and went into the bathroom.
When she came out several minutes later, she was wearing only her very sheer bra, French-cut panties, and a nervous smile on her face.
As we all looked at her, she took a deep breath and said "I admire all of you; but particularly Dan. If you can be that loving, that caring, and that honest with each other, then it's something that I want to learn, too. Every day on my job, I'm ready to take a bullet for somebody else – but*this* scares me. I've never opened myself up like this to*anyone*. But I'm determined to do it with you, people that I KNOW are what I want to be like. I don't know how much of this I can actually DO, but I'm damned well going to*try*."
Robyn, Lucy, and Sandra all looked at me, telling me with their eyes that I should be the one to respond to Amy's statement.
I stood up slowly, and as she watched me, undressed before her, setting my holstered pistol on the table next to her purse before letting my clothes accumulate in a small pile on the floor next to my feet. Naked, I carefully walked toward her, stopping when I was but a single step away. With her eyes on mine, I told her "Amy, you've shown us bravery by your willingness to protect us. You've shown us kindness by showing those I love how to protect themselves when I was not there to protect them. You've shown us respect by not denigrating our choices. Now you show us trust. We respect all the qualities in you that make you who you are. One of the most basic things that all of us believe in is that we will NOT force or push another person into doing something they do not want to do. If you wish to join us this evening, as our friend and guest, we will be delighted to help and encourage and comfort you as much as you want or need. If, at any time, you are uncomfortable with something, you only have to say so, and we'll respect that without thinking badly of you. Each of us has gotten to where we are at a different speed, and in a different way; and we are not the kind of people to think ill of someone else as they move along THEIR path at THEIR speed."
As I started talking, I could hear it as Lucy and the girls started undressing, too, so that by the time I was finished, all four of us were naked before Amy. When I stopped talking, she looked deep into my eyes, then looked at the others, seeing their nakedness. When she looked at me again, she nodded slightly, and did not flinch when I took the last step forward before I kissed her softly on the lips.
When I stepped back again, first Lucy, then Robyn, and finally Sandra moved forward to kiss her, too – just as softly, and just as chastely, as I had.
She looked at each of us, and saw only patient acceptance of her and her situation. When she understood that we welcomed her without making any demands in the process, she started to cry softly, and the four of us moved in to hold her, and comfort her. When she'd gotten herself back together, and stopped leaking around the eyes, she stood up and gave a little shake before announcing "Dammit, if you're all going to run around naked, I'm not going to be the party pooper by wearing a bra and panties!". As she reached behind herself to unhook her bra, Robyn asked "Can I do that for you?" – and with a smile, Amy nodded. Then Sandra stepped forward, and replaced Amy's hands with her own on Amy's panties, gently sliding them down her legs, then setting them aside before standing up and stepping back again. When Robyn had gotten the bra unhooked, she slid it off Amy's shoulders, and down her arms, before moving over to set it on top of the panties. That done, she moved back with the rest of us, to look at what Amy had chosen to reveal to us. At first, she looked nervous, but quickly got her courage back, and simply stood there, her hands at her sides, as we looked her over.
What we saw was smooth pale skin with a light dusting of freckles across her shoulders, a pair of medium-sized breasts with small pink areolas and nipples. Below them was a trim stomach, then a flat belly that merged into a pair of trim, muscular thighs. Between those thighs was a small triangle of dark red, curly pubic hair; peeking out from under it, we could see the edges of her labia. As we were looking it at her, she was looking at us, too – and when she got to me, and saw that I'd become semi-erect at the sight of her, we could all see it as her nipples hardened, and her labia extended a little more. Without prompting, she turned away from us, so that we could see the small, tight globes of her ass, before she turned around again.
Lucy was the first to move toward her, giving Amy a kiss that made it clear that Lucy found her attractive, too. Then it was Robyn, followed by Sandra, both of whom made their kisses as friendly, and inviting, as Lucy's. Finally, it was my turn – and to my surprise, it was Amy that made it clear that any activity between us would be welcomed. From the corner of my eye, I could see Lucy looking on, somewhat bemused by Amy's actions.
When our kiss broke, Amy looked at Lucy somewhat guiltily, and Lucy told her "It's okay, Amy. I already know he's attractive. I think we can all see that he thinks you look pretty good, too!", making Amy blush as Robyn and Sandra giggled.
I told Amy "If you'd like, I think we'd all be a little more comfortable on the bed as we got to know each other. You can tell us about yourself, and we'll tell you about us, and along the way, maybe you'll relax and get comfortable with us."
She gave me a small smile at that, and nodded. Robyn and Sandra moved next to her, then each put an arm around her waist to walk with her toward the bed. Lucy and I followed, and in short order the five of us had taken up various positions as we filled up the bed. Amy was sitting up at the headboard with Robyn and Sandra at her sides. Lucy sat cross-legged at her feet while I leaned back on my arms, my legs extended off to the side.
With a little prompting, Amy started telling us about herself, working herself backwards in time from what she had been doing before we came along. After a few minutes, Robyn put a hand on her thigh, making Amy stutter for a moment before continuing her story. When Sandra did the same thing a minute later, Amy didn't hesitate to reach out and do the same to them.
After a while, Amy's legs got a little tired, and she pulled them up to sit cross-legged to stretch them a little. Robyn and Sandra easily let their hands slide to the insides of Amy's thighs, and after a few moments, started caressing her slowly and softly. Amy didn't seem to notice – her own eyes kept returning to where my penis was laying in my lap, or to where Lucy's cleft was clearly visible. After a few times of that, Amy looked at us, and realized that we knew where she'd been looking – and when she realized that we didn't mind, and weren't going to say anything about it, visibly relaxed as she kept talking.
Also, as she talked, she realized that we were genuinely interested in hearing about her, and that we weren't judging her in any way – and that helped her to relax, as well, so that she was more willing to tell us things that she'd obviously never told anyone before. So when she got to her teenage years, and the friends she'd had, it was pretty obvious to all of us that she was leaving some things out.
Finally, it was Lucy that called her on it, asking "Amy? There's something I'm curious about. You've told us what good friends you were with Virginia, and you've told us about finding out about boys, but I get the idea that there was something between you and Virginia, too. If you want to tell us about it, I think we'd all be interested in hearing about it; but if you don't want to talk about it, then we'll understand."
Amy just sat there for a few moments, looking at Lucy before her gaze went to me, then the girls. She hesitated a bit, then said "Well, yeah, there were things that happened between us. Uh, girl stuff."
Robyn looked up at her and said "Amy? It's okay. Really."
Sandra added "Yeah, it's okay, Amy. We don't mind."
Amy looked at me, then Lucy, who told her "Honest, Amy, it won't bother us. Just take a look at yourself, and us, and ask yourself if we*really* look like people that would judge someone else."
Amy grinned at that, and said "Yeah, you do have a point there. If I can sit here with these two cuties snuggled next to me while you and Dan watch, then I guess there's no reason not to tell you the whole thing."
I nodded for her to continue, and Amy started out by telling us "Virgie and I started out in the same class in third grade, and became best friends, kind of like Sandra and Robyn, here. Even when we went to middle school, we took almost all the same classes together. Virginia was a little smaller than I was, with dark black hair, that was really straight, to the middle of her back. She had really pale, almost white, skin. She was the first one of us to hit puberty, and it hit her*hard*. Almost overnight, she had hair between her legs, and started pushing out the front of her blouses.
It wasn't until a few months later that I got started, and it was slower going for me. But because we were friends, it didn't matter – or so I thought. But what I didn't know was that Virgie was feeling the effects of it more than I was. It wasn't until later that I realized that."
"What happened?" Lucy asked, quietly.
Amy stared into her lap a few moments, then told us "I was a month from my fifteenth birthday. Virgie had had her fifteenth about a week before. I was sleeping over at her house and we were staying up late on a Friday night, talking. Both of us were in our panties, but neither of us was wearing a bra. I remember that I was fascinated by the way her breasts would sway as she moved, and how the nipples would seem to poke out like pencil erasers one moment, then almost disappear the next. I was*so* envious – my own breasts were about half that size, and barely moved at all; and MY nipples hardly ever stuck out as much as hers did, even when I was cold.
"Anyway, she saw me watching them, and asked if I'd like to touch them. It really surprised me, but I finally admitted that I would.
She told me to go ahead, and stuck her chest out so that I could. I remember feeling a tingle go up my arms the first time I actually held them in my hands – they felt so warm and soft and heavy at the same time; I was absolutely fascinated by them. I touched her nipples, and when she didn't say anything, I began to play with them.
In just a few seconds, they were sticking out again, even farther than they had before. She had on these really thin panties, and a couple minutes later, I looked down to see that the front of them had this wet spot. I'd gotten wet before myself, and knew what had happened – what was happening – but it still surprised me that she would get THAT wet. Then she surprised me again and asked me if I wanted to suck on her tits. I did, and didn't, at the same time, but when she asked me again, I nodded my head. She put her hand on the back of my head, and pulled it down so that her nipple was touching my lips. I stuck my tongue out and licked it, and I heard her give a little moan, like she liked what I did. I did it again, and she moaned again. Finally, I opened my mouth, and put the end of her breast in it. I could feel her nipple pressing against my tongue, and I just started sucking on it. When I did, I heard her start moaning again, and I could feel her nipple getting even longer and harder in my mouth. I knew I was making her feel good; but at the same time, I couldn't help thinking that she was probably getting really wet between her legs. Thinking about that started making me tingle between MY legs, and before I knew it, I could feel myself getting wet, too. I hardly noticed it when she took my hand off her breast, but I*definitely* noticed when she slid it under the waistband of her panties – I could feel her pubic hair under my palm as my fingers felt something thin and slippery slide between them. It took me a bit, but I finally realized that I actually had my hand on the outside of her vagina, and that it was the lips of her sex that I was feeling.
"Mind you, I wasn't the one moving things forward, but I damned well wasn't backing out, either. It was more like I was a living puppet for her to position any way she wanted.
"Anyway, with my hand inside her panties, she kind of guided my hand around a little bit, until I got the idea that she wanted me to play with her. I did, and after a bit, I felt her let go of me, and pull her hand out. I knew where it felt good when I touched myself, so I figured I try touching her there, too – it took me only a couple of seconds to find her clitoris, and start rubbing it. When I did, I thought she was going to go nuts – her hips started moving as she pressed herself even harder against my hand. As I was doing that, I felt her hand touch MY breast – and it felt like there was electricity in my nipples when she did. I didn't stop her, and after a little while, I felt her hand start to slide down my front. I knew where she was going to touch me next, and I couldn't help groaning in relief when I felt her hand pressing on the outside of my panties, right about where my clit was. When she heard me, she did it some more, and when I let her, started rubbing me even harder. It felt SO good; even better than when I did it myself, for some reason. I could feel my juices starting to leak out, and it wasn't long before Virgie could feel them, too. When she did, she moved her hand back up, and let her fingertips slide under the waistband of my panties, so that she was touching ME between the legs. I felt her fingers slide down to the outside of my vagina, then her fingertips started slipping across my opening.
"I'd been told so many times that it was important for a girl to stay a virgin until she was married that I really tensed up, and Virgie could feel it. She stopped doing that part of it, and went to rubbing my clitoris again.
"She started pressing herself against my hand, as though she wanted ME to put MY fingers in HER; but I was so wrapped up in the virginity thing that I wouldn't do it; I just kept playing with her clitoris while I sucked on her tits.
"Finally, I felt myself start to have an orgasm, and Virgie just kept playing with my clit while I was having it. When it was over, she whispered to me that she wanted me to put my finger in her – she said she was*so* close, that doing that would help her have it. But I just wouldn't do it, and she finally pulled her hand out of my panties and put it in her own, with mine. She kind of pushed my hand out of the way, and I could tell when she slid a couple of her fingers inside herself. I could see as she slid them in and out a few times before she had a climax.
"When she was done, she was*so* mad at me, and all I could do was keep telling her that she wasn't a virgin any more; and that just seemed to make her madder. Finally, she just told me that it was late and that she wanted to go to sleep. Both of us got under the covers, but instead of laying on our backs and talking, she turned on her side, facing away from me. It really hurt me, and I finally rolled over onto my side, facing away from her. It took a long time, but I finally fell asleep. The next morning, she was nice to me again, but she never invited me to stay over with her again. And whenever I tried to invite her, she always had some reason she couldn't. We still saw each other in school, and we still studied together for a while, but we eventually just kind of drifted apart."
All three of them were looking at her with tears in their eyes. When Amy saw them, she realized that they shared the pain that she'd felt, and started to cry, herself. In a few moments, the four of them were in a group hug, Lucy and the girls holding her as she sobbed out her pain. I got up and went into the bathroom to bring all of them small towels to dry up with. When they were done, each sniffled her thanks for the towel I handed them, and started cleaning themselves up again. When Amy had finished, Lucy told her "We're your friends, now, if you want us" before giving her a kiss. This time, Amy was a more willing participant, and even dared to reach out to caress Lucy's side, and back.
When their kiss ended, Amy told Lucy "I remember how soft and gentle Virginia was, and how excited I got when we were touching each other.
I know I can't go back and undo it, but I have to admit that I wouldn't mind seeing if I couldn't get some of that same magic with someone else."
Lucy told her "I think any one of us would be happy to help you with that. Well, except maybe for Sandra – she started her period yesterday, and she's a little hesitant about it just now."
Amy looked at her, and said "I'll probably take you up on that, later. But right now, I think I'd like something a little more, uh, substantial. I've only known two men in my life, and neither one of them left me feeling the way I did with Virgie. The first was the guy who took my cherry when I was seventeen; once he had me, he lost interest. The other was a guy in college who just didn't have the patience or desire to make me feel as good as he did."
Lucy laughed, and said "If you're looking for a guy, then Dan, here, is the one. If anything, he'll spoil you for anyone else!"
Amy looked at Lucy quizzically, and asked "You wouldn't mind? Letting me have him, I mean?"
Lucy answered "Amy, all you're going to do is borrow him for a while.
When you're done with him, or I should say, when he's done with you, he'll be right back here with us."
Amy got a surprised look on her face, and asked "Us? You and… them?", nodding toward Robyn and Sandra.
Lucy nodded, saying "He's the one that both of them gave their virginity to. I wish to hell I could have had him as my first, too."
Amy looked at Robyn and Sandra, and asked "Didn't he hurt you? I mean, he's a full-grown man!"
Robyn just grinned, and told her "No, he didn't hurt. He made it feel GOOD! I was sore afterwards, but it was a good sore, you know?"
Sandra nodded her head in agreement with Robyn, and Amy looked at Lucy again, and asked "And you're obviously okay with this. Why?"
Lucy grinned, and told her about how it had been me that had gotten her and Robyn talking, and how I'd been the one to help them learn to trust, and even respect, each other. She finished up by saying "Amy, you know him. You know what he's like, and what kind of person he is.
Do you really think that he'd just jump into bed with*anyone*?
Particularly someone as young as these two?"
Here, Robyn spoke up, telling Amy "When I tried to get him to be my first, he didn't want to. I mean, it's not that he didn't want to make love to me; it's just that he didn't want to hurt me, and he wanted me to make sure that I was ready. He tried to talk me out of it, even."
Lucy laughed, and said "Same thing with me. I threw myself at him a couple of times. He just caught me, and set me on my feet, instead of jumping my bones like I wanted him to. When he finally gave in, though – God! It was worth it!"
Amy looked at me speculatively; I just looked back at her, patiently.
She finally opened her mouth to speak, telling me "I told you that the first guy I had was the one who took my cherry. And he*did* take it – what he did wasn't exactly rape, but it didn't miss it by much, either. The second guy was a little better, but couldn't deal with how tense and nervous I was – he didn't have the patience to help me relax enough. It felt better with him, but still not as good as what I heard my friends talking about. I*know* it can be better.
I want to know what that 'better' is. If you will, I'd like you to be the one to help me find it."
I answered her by telling her "I can't do it for you. If you're not open to the experience, if you're not willing to learn what that 'better' is, if you're not an active participant, then nothing I do will make the slightest bit of difference. I can help, I can guide, I can offer advice – but it's YOU that ultimately decides how it turns out."
Here, Lucy spoke up again, telling Amy "What he says is true. When I was with him the first time, it was great. But when I let myself open up to him, it just got better. Every time since then, it's gotten easier and easier to 'be there' with him, and every time since then, it's been even better making love with him. The other night, we made love; and somehow, we just*locked* with each other – I was completely in touch with myself, and him, at the same time. And I knew that he was feeling the same thing, completely in touch with ME.
We made love for the longest time, and when we finally came – together – it was the deepest thing I'd ever felt. If I die tomorrow, I'll die knowing what real, true JOY there can be in making love."
Robyn spoke up then, saying "When I made love with him that first time, I was*so* afraid. Not of him, but that I'd do something wrong, or that it wouldn't feel good. But when I was actually with him, he was as patient and gentle and caring as anybody could want. I*gave* him my virginity, because*I* wanted to. He showed me that he respected my choice, and was honored by it."
Sandra followed that by saying "It was my choice to have him be my first, too. Like Robyn said, he was as gentle and patient as I could have wished for. Because I listened to him, I knew it could be a pleasant, good experience – and when I acted like it would, he helped make it that way. I know, now, that he would never have made love to me if he wasn't sure that*I* believed it would be a happy thing, too."
Amy looked at each of them, in turn, before looking at me and saying "I know this: they love you and trust you, and you've made every one of them happy – happier than anybody I've ever seen before. I love you, too, now. I trust you, too – even more than I did before. When I hear two young women speak so highly of the man that deflowered them, and hear a third woman say she wished you had been her first, then I know that you can do what I want – what I*need*. Knowing that, I'm ready to do*anything* to see it happen. If you tell me I should stand on my head and whistle 'Dixie', I'll do it, because I trust you, and believe in you, and love you."
There simply wasn't anything else for me to do but sit up, and lean forward to give her a soft, loving kiss on the lips – a kiss that she returned just as gently.
When we separated, Lucy told her "This should be your time with him.
We'll go into the other room, so that you don't have any distractions. If you don't mind, though, we'll be back when you're done."
Amy nodded her agreement, and thanks, accepting a kiss from each of them before they headed into my room, closing the door behind them.
She looked at me, and said "I don't know what it is that makes you so special; I'm just glad you*are*."
I told her "But you*do* know what makes me so special to you. You just haven't put it into words, yet."
She looked at me thoughtfully, and said "Yeah, you're right. You're smart – god, you're smart! You're brave, and thoughtful, and gentle, and caring. You've got more morals and ethics than anyone I've ever seen before. You're willing to give other people the best part of yourself, without asking anything in return, other than that they do THEIR best. You're forgiving of people that aren't as smart or strong or brave as you, and absolutely intolerant of people that try to hurt others, for whatever reasons. You*willingly* put yourself between the innocent and the guilty, without making a big deal of it. You're so modest it's aggravating, sometimes. Most of all, you treat people the way they show you they deserve to be treated – you're not afraid to trust yourself and your own judgment."
I nodded in acceptance of what she'd just said, then told her "As for you – you're a living example of the FBI motto: Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity. You're no dummy, yourself – not everyone sees some of the things that you do. Anybody that's willing to put themselves in front of a bullet to protect an innocent has plenty of guts – and the moral sense to know why they're doing it. You won't do anything you don't think isn't right – but you're ethically aware enough to understand between personal choice, and public opinion. You know that you don't know everything, and you're willing to listen to reasoned argument, and decide for yourself based on the facts and evidence in front of you. You're just as loving and affectionate as anyone could want – for those you feel are deserving of that love and affection."
She nodded, as I had, in acceptance of what I'd said. Then we shared a look, and both of us leaned forward slightly to share a kiss – a kiss that started with our lips touching softly in love and respect, and ended with our tongues dueling in passion and arousal.
When we separated, I could see her eyes were smoky with desire. I reached out to put my hand over her breast; when I had it in my hand, her eyes closed, and I could feel her nipple stiffen under my palm. I let my fingertips trace across it's surface, until my hand was underneath, cupping it, as I let my thumb brush across her nipple softly. I heard hear moan deep in her throat before she opened her eyes, and reached out to take my penis in her hand. Feeling it start to swell at her touch, she smiled, and said "Lucy was right. It*is* a compliment, knowing that it's for me, personally." With that, she used her other hand to gently push me, until I was laying on my back, her body over mine. Looking down at me, she said "I've never done this before, really. I had my boyfriend in college in my mouth a couple of times, but never for very long. This time, for you, I *want* to do it."
That said, she moved and lowered herself, until I could feel her warm breath on my stiffening penis. She unwrapped her hand from it, letting it lay on her palm instead. I first felt her kiss the head of it, then a few moments later, the sensation of the tip of her tongue running it's rapidly-increasing length. Time after time, she ran her tongue along it – first one direction, then the other. When she felt that I was nearly fully erect, I felt her take the head in her mouth, running her tongue around it as she let herself taste it, and the small bit of pre-cum that had leaked out.
I reached out to gently nudge her leg, encouraging her to move to where I could touch her; she only released my erection from her lips to tell me "Please, not yet. Let me do this first, then you can do with me what you want."
An interesting offer, to be sure – enough of one that I contented myself with simply caressing the calf of her leg, where I could reach it. I knew that I wouldn't do anything to abuse the trust she'd shown me with her offer; that she trusted me enough to even MAKE the offer was reason enough.
With the end of my erection back in her mouth, I simply laid back and let her do as she wanted – I understood that it was important to her for some reason, and I trusted her enough to let her go.
She might not have had much experience before then, but she proved to be a quick, and enthusiastic, student. In only a couple of minutes, she had me fully erect, my entire penis coated with her saliva as she went through cycle after cycle of sucking on me, licking me, and sliding her lips up and down my length. I felt her tentatively touch my scrotum, and when I didn't object, cup it in her hand, rolling my balls around as she felt their size and weight. Satisfied with what she'd learned, she went on to gently squeeze them, careful not to hurt me, before letting her fingernails drag lightly across my scrotum.
The sensation of THAT was enough to push me past the point that every man knows: when you go from simply enjoying the sensations you're feeling, to knowing that you've just started down the path that will end in release.
She almost seemed to sense the change in me, and readily increased her efforts. It wasn't but a few minutes before I felt myself hitting the home stretch: the tightening in my penis and the faint tingling in my balls that told me that it wouldn't be long before I unloaded into her warm, wet mouth. As she felt me getting closer and closer, she slowed down her actions, prolonging my pleasure, and making sure that when I*did* climax, it would be a good one. Finally, though, there simply wasn't possible for me to put it off any longer: I felt my balls tighten as the first load of my semen rocketed down my length to launch out the head. When she felt my balls tighten in her hand, Amy quickly let most of my length slide from between her lips; but she was careful to keep the head and about the first third of me in her mouth. As she felt my jets of semen traveling down my erection, she would suck on the end of me in time with their arrival, swallowing each load with enthusiasm.
Only when she felt me softening between her lips did she give me one final suck before tightening her lips around me and pulling her head back, wringing the last few drops of my sperm from me. Satisfied with her handiwork, she turned herself around, and moved to lay next to me as I got my breath – and senses – back. She held me until my heart rate slowed, then I moved to lay on my side, facing her. I leaned over a bit to kiss her, ignoring the few flecks of my semen that were still on her lips. Then, propping my head on my hand, I put the other on her stomach – only to have her move it to cover one of her breasts.
"Why was it important to you to do that?", I asked.
She glanced away for a moment, then looked back at me, and said "Because my boyfriend in college really pushed me to do that so much.
I didn't like it then, mostly because it got him going so easy, but he didn't seem too interested in doing anything for me, in return. It got so I hated doing it because I knew he'd finish before I really even got started."
"And now, tonight?"
"It was my way of claiming my own pleasure."
"How so?" I asked, as I started toying with the nipple under my hand.
"I knew that I was doing it because*I* wanted to, not because YOU wanted me to. I knew you'd like it, but you weren't doing or saying anything to push me to do it. It was the difference between doing it by choice, and doing it because someone else wanted me to. I also knew that if you had a climax, you'd be able to go longer when we made love – and I*DO* want us to make love, for as long as possible, so that I can have more time with you to treasure when you're gone."
I could tell that there was more that she wasn't saying, and let her lay there a couple minutes before asking "And what else?"
She looked at me in surprised, and said "What makes you think there's something else?"
"Just a feeling. What is it?"
She gave me a strange look, and finally said "I was worried, a little, about whether or not I was really ready for this – to be open to the experience, I mean, like Lucy said. Doing that was my way of reassuring myself that I really was – ready, I mean. I know that you're going to do whatever you can to make this good for me; doing that was how I proved to myself that I was ready to accept whatever you had to offer me."
I nodded in understanding of what she'd said, and that seemed to satisfy her. I don't think she really understood just how much she'd told me about herself.
We continued to lay there like that for several minutes, before I started exploring her body with my free hand. She looked at me, a bit apprehensive, until I told her "You're beautiful. Not just on the inside, but on the outside, too."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean just what I said. You're a beautiful person, on the inside, for all the reasons I told you about before. On top of that, you're a beautiful person on the outside. I mean, just look at you – your hair is a fascinating shade of red, rich and thick, and nicely styled.
Your eyes are a lovely green, and they sparkle very nicely. You have a strong, but feminine, face. You have a little button of a nose, and your lips just*beg* to be kissed by someone that cares. Your skin is smooth, and clear. No wrinkles, or sagging anywhere. Your breasts are nicely shaped, firm, and just the right size. Your nipples are a delightful shade of pink, and when I touch them, they stick out in a most appealing way. You have a firm, smooth belly, with a trim waist and nice hips. Your belly button is positively cute. Your legs are smooth and firm and nicely muscled. They hold up a nicely rounded, obviously firm ass. Between them, you have a marvelous thatch of pubic hair – thick, but fine and soft, the same color as on your head. You're obviously fit, with good muscle tone. You keep yourself clean, and smelling nice – something soft, and fragrant, it's a treat for the nose. You're slender, but nicely curved – not too plump, and definitely not too scrawny; just the right size to cuddle with."
She blushed slightly when I started, but was listening in rapt attention as I finished. She looked at me, and asked "You really see me like that?"
"Of course. It's all there, and every bit of it true – you only have to admit it to yourself, and then take pride in it."
Her eyes got wide, and she said "How did you know?"
"I didn't, for sure. But a number of little things pointed at it", I answered.
"I told you that my parents were kind of strict. One of the things that they didn't care much for was people that took too much stock in themselves, and how they looked."
"That's fine – but there's a difference between that, and knowing your own worth. Believe me on this – you're most definitely an attractive young lady, worth any man's attention."
I could tell that she wasn't just going to take my word on it – but I could also see that I'd given her something to think about, too.
By this time, I was feeling up to being a little more active; and having the cute bundle that made up Amy in front of me gave me the desire to follow up on it. I leaned over her, and gave her a soft kiss on the lips – then another, more firm, followed by one that let her know that I found her attractive. She responded to each in kind, and our fourth kiss had us touching tongues. When it ended, she was panting slightly, with her eyes closed. They opened again, though, when she felt me move over her – but she looked up at me in complete trust.
I lowered my head to kiss her again, and she welcomed my tongue in her mouth before we began a gentle duel, using our tongues as our weapons. When the kiss ended, I could hear her panting slightly before I moved to give her a soft, gentle kiss on the forehead. I followed that one with another to the tip of her nose, then one to each of her eyelids. Her lips again, then the lobe of her ear, which I also nibbled at, softly. The point of her shoulder was next, then the hollow of her collarbone, and the place where her neck curved into her shoulder. Along her throat to the other side, where I mirrored what I'd just done.
My next point of call was her jaw, just below her ear – then along her jaw line to the other side. Down to the hollow of her throat, and beyond, to the upper part of her chest. Across, to the upper slope of her left breast, then a spiral that closed in on her areola and nipple. Taking her erect nipple into my mouth, I sucked on it gently as I strummed it with the tip of my tongue; and got a soft moan in reward. Releasing her nipple, I kissed my way to the bottom of her breast, then in a reverse "S" to the upper slope of the other breast.
Again, I spiraled in on the peak, finally taking her other nipple into my mouth to let it know what the first had experienced.
When I released it, I heard her whispered stammer "I… I didn't know it could be like this – that someone could*do* this to me." I smiled down at her, and said "Amy, I'm only getting started." She looked back up at me and said "I know", confidently.
I applied my lips to her cleavage, and began working my lower and lower on her body, pausing to pay attention to the belly button that I'd honestly told her was cute. When I was done with it, I used her navel as the center point for a series of figure 8's that went from one hip to the other across her lower belly as I gradually eased my way toward her pelvis. As my head approached the dark red triangle covering her mons, she readily spread her legs to make room for me, placing her feet flat on the bed so that her pelvis was tilted up slightly.
As my lips finally grazed the top of her pubis, I let my tongue trace the outline of her thatch. I followed a path from one top corner to the other, down the side, and then out the inside of her thigh to halfway to her knee before stopping. Then I reversed course, widening the return path by following a zigzagging pattern back toward her womanhood. Stopping*just short* of her labia, I picked up on the other side, heading for her other knee. Again, halfway there, I stopped, and reversed course, placing a number of small, soft kisses all across the inside of her thigh as I made my way back. Once more, I stopped short of her inner lips, and when I raised my head slightly, she whispered to me "Nobody's ever done that to me before."
I only smiled at her, and said "Then I guess it's about time someone did, don't you?" She nodded, and a moment later, I told her "If this is the first time you've ever had someone do this, then I guess you could say that you're giving me part of your virginity" – and earning myself a delighted smile from her as she nodded her agreement.
I lowered my head again, and looked at the blossom of her womanly flower: thin, straight, delicate labia slightly parted and faintly glistening inside with moisture. At the top, they disappeared under the hood of her clitoris, at the bottom, they faded into the short stretch of skin that let to her back opening. I could see that the soft, fine hairs of her incredibly thick bush followed the contours of her mons, thinning to nothing at the bottom of her cleft. This close, I could also detect the faint musky odor of her beginning arousal.
A glance upwards showed that she was watching me with considerable interest; I lifted my head and told her "Even here, you're beautiful!", making her blush slightly before she visibly relaxed, and let her head fall back.
I extended my tongue, and felt her start slightly when I first made contact with the folds of her sex. Extending my tongue a little farther, I let it slide between her inner lips, from bottom to top, before drawing it softly across the hood of her clitoris. I heard her moan softly as I did, and repeated my action, delving even deeper into her entrance. Another moan as her legs spread a little further in invitation for me to continue – which I did, with great pleasure.
As her juices started to flow, I was able to get a better taste of them: tangy-sweet, with a hint of earthiness to them, they were slightly oily. When I lifted my head slightly to focus on her clitoris, my upper lip and nose were buried in her bush – it was thick, but made up of fine, slightly curly hairs that felt surprisingly like a camel's hair brush on my lip. Back and forth I went, from the opening to her womanhood, to the nubbin of her clitoris, teasing each with my tongue and lips, slowly bringing her arousal and excitement farther and farther along. Finally, her clitoris made an appearance out from under it's hood – and I happily began fluttering across it with my tongue for a little bit before releasing it. When I returned to her vaginal opening, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my attentions to her clitoris had apparently been effective – her labia were now noticeably more extended, and parted enough to reveal how wet she was inside.
With the knowledge that I was having the desired effect, I increased my efforts, and was soon rewarded with a soft moan of pleasure from her. A few more minutes, and she was moaning almost continuously, and even arching her pelvis up toward me when I would slide my stiffened tongue into her opening, as though making love to her with it. Back at her clitoris, I found that it's hood had retracted, leaving it fully exposed to my tender – if questionable – mercies. Taking it between my lips, I softly 'nibbled' at it, pulling on it as if I were trying to milk it with my lips – making it even firmer, and drawing it out even more. After a little bit of that, I parted my lips and softly sucked it into my mouth where I gently sucked on it in time with fluttering my tongue across it, only to be rewarded with a gasp of pleasure from Amy as she started tossing her head back and forth.
When I returned to her vaginal opening, I found that she was even wetter, and more open, than she'd been before. I quickly took advantage of the situation, and started lapping at her opening as though it were the Flavor of the Month. In short order, she was moaning almost continuously, and her head was almost a blur as she tossed it from side to side.
After exhausting her supply of nectar – she was making it*almost* as fast as I could lap it up – it was back to her clitoris again. This time, I eased my arms under her legs so that I could reach up and start playing with her breasts, gently squeezing them and playing with her nipples, as I drew circles around her clitoris with the tip of my tongue. Between my tongue action, and the feel of my hands on her breasts, it didn't take long before she was groaning and gasping for release, her pelvis hunched up as she tried to get my tongue directly on her clit, without success. Finally, when I heard her whimper in frustration, I fastened my lips around her clitoris, and softly sucked on it rhythmically in time with licking it. I carefully timed my actions with her pelvic thrusts, so that I was bringing her steadily – but slowly – to the brink, until finally, with a furious tongue-lashing of her nubbin as I pinched at her nipples, I pushed her over the edge into orgasm.
When it hit her, I could hear the air rushing out of her lungs as the first spasm of it overwhelmed her; she'd barely managed to draw a breath when the second hit, causing her to release a deep groan of relief. A shuddering gasp later, the third spasm, a few pants for air, then a fourth. After that, they began to taper off, so that she was able to breathe, if raggedly. When her groans had faded, I released my hold on her breasts, and pulled my arms back, so that I could move myself over her, supporting my weight on my elbows and knees as I covered her body with mine.
She was still panting slightly when she opened her eyes and saw me – without hesitation, she put threw her arms around me and gave me a ferocious hug and a big kiss. I could tell that she realized I still had her taste on me AFTER she had her tongue in my mouth: I felt her pause for just a moment, then she went back at me with all the enthusiasm she'd shown me at first.
When she let me go, and lay back again, she looked up at me and said "I didn't know that it could feel so good to have somebody DO that to me. I always thought it sounded kinda, well, gross – but it wasn't.
At first, I was afraid that you'd say something, or that you were just doing it because you thought you had to, or something like that; but when you KEPT doing it, I relaxed, and then it started feeling better and better, until WHAM!"
I grinned at her, and asked "And when you kissed me?"
She blushed a little, and answered "I forgot about it until I had my tongue in your mouth – then I could kind of taste it. It really surprised me, actually, but it wasn't a*bad* taste or anything, so I just figured to hell with it."
I laughed, and said "Yeah, I did notice that last part", and getting another small blush from her before I went on "It's okay, Amy. I think every woman wonders what she tastes like after a guy does that to her."
"Do all women taste like that… me?"
I laughed, and answered "I can't speak for ALL women. From my limited experience" – she snorted at that – "I have to say 'kind of'. You taste different than Lucy, who tastes different than Robyn, who tastes different than Sandra. Yet, in a way, all of you taste a little bit the same – kind of like the basic chemistry is consistent, but each woman adds her own unique character to it."
She put her hands on my sides, and started caressing me as she raised her head to place a number of small, soft kisses on my face and neck and shoulders. As she moved, I could feel her soft pubis brushing against my semi-erect penis; that, with the feeling of her firm breasts pressing against my chest started getting me hard again. When she felt it, she stopped kissing me, and asked "You're going to make love to me now?"
"If you want me to." I answered.
She grinned, and said "I want."
I lowered my head as she raised hers, and we shared a gentle, but passionate, kiss as I let myself slide down her body, until my erection was laying against the outside of her mons. She raised her knees, and locked her ankles behind my back so that her pelvis was tilted up. That put her opening almost directly under the head of my penis; when our kiss broke, I eased myself back a little more, so that the head slid down to rest against her opening. I felt her tense slightly when she felt me pressing slightly against her entrance, and immediately stopped.
I saw the faint trace of fear in her eyes, and told her "It's okay.
We're only going to make love IF you want to, and WHEN you want to."
She gave a nervous laugh, and said "I DO want to. It's just that all the times before, the guy just*pushed* himself into me, and if it didn't hurt, it was uncomfortable."
I smiled at her, and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before telling her "Amy, I'm not those guys. And you're not that girl, any more. I'm not going to be making love TO you, and you're not going to be making love TO me – we're going to be making love TOGETHER. Both of us, as equal partners. I understand what your experience was before, so I'm going to wait until you let me know that you're ready, okay?"
I could see the relief in her face, and a few moments later, felt her gradually relax under me. A few seconds after that, when she realized that I wasn't moving, that I was literally waiting for her to let me know she was ready, I felt her arch her back a bit, pressing her vaginal opening against me. I still didn't move, and she did it again, more insistently, before telling me "Please. I'm ready. Make love with me."
With that, she reached down between us and took hold of my erection, sliding it between her labia so that the head was coated with her woman's oils, before holding me steady at her opening.
When she nodded to me, I pressed myself forward, firmly but gently.
After a few seconds, I saw her frown, and immediately stopped pressing against her. She got a surprised look on her face, and asked me "What? What happened?"
"You looked like something was wrong – you frowned about something, so I stopped."
She looked confused for a moment, then smiled, saying "Oh. I was just thinking that you've been so patient and gentle with me, I wished it was easier for you. I must have made a face then, because I was upset with myself."
"Amy, there's nothing for you to be upset with yourself ABOUT. You've told me what your first time was like, and what your boyfriend in college was like. I know your sexual experiences haven't been very good. I*want* to help you change that. I*want* to do what it takes to help you learn to enjoy _making love_, and not just tolerate having sex. Don't worry about me – I'm here because I WANT to be.
Okay?"
She nodded, and told me "I keep forgetting just how MUCH of a dear you are. Okay, no more bad flashbacks on what happened before. I'm here, now, with you."
That said, she pressed herself against me again, letting me know she was still ready. I pushed myself forward again, carefully, so that I was pressed against her opening. We looked into each other's eyes as I was doing that, and I could feel it as she let herself accept that I wasn't going to just bull my way into her. After several seconds, she'd relaxed enough that I could feel her entrance start to open up to me – and shortly after that, we both felt the head of my erection slide past the ring of her opening. Again, I stopped, waiting to see if she was experiencing any pain, or other discomfort. She let me know she wasn't by reaching down to put her hands on my ass, trying to pull me into her. From what she'd said, I knew that she was all too used to having a man try to bury himself in as few strokes as he could manage; from how tight she was, I didn't think that she'd been sexually active for quite some time. So I took my time – pausing whenever she looked hesitant or apprehensive, and making sure to withdraw from her a little ways every so often, to be certain that her oils were well-distributed along my length. It took a couple of minutes before we felt our pelvises touch – when they did, she got a mildly surprised look on her face, and looked up at me to exclaim "It didn't hurt! It wasn't even uncomfortable!"
Saddened by hearing her talk that way, I lowered my head to give her a kiss that she eagerly returned.
Underneath me, I could feel her moving slightly as she experimented with this new, obviously pleasant, sensation. I waited calmly, knowing that the more comfortable she got with it now, the more enjoyable she'd find it later. After a couple of minutes, she stopped moving to hug me again, and tell me "I didn't know it could feel like this – it feels*good* to have you inside me!"
With that acceptance from her, I figured it was okay to finally show her what making love was all about.
I watched the expression on her face change when I slid myself out of her about half way; only to see her eyes widen when I filled her up again. Back out, until only the head of my penis was in her, then back in again, until our pubic hair merged. The smile on her face as she felt me moving inside her was a sight to behold – there wasn't a doubt in my mind that after tonight, she'd remember*this* sexual experience much more often than those she'd had before.
After a few more of the slow strokes in and out of her, I could see that she was ready – even eager – for things to move along; still, I took my time about speeding up, so that she'd have ample time to let me know if anything was wrong.
It wasn't.
In only a couple of minutes, I'd escalated into a steady pistoning in and out of Amy's tight, wet womanhood; from the way she hunched herself up at me on the inward strokes, I knew that she found it as pleasurable as I did – if not more so. She even lifted her head a couple of times to look down between us, where she could see my glistening erection sliding in and out of her; once, while she was watching, I heard her mutter "Oh, god! I can see it, and feel it, at the same time!" before letting her head drop back to the pillow.
I was amazed when, after only a few minutes, she seemed to have a small orgasm, her vagina clamping down on me as I continued to slide in and out of her. It seemed to pass after only a few seconds, but when she opened her eyes, I could see that they were slightly glazed, and that she had a slightly distant look on her face. It passed quickly enough, and I lowered my head to suck on her breasts and nipples. I started to feel a little strain on my back, and moved to relieve it by sitting back on my heels; I didn't even have to reach for her to pull her closer – she stayed right with me, making sure that I was inside her the whole time. Once in a more comfortable position, one that didn't require me to support my body with my arms, my hands were free to begin caressing her body. Once, when I had caressed her face, she turned her head and wrapped her lips around one of my fingers, sucking on it for a bit as she stared into my eyes – an exceptionally erotic moment.
I also used my hands to squeeze and play with her breasts and nipples, something that she seemed to enjoy tremendously, holding my hands in place when I did it. When I reached down to softly rub her exposed clitoris, she had another one of her mini-orgasms, this one a little stronger that the first. I was fascinated by how her entire body would tense up – including her inner muscles – then relax with a slight shudder as each wave of it ran through her.
When she'd recovered from that one, she held her hands out to me, asking me to pull her up. I did, and we hugged each other as she started moving herself on me, hunching her hips back and forth to move herself around me as I held still. I could feel her nipples getting even harder where they pressed into my chest, even as I could feel her getting wetter and hotter where she was wrapped around my penis. Gradually, she moved faster and faster, impaling herself on me harder and harder until she was almost slamming herself onto me. But her efforts tired her out, too, and she finally let herself move away from me a bit, her eyes telling me that she wanted to lay down again – she was panting hard enough that she couldn't speak. I let her arms slide through my hands to lower her onto her back again; then moved to hold myself over her as I went back to thrusting myself into her.
She looked into my eyes gratefully, and ran her hands along my sides and back before closing her eyes to concentrate on the sensations I was generating in her.
Her actions seemed to have moved her well along, so as I continued pistoning in her, her moans of pleasure and arousal increased with my efforts. After a few minutes, she let her pelvis drop a bit, so that I was sliding in and out of her at a different angle – one that gently tightened the flesh at the top of her opening, applying a slight pressure to her erect clitoris each time I entered her again.
With that added stimulation, she moved even more quickly toward her release as she kissed and bit at my chest while she raked her nails across my back.
After a few more minutes, I could feel her getting even tighter around me, and knew that she was getting close; I simply kept up the rhythm I'd gotten into, knowing that if it got her that far, it would take her the rest of the way, too. And it did.
I didn't think anything of it when she put her arms around me and pulled me down to where she could kiss me, then my chest and shoulders. I learned better when she suddenly buried her face in my shoulder and all but screamed her release as her vagina clamped down on me, and she dug her nails into my back. As tight as she'd been before, it was only because of her ample wetness that I'd been able to move in her; but when her inner muscles tightened on me that way, there simply wasn't anything I could do, no matter HOW wet and slippery she was.
That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though – all along my length, I could feel the rings of her vaginal muscles spasming, tightening down on me in waves of pressure-and-release from the base of my penis to the head. If she hadn't already used her mouth to bring me off, it would have been more than enough to do it then.
After the first couple of waves of her orgasm passed, I felt her fingernails leave my back before she fell back on the bed, gasping and shuddering as the rest of her orgasm washed through her. Whatever had happened to her before, I knew that this young lady was a sexual being, and that we'd released the passion she'd kept locked away for so long.
As her gasps quieted and her shudders slowed, I lowered my self to cover her body with mine, and began softly kissing her face and shoulders. With those new sensations, and a different reference point for her body, it didn't take her much longer to get her wits about her. When she finally opened her eyes, and saw me looking down at her with a smile on my face, she hugged me fiercely before rapidly placing small kisses all over my face and lips and anyplace else she could reach. Only after I'd spoken her name several times did she relent, and let herself fall back to the bed again, looking up at me with something akin to worship on her face. But before I could say anything, she suddenly started to cry, and hugged me again – not so hard this time. I spoke softly to her, offering words of reassurance and comfort until she released me again. When she'd wiped her eyes, I looked at her in concern, and asked "What is it? What's the matter?"
"There's nothing the matter, you big dummy! I'm*happy*, dammit!"
"You're happy, so you're crying?" I asked, relieved.
"Yes, I'm crying because I'm so happy! I'm happy because you made me feel so good, and because you've been so nice and kind and gentle and patient with me, and most of all because you've shown me what it's like to make love."
I managed to kiss her again before she gently pushed me away, saying "Don't. I must look like a mess; I always do when I cry."
I smiled at her lovingly, and said "You look fine. There's nothing wrong with an honest emotion, honestly expressed. But if it would make you feel better, I'll get you a towel or something from the bathroom."
She smiled back, and nodded – then got a dumbstruck look on her face when she felt me sliding out of her. She looked down, and saw that my penis was still hard, and glistening with her juices; she looked back up at me and asked "You're still hard? You didn't…?"
I grinned, and said "Yes, I'm still hard, and no, I didn't. What you did before made it easier for me to last longer this time, just like you wanted. If you hadn't done that, believe me, I WOULDN'T be hard, and I WOULD have climaxed." She looked like she wasn't quite sure whether to believe that, or not; when I turned to go into the bathroom, I heard a small gasp from her. When I came out again with a hand towel for her, she saw my erection swaying in front of me, and watched it the whole time I was walking back to the bed. Only when I tried to hand her the towel did she look up – and blush furiously.
Believe me, on a redhead, that's something to see.
"I was, uh, just, um…"
"Amy, it's okay."
She blushed again, then exclaimed "Oh! I almost forgot! Your back!"
"What about my back?" I asked.
Another blush, and she hesitantly said "Uh, this last time, I guess I got a little, um, enthusiastic. I kinda hurt you, I think."
"What?"
"I kinda left some scratches, and even broke the skin; you've got a few spots where you're bleeding a little."
"Oh, well."
"'oh, well'? You're not going to do something about it? You're not mad or anything?"
"Been hurt worse, for a lot worse reasons."
She gave me a dirty look, and said "Come here. Let me at least wipe it off for you."
"Only if you'll sit on my lap when you do it."
She hesitated a moment, then grinned and said "Deal!" before going into the bathroom to get a damp washcloth.
I sat down, and she moved over to sit on my lap sideways. I stopped her, and shook my head, telling her "Uh-uh. Not like that."
She looked confused for a moment, then brightened up – facing me, she moved to put her legs on each side of mine before lowering herself. I put my hands on her hips, and she let me guide her over my erection; once in position, she easily lowered herself onto it until she was firmly planted in my lap, my hardness again filling her.
She had a distracted smile on her face for a little bit before she remembered why she was there, and reached around me to use the washcloth to wipe off my back. When she put her arms around me, I put mine around her, and started caressing her back before letting my hands wander down to cup her asscheeks, gently kneading them before moving on to caress her hips and run my hands up her sides. Every time she moved the washcloth, she would move on my lap, changing the way my penis felt inside her – several times, she repeated a motion when it felt good to her. While she was doing that, I continued to stroke whatever parts of her body I could reach, though my favorite was the firm, smooth mounds of her ass.
When she pulled the washcloth back around, I could see that it was visibly pink; but not too much so. Reluctantly, she started to raise herself off of me; I stopped her and asked "Think you could hit the bathroom floor from here? If you can, we'll get it later. Unless, of course, you*want* to get up…"
She shook her head, and with a grin, turned to throw the damp cloth toward the bathroom – her breasts jiggled very fetchingly when she did – and managed to hit the floor, but just barely. Giggling, she turned back to me, and asked "Now, where was I again?"
I grinned back at her, and said "I'm not sure about you, but I believe that I was right… about… HERE!" before lowering my head to take one of her nipples in my mouth, and start sucking on it. I heard her give a deep-throated moan of pleasure before she started slowly raising and lowering herself slightly on my lap, sliding herself up and down on my hardness.
Cupping her breasts in my hands, I squeezed them gently as I went from one nipple to the other, licking and sucking on them, making them stand out more and more from the small, dark pink spots of her areolas.
After several minutes of this, she slowed, then stopped, telling me "As nice as this is – and it IS nice! – I'm starting to cramp a little in my leg. Is there anything else like this we can do?"
I released her nipple from my mouth – watching as it crinkled slightly in the relatively cool air of the room – and told her "If we move onto the bed more, you can stay on top, and just have a little more room to move around if you want."
She grinned, and said "I want."
With a little pleasant trial-and-error, we figured out how to get both of us moved more onto the bed without to separate from each other. When I was flat on my back, she managed to pull her legs underneath herself, so that she was squatting over me. Leaning forward, she put her hands on my chest to steady herself. Looking into my eye, she raised herself up until the head of my penis was _just barely_ inside her. Then lowered herself again*ever* so slowly, the satisfied smile on her face telling me that she was savoring the sensation of my hardness filling her womanhood. When she was resting firmly on my pelvis again, she paused, and I reached up to cup her breasts for a bit before softly squeezing them, and pulling gently on her nipples. She pushed her chest into my hands in encouragement, and I continued playing with her mounds as she moved herself around slightly on me, discovering how it felt when I pressed against her from different directions.
I was running my thumbs over her nipples when she raised herself over me again, letting nearly three quarters of my manhood escape her warm, wet clutches before lowering herself back down. A few moments later, she did it again, then again. Before long, she'd gotten into a slow, steady rhythm of impaling herself on me time after time.
The slowness of what she was doing didn't last long, though. Over the next few minutes, the tempo increases gradually as her excitement and arousal took control of her.
Finally, the effort got to her again, and her motions began to slow down. I looked up at her and asked "If you'd like to try something a little different?"
She grinned, and nodded her head before letting herself come to rest on me. I told her "If you'll get on your hands and knees, I'll get behind you, and…" She expressed her understanding, and with a faint groan of disappointment, raised herself up until I came free of her, then moved her leg over so that she was on her knees next to me, waiting. I sat up, then got to my knees, the two of us shared a deep kiss before she turned around and lowered herself to her hands. I moved behind her, then forward so that my erection was resting against her butt. She looked over her shoulder at me, in complete trust, and lowered her shoulders a bit, so that her wet opening was more available to me. With one hand on her hip, I used the other to angle myself down slightly, so that the head of my penis was wedged between her labia. When she felt that I was in position, she pressed back toward me, sliding herself onto me a little ways. I put my hand on her other hip, and we each gently pushed ourselves toward the other – and both of us felt the delightful sensation of my manhood sliding into her, until I was completely buried in her in a single stroke.
I leaned forward a bit, and reached down to cup her dangling breasts, softly squeezing them before pulling on her nipples slightly. She gave an appreciative moan when I did that, and moved one of her hands to cover mine, squeezing it.
Still holding onto her breasts, I eased myself back a bit, and felt my penis sliding out of her – accompanied by a disappointed groan from Amy. I stopped when I felt the ring of muscle at her entrance around me, just behind the head, and waited a few moments before pressing myself back into her as Amy moaned her pleasure.
Over the next minute or so, I slowly speeded up my actions – but when I found that holding onto Amy's breasts made it awkward, I let them go to put my hands back on her hips so that I could more easily move in her.
Again, it didn't take me long to get into a rhythm of pistoning in and out of her; and by this time, the feeling of her tight, wet sheath sliding up and down my erection was feeling pretty damn good.
She seemed to be enjoying what*I* was doing, too – over the liquid sounds of our union, I could hear her panting her pleasure, and softly moaning her arousal.
Leaning back a bit, I changed the angle that I was entering her at – increasing the noises she was making, and letting me see how her tight opening tried to stay with me when I pulled out, only to disappear when I pushed back in. My manhood was shiny with her juices, and I could smell the distinct odor of them in the air. With all of these things helping me along, it didn't take long before I felt the tingle in my balls that signaled my release wasn't far off.
Determined to get Amy off one more time, I straightened up and started moving a little more quickly in her, and a little more forcefully. From the way her insides clasped at me, I knew that she was enjoying it. I could also tell that she was getting close from the way she groaned almost continuously; I was glad to hear it because I knew that I wasn't far off, myself.
Finally, I felt my balls tighten up, and knew what was next – I took a couple of long, slow strokes in her, then buried myself in her as far as I could as the first spurt of my semen erupted. That must have been all she needed, because as I felt the next load start it's journey, she clamped down on me as she threw her head back in a (thankfully) silent scream of release. Again, the sensations of her vagina as she orgasmed were phenomenal – and this time, I was free to enjoy every last one of them as I pulsed load after load of sperm into her hot, wet insides.
The fluttering of her vagina kept me hard, and the incredible tightness of her as she orgasmed would have kept me from withdrawing, even if I'd wanted to. Instead, I leaned over her again, my hands next to hers, covering her body with mine as her climax gradually tapered off. When enough of it had passed, she started to shakily lower herself to the bed; I put an arm around her and helped ease both of us down, so that I stayed close to – and inside of – her.
When she was finally on her stomach, I eased my legs to the outsides of hers, so that I was crouched over her.
After a bit, she managed to turn her head enough that we could share a kiss before she told me "Clara Hawkes was right – you are *something*. I don't think she meant it quite this way, though!", with a giggle. I laughed, and told her "You seem to have done pretty well yourself, there, Agent Jones."
She kissed me again, and answered "It wouldn't have been possible without you."
We lay there like that for another couple of minutes before my penis finally softened enough to pull free of her. When it did, she got a surprised look on her face, and said "THAT part I'd forgotten about – the getting sticky and feeling, um, drafty, when it's over."
I nuzzled her ear, and said "If you'd like, I'd be happy to share a shower with you – that would pretty much solve both problems, I think."
She all but purred as she told me "I'd love it."
It was a considerably changed Amy Jones that walked next to me as we headed in to share a steamy, playful shower. About halfway through it, I was industriously lathering up her breasts as she did the same for my penis when she gave a sudden start before looking in my eyes to tell me "I just realized: this is the first time in my LIFE that I've done anything like this – and I'm actually enjoying it!"
"Done anything like what?" I asked.
"Taken a shower with a guy. Been naked with him with the lights on.
Just STOOD there while he played with my tits. Not just had my hand on his penis, but actually*played* with it. Laughed and joked and had FUN with him afterwards."
"Amy, that's what love is all about."
She suddenly got serious, and looked into my eyes as she asked "Do you love me, then?"
I kept her gaze, and answered "Of course I do, Amy. I'm not going to dump Lucy for you and run off to Mexico or anything, but yes, I love you."
She shook her head, and answered "No, I didn't expect anything like that, and I wouldn't want it, anyway. I just wanted to know that somebody loved me, was all."
This time, it was MY turn to look into HER eyes as I told her "Amy, I'm not the only one. Lucy loves you, for who you are, and for what you do. Robyn loves you for the same reasons, as does Sandra. I'm sure that there are plenty of other people that love you, too – and if you'll look around you, you'll know who they are."
She nodded solemnly, then after a moment, got a grin on her face and said "Want to go see what Lucy and the girls have been up to?"
I grinned back at her, and told her it sounded like a*great* idea.
We rinsed each other off – groping each other in the process – and turned off the shower. Once we'd dried each other off, we headed for the door between the rooms. Amy was right beside me, not a stitch on, and not the slightest bit concerned about it.
I quietly opened the door, and we looked in to see Lucy and the girls tangled up on the bed. When we got close enough, we could see that all three of their faces were shiny with each other's juices. I felt Amy give a little shiver next to me, and whispered "What is it?"
She whispered back "They all look*so* lovely and happy like that, together. I wish I could be there with them."
She got a surprised look on her face when I told her "Then go ahead.
I promise, every one of them would be delighted to have you there."
She looked at me with concern on her face, and quietly told me "What if I made a mistake? What if I was too nervous? I've never really *done* anything like that – except for Virgie!"
I smiled at her, and pointed out "You'd never done anything like what WE just did, either – but once you got started, it turned out okay, I think."
She gave me a playful pinch, and said "It turned out better than just 'okay' – it was*great*!" with a grin.
About that time, Lucy opened her eyes, startled when she saw us standing there. Her little jump woke up Robyn and Sandra; the three of them looked at us sheepishly before untangling themselves.
In a passable Ricky Ricardo imitation, I said "Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do!" – and all of them, Amy included, started laughing.
And kept laughing until tears ran down their cheeks.
When the laughter died down, Amy surprised all three of them by leaning over to give each of them a kiss – and not just a dainty one on the cheek, either. All three of them found out that this girl could KISS, when she wanted to. When she stood up again, all three of them were staring at her, dumbfounded. It was Lucy who finally asked "Okay, I'll play – what the hell happened to YOU? I'm not complaining, mind you, but you are most definitely NOT the same Amy Jones that we left alone with him."
Amy blushed, and told her "What happened to me was HIM."
Lucy looked at me, and asked "What the hell did you do to her? Or with her? Or whatever?"
Amy just laughed, and said "What he did was show me what REAL love is, and what patience and understanding and caring are. What he did was show me what tolerance and acceptance are. What he did was show me that it's okay to be ME, and that people love me."
Lucy looked at me again, before turning back to Amy to ask "And just how did he accomplish all of this?"
"He made love TO me, and WITH me. I'd never had an orgasm with a man before; and even the ones I gave myself were small. But HE gave me *three* INCREDIBLE ones. Any one of them would have been more than everything else I've experienced, all put together, but he gave me THREE of them. And while he was doing it, he was so kind and gentle and patient and forgiving. Now I know why all of you love him so very much."
"So you were with him long enough to accomplish all that, and have three orgasms, too?" Lucy asked.
Nervously, Amy answered "Yes."
"Good!"
Surprised, Amy asked "You're not upset? That we made love like that, and that he did all that for me?"
Lucy just laughed, and said "Amy,*I'm* the one that left you with him, remember?*I* know what kind of man he is, and I could see that you were kind of messed up about love and sex and all that. I knew that if I left you alone with him, there was a damned good chance that he'd do just exactly what he did – with my whole-hearted agreement, mind you. So no, I'm not upset; I'm glad that he was able to help you that way – not just about getting your head on straight, but having real orgasms with a real guy. And from the way you just kissed me – and the girls, too, if their expressions were any indication – you relaxed about more than just making love with a man."
Amy blushed, and said "Yeah, I did."
"I'm going to take a wild guess here, but I think maybe you even relaxed enough to want to spend some time with us, too?"
Amy looked at me, and I nodded to her; she turned back and said "Yes, I would."
Lucy just smiled at her, as did Robyn and Sandra, before they pushed the bedcovers down, and opened their arms to her. I could see the tears in her eyes as she made her way to the bed, and into their welcoming arms.
They shared a group hug before starting to kiss each other – REAL kisses of love and affection – before Amy hesitantly reached up to put her hand on Lucy's breast. When she felt Lucy lean forward a bit to make firmer contact, she smiled; when Robyn and Sandra reached out, each caressing one of her firm mounds, Amy's face got positively radiant.
I stood there, happy to see all of THEM happy, for several minutes as they quickly got familiar with each other, in more ways than one.
Finally, they settled down enough that Lucy, then Amy, remembered that they'd left me standing there. Even after Lucy and Amy stopped, it still took a few seconds before Robyn and Sandra followed their example.
I told Lucy "We've still got a bunch of FBI agents hanging around us, so don't kill her, okay? It wouldn't look good. And remember that she still has to be able to get out of here under her own power so she can get some rest tomorrow; she's got work to do tomorrow night, right?"
Lucy grinned at me, and said "Yes, Boss. No killing FBI people, check. Has to leave under her own power, check. Has to get some rest tomorrow, check. Are ravishing and debauchery allowed?"
I grinned back, and said "As long as you don't break the rules, yes.
But I'll warn you: she's a fast learner, so you may have your hands full."
Lucy looked down to where she had one of Amy's breasts in her hand, and reported "Yes, one of them already is!" – and all four of them started giggling.
Finally, Amy looked up at me, and asked "What about you?"
"I think I'm going to have some things to do tomorrow, so I'd better get some sleep. Besides, they left us alone, so I'll leave you alone.
You ladies have fun."
Sandra spoke up, saying "Uh, Dan?"
"What is it, Stinker?"
"Um, I think I'd be more comfortable with you, instead of here. Can I stay with you tonight?"
When she heard that, Amy got a surprised, slightly pained look on her face. When Lucy saw it, she explained "It's not you, Amy. Sandra started her period yesterday, and she just doesn't want her problem to get in the way of your fun. Our fun."
Relieved, Amy looked at Sandra, and told her "Sandra, all four of us have periods, right? I promise, it won't bother me; but if it makes you feel better, and you really want to, then I won't mind if you want to stay with Dan tonight."
Sandra thought it over for a bit, then looked at me and said "Uh, is it okay if I come over there later?"
I laughed, and told her "Sure, Sandra. Any time you want will be fine."
Relieved, Sandra looked at Amy as she said "In that case, I think I'd like to stay here for a little while."
That settled, I wished them all a good night – "I think it will be!", Lucy told me, laughing – and I headed back into Lucy's room, closing the door behind me. Once there, I got myself a beer out of the minibar, and laid back to watch a movie while I drank it – it still wasn't very late at night.
An hour or so later, Sandra came wobbling into the room, obviously worn out – and, just as obviously, happy as she could be. She came over to kiss me, and I caught the distinct smells of the other three, with a predominance of Amy. I grinned at her and asked "I'll take it that all of you have been having fun?" She just giggled, and said "Yeah. Lots of it. That Amy is a GOOD kisser!"
I gave her a pat on the fanny, and said "That she is. Why don't you grab a quick shower, and when you get out, we'll lay here and snuggle for a while."
She nodded her agreement, and pulled my hand over so she could have a sip of my beer before she headed for the bathroom.
A few minutes later, she came out and crawled into bed with me, tucking herself into my side and pulling my arm around her. We lay there like that until the movie finished; as the credits were scrolling, I looked down to see that she'd fallen asleep. Carefully, so as not to disturb her, I called down to leave a wakeup call at the front desk. I also spoke to Agent Gallery, to let him know that Amy would be staying with us for a while – possibly until morning. I heard the smile in his voice as he told me "Good. She's a damn fine agent, but she doesn't have enough*friends*. She needs to unwind a little." I knew that HE knew something was happening – and cared only that she was being properly treated, and taken care of.
"You sound like an understanding man, Agent Gallery."
"Please, call me Tom. Maybe I am, I don't know. I just know that we're a tight bunch of people. We have to be, of course. While the rest of us talk about our home lives with each other, it seems like Amy never talks about the people she knows AWAY from work. She's a damn good looking woman, but we never see HER come in looking like the rest of us do when WE'VE gotten plenty of 'bed rest', as we call it. She's due for it. She deserves it."
"You're certainly a thoughtful man, Tom. Well, we won't be going out tonight, so you can make your arrangements accordingly. I seriously doubt that any of us will be awake before, oh, eight o'clock, at the earliest."
"Thanks. Take good care of her, Dan."
"We will, Tom. Good night."
That done, I hung up the phone, and rolled onto my side so I could hold Sandra close to me as I fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning before my wakeup call; I went ahead and called down to let them know they could cancel it. Sandra looked like she was pretty well out of it, so I went ahead and got some coffee started before heading into the bathroom.
Clean and shaven, I saw that the coffeemaker was done, and poured myself a cup – Sandra was still well and truly out of it.
When I'd finished my coffee, I called down to the front desk, and was quickly put in touch with the duty agent – Agent Hendricks. I told him that everyone else was sleeping in, but that I'd be down for some breakfast in about ten minutes, if that was okay. He assured me that the caf in the hotel was quite slow, and that they'd be waiting for me. He also told me that I had a message from Jules Francone – Agent Gallery had had the front desk hold the call so that we wouldn't be disturbed so soon after the 'incident', as he put it. I thanked him, and hung up before pouring myself a second cup of coffee.
As I was going through the second cup, I got dressed; when I saw Amy's purse with her weapon in it, I decided that I should probably take it to the other room, where she could see that it was safe. I carefully opened the door, and saw the three of them snuggling together on the bed; Amy was wrapped up by Lucy and Robyn. All three had happy, satiated smiles on their faces, so I knew they'd had a good time. I put Amy's purse on a dresser, well away from anything else, so that she could see it from the bed. I couldn't help stopping by the bed to give all three of them a kiss, not at all surprised that each of them smelled strongly of the other two. Again, I couldn't resist the temptation to grab my digital camera and take a few photos, a mix of close-ups of each of them, and a few of them as a group.
That done, I went back into Lucy's room, closing the door behind me, and put on my holstered pistol before heading for the door. I quietly undid all the locks, then opened it a crack to peer into the hallway.
There were two different agents out there; again, one at each end of the hallway. Both nodded in greeting, and I went on out, making sure the door was locked behind me. Down in the lobby, I saw that Agent Hendricks wasn't in any mood to fool around – there were a couple of people in suits that all but screamed "FBI". I stopped by the desk and picked up the message they had for me before heading for the caf. I was only a couple of feet from the desk when a man walked toward me – Agent Hendricks, I expected. He introduced himself, and thanked me for letting them know what my plans were. I assured him it was okay, and inquired about the men in suits who were making no pretense of not watching out for me. He told me "I know that you don't think anyone from the Francone family will be bothering you, but it seemed prudent to make sure that anyone else out there knows we're here, too." I thanked him, and asked if I could buy him a cup of coffee. He hesitated, and I told him "I expect that I'm going to be paying some people a visit- probably today, but maybe tomorrow.
I'd like to work with you on the logistics of it." When he heard that, he agreed, and the two of us continued to the caf. After we got some coffee, I ordered, and we talked over what I thought was going to happen while I waited for my meal.
When I'd finished breakfast, Agent Hendricks and I shook hands before I headed back for the room. Once there, I went into the room that the girls hadn't used in a couple of days, and made my call to Jules. He answered quickly, and let me know that he'd made arrangements for 'the interested party' and I to meet sometime that day.
I asked when would be a good time, and he told me "Pretty much any time – just make it at least a couple hours from now so they can make arrangements, okay?"
"How about one o'clock, then?" I asked.
"Beautiful. You know you're going into the lions den, don't you?"
I gave a small laugh, and said "Yeah – same old tune."
He laughed then, too, and said "I guess it's nothing new to you, is it?"
"Not really."
"Well, I'll be there, too, kind of as a go-between. I know my uncle, and I know you – maybe we can settle this before it goes too far."
"I hope so, Guido. Stuff like this doesn't do*anybody* any good."
"I hear that. Okay, I'll see you later, okay?"
"See you then."
That conversation over, I called down to speak with Agent Hendricks.
When I told him what Jules and I had set up, he said "His uncle, huh?
Must be Benito Francone, a.k.a. Benny. He and Jules' daddy were in business when Jules' dad kinda got blown up. Benny had the entire operation then, and we heard that he personally took care of the people that killed his brother. No bodies were ever found; it was like they dropped off the face of the earth. He's a mean old bird, and hard as they come. Watch yourself."
"Oh, I will. He's not the first hard-ass I've had to deal with."
Hendricks laughed, and said "Yeah, I guess not. I'll bet he's gonna be some surprised at you, though!"
I verified the arrangements I'd made with him over breakfast before ending the conversation.
With a few hours to fill before my meeting, I went back into 'my' room to collect my new laptop. Once in there, I saw that Amy was mostly awake. When she saw me, she woke up completely, and gave me a radiant smile of greeting before gesturing that she wanted me to come over to the bed. I sat on the edge, careful not to wake up Lucy or Robyn, and Amy reached out to take my hand. Holding it to her mouth, she softly kissed my palm before holding it to her face as she whispered "Thank you. Last night was the best time I've had in my life. I never felt so loved, so accepted, by*anyone*, not even my own family."
I smiled at her, and took her hand in mine in return, telling her "It was my pleasure – OUR pleasure. Know that we love you, and when you get the chance, pass it along."
She nodded solemnly, and I leaned over to give her a kiss – and getting a taste of Lucy and Robyn in the process. I smacked my lips in appreciation, and she blushed slightly when I told her "Hmmmm.
Robyn, with a little Lucy tossed in for variety…"
I grinned when I saw the blush, and told her "I'll be in the other room, working a little bit. You're welcome to stay as long as you want – just remember, if you leave before they all get to give you a proper goodbye, you'll be in some*serious* trouble."
She grinned back at me, and said "I wouldn't dream of it – I owe them, and you, too much."
"Amy, you owe us nothing. We did it because we love you. No more, no less."
She gave my palm another soft kiss, then released it so I could stand up and collect my things before heading back into the girls room.
Back in the other room, I got the laptop fired up, and spent a little time getting the software I used loaded on it. That done, there was a little fine-tuning the settings, and I logged into my internet provider to check my email. I was pleasantly surprised to find that nearly all of my customers had replied to the messages I'd sent them, saying they appreciated the warning, and wishing me well. When I saw that, I silently laughed to myself, thinking "If they only KNEW how well it turned out!".
The couple of people that had problems or questions were easily dealt with, so it wasn't long before I was done. Email out of the way, I started working on the project that I'd set aside to come help Lucy; I'd copied the necessary files to a few diskettes, so was able to pretty much pick up where I'd left off. When I checked the time again, I still had an hour and a half before my meeting; I saved my work, and went in to see what the others were up to.
I opened the door to 'my' room, and saw that it was empty. Continuing on, I found them all on the bed in Lucy's room, snuggling as they watched cartoons on TV, of all things. All four of them clambered off the bed to come over to hug and kiss me when they saw me. Amy and Lucy were particularly enthusiastic in their greetings, making sure that I*knew* I'd been kissed. Almost had my socks rolling up and down…
Sandra told me that she'd woken up and went looking for me; when she got to my room, she saw the three of them in bed, and decided to join them for a little bit while she and Amy talked quietly so as not to wake Lucy or Robyn. Lucy was the next to wake up, and finally Robyn.
With all of them awake, they decided that they smelled like a used brothel, and went in to take a group shower that turned into a grope session. Dried off, Amy told them that I was working in the other room, and they'd decided to leave me alone, figuring that I'd been busy enough with all of them the last few days. Instead, they'd gone to Lucy's room to watch TV, so they'd be sure and not disturb me. The idea of cartoons had actually been Amy's – it sounded like fun, and they'd all agreed.
I told them that I'd be going out early that afternoon, but that I'd be back in a couple of hours, tops. They all looked apprehensive, but I told them that it was just a meeting, and that there wasn't anything to worry about. Lucy and Amy looked dubious, but didn't say anything; Robyn and Sandra accepted it without any noticeable problem.
They invited me to join them, and when I agreed, Lucy and Amy got into a friendly argument about who sat on my lap – Amy wanted Lucy to do it, and Lucy wanted Amy Amy finally gave in when Robyn and Sandra chimed in, telling her that she was the guest so she'd better do it, or they'd positively*ravish* her. In mock fear, Amy made her way over to me, and let me hold her as Lucy snuggled into my side, with Robyn, then Sandra on the other.
When I figured it was time, I hugged Amy and told them that I had to go – Amy got off my lap, and she and Lucy stood up to let me get off the bed. Both kissed me again – Lucy looking on in amusement when Amy saw her watching and hesitated a moment – and told me to hurry back.
I assured them I would, and headed out the door.
In the lobby, Agent Hendricks was waiting for me, along with the two suits I'd seen earlier. He asked me if I was sure I wanted to do it this way, and I told him I was. With a sigh, he gestured to the other two agents, and the four of us headed for the parking lot. There, we got into an issue FBI car, and left, another car of agents right behind us.
After a while, we pulled up to the gates of a small estate – probably the size of a half-dozen 'normal' house lots, with a guy standing there. I handed my holstered pistol to Agent Hendricks, and told him "Try not to lose this, okay? I kinda like it."
He laughed, and said "It'll be here when you get out."
I got out of the car, and it and the one full of agents pulled out of the driveway to park across the street from the gate. The guy standing there watched all this carefully. When I walked up to him, I told him "My name is Dan Andrews. I believe I'm expected."
He looked me over, and nodded before opening a small personnel gate to the side of the big heavy one across the driveway. I went in, and was immediately met by a couple of largish guys in suits who told me "Sorry, sir, but we gotta check to make sure you're not wired, or carrying."
"That's fine. I left the hardware with the FBI boys out front; I don't think I want a wire any more than you do – but go ahead."
Both of them nodded, and politely – but thoroughly – frisked me, and checked to make sure I wasn't wearing a listening device. Both gave me a look when they realized I was wearing a vest, but didn't say anything.
One of them escorted me to the front door of the house – easily a dozen rooms – which opened as we got close. Another man in a suit came out, and the one with me told him "He's clean. Got a vest, though." The one who came out nodded, and led me into the house, and on into a large room. Inside, there was a sizeable conference table.
At one end sat an elderly man, with a couple of younger men seated to each side of him. Behind him stood a couple of heavy-set fellows, with a couple more standing off to each side of the room.
When I went in, the elderly man stood up, and introduced himself "I take it you're Dan Andrews. My name is Benito Falcone. My nephew, Jules, tells me that it might be worthwhile for us to have a little talk."
"Glad to meet you, Mr. Falcone. I'm hoping that we can sit down and talk out this problem that we seem to have, before anybody gets hurt."
About that time, the guy that met me at the door walked over to him and whispered something into his ear, then left.
Francone looked at me a moment, then said "I understand you were brought here by some FBI people. That was not a friendly thing to do, I think."
"The FBI people were assigned to me by their office. It seemed better to have them with me, out in the open, than have them scurrying around where nobody could see them. You know they're there. They know I'm in here. It helps prevent any problems or misunderstandings."
He gave a small laugh, and said "And makes it easier for you to leave here. Okay, I'm not playing with a dummy. But we've still got a problem. I understand that you found some information that you gave to the FBI about some associates of mine. This information is going to cause them some problems. When it causes them problems, it causes ME problems, and I don't LIKE problems. I think the easiest thing would be for me to get rid of the cause of all these problems."
"That wouldn't do you any good, Mister Falcone. All the information I have is already in the hands of the FBI. Even if something was to happen to me, it wouldn't hurt their case even a little bit."
"Perhaps. But if something was to happen to you, it might let other people know that it isn't a good idea to make me unhappy."
"I think that there are people who would tell you that it isn't a good idea to make ME unhappy, either, Mister Falcone."
"You're talking about Vinnie? Yeah, I suppose he would – but then again, he's not going to be happy with you when he can move around again."
"As long as he's unhappy someplace else, I'm not going to concern myself about it. I just want to see an end to OUR problem."
He looked at me for a long moment, then said "You want an end to our problem, but you're not giving me anything to work with, here. What's to keep me from having some people pay you a little visit, and maybe deal with you that way?"
"Because if you did, those people might not find it so easy to visit anyone else after that – THEY might be the ones that get dealt with."
He got an outraged look on his face, and exclaimed "What? You're talking to me like that? What do you think, you're some kind of tough guy?!"
I just stood there, and shrugged my shoulders.
Behind me, I heard Jules tell him "Uncle Benny, he doesn't think he's a tough guy. He's what tough guys WANT to be."
Falcone calmed himself a bit at that, and watched as Jules and I shook hands before he pulled me into a hug, and said "It's good to see you again, Boomer. Even like this."
"Nice to see you learned how to stay out of trouble in helicopters, Guido."
He hugged me again, and turned to Falcone to say "Uncle Benny, this man, he doesn't scare. Not because he's stupid, but because he's a lot tougher and a lot smarter than most people give him credit for.
You remember I told you about how I got shot down in… that place?"
Falcone nodded, and Jules went on to tell him "This man here, and some others, are the ones that pulled me out before I*really* got into trouble. Even then, it was pretty exciting getting back. Anybody you send after him, they won't come back. God's honest truth, I'm surprised Vinnie and Charlie did. I talked to them. Neither one of them has the faintest idea of what he did – all Vinnie knows is that he woke up in the hospital; all Charley knows is that he was looking down the barrel of a.45 before he even knew this man moved. You know Charlie – and this man SCARED him."
"Okay, so maybe he's tough. But dammit, he's costing me a lot of money!"
"Uncle Benny, you KNEW those people were crooks when you went into business with them. Now you're gonna get all upset that they stole your money?"
"Them I can take care of. But I don't like this one going to the FBI and making trouble. I think maybe I need to take care of him, so nobody else gets any fancy ideas."
"Uncle Benny, I promise you: you don't want to start that kind of trouble with him. Believe me, I saw what him and his friends can do.
They don't make war. They ARE war. They're the people Uncle Sam sends in to soften people up before war happens, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. So maybe he's lucky. I bet he can't be lucky forever."
"He doesn't have to be. Uncle Benny, I don't think you understand just what this man can do. If he got it into his head that he wanted to kill you, there's nothing anybody in this room could do to stop it. NOTHING."
"He'd be killed, if he tried."
"Maybe – but I can tell you that HE wouldn't die until after YOU did.
And he'd probably take everybody else in this room with him. Then when his friends heard about it, they'd take care of the rest of us.
They know I'm not in the business, so I'd probably wouldn't get hurt too bad – but by the time they were done, this family would be nothing but widows and orphans."
That gave the old man something to think about. When he stopped to take a drink from the glass in front of him, Jules told him "Uncle Benny, remember when I was younger, and started sniffing after the girls? Remember what you told me – that I had to think with my brains, not my balls? I think it's time I reminded you of the same thing."
The old man looked at him a moment, before nodding his head slightly.
Here, I spoke up again, offering something I'd thought about that morning.
"Mister Francone, there's something else for you to think about."
"What's that, tough guy?"
"I told you that the FBI already has everything I know. You could be using this time to cut the damage you're going to have, instead of fussing over me. There are going to be people that the FBI is going to want to talk to – people you should talk to FIRST. From what they told me, they think they can take out as much as half your organization. I'd think you'd want to stop that."
He asked me "Why you telling me this, instead of just watching them do it?"
"Because I don't want any trouble with you – trouble that wouldn't do either one of us any good. I give you a little warning so you can save some of what you've got here, and you decide that I'm not worth messing with. That way, both of us come out of it with something, instead of both of us losing everything."
That was an idea that he could understand – a little mutual backscratching. And keeping at least SOME of what he already had. I could see in his face that he knew he had a serious problem with the FBI investigation.
Finally, he said "What about those assholes, and the money they stole?"
I shrugged again, and told him 'You do business with crooks, you take the chance of getting cheated. I think you have other sources of income you can use to make it up. And them? They know they did you wrong. They know you won't be happy about it. Do you think they're going to be feeling safe and secure and comfortable in prison, knowing that you can get to them any time you want?"
With that thought, he cackled, and said "I think maybe I could learn to like you, mister tough guy. Yeah, I got 'other sources of income'.
This is gonna hurt me, but not so bad, maybe. Okay, you walk outta here, I forget about you – I got an organization to take care of, and I don't need any extra trouble. But you don't go causing me any more problems, right?"
"I got no beef with you, Mister Falcone. I just want me and my friends to be left alone."
He nodded, and said "Okay, that's how it is, then."
At this point, Jules spoke up, saying "Uncle Benny?"
"What is it, Jules?"
"Just to make sure there aren't any misunderstandings, maybe it would be a good idea if you let Vinnie and the other boys know that you were okay with this, and that you wouldn't like them bothering him?"
The old man nodded, and looked at me, saying "Any of my boys show up, it's them, not me. How you deal with them is up to you – I won't get involved."
I nodded, and told him "Fair enough, Mister Falcone. Thank you."
He looked me over again, and said "Yeah, I think I could like you.
You're nice and quiet and polite and all that, but you got*balls*. I think maybe Jules did us BOTH a favor, being here – now that I look closer, I can see that there's steel in you."
I just smiled at him, and said "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mister Falcone".
He laughed, and waved his hand in dismissal; Jules walked with me as I headed for the door. Outside, we stood and talked for a little bit, him telling me that he'd gotten an architecture degree, and had his own office now. He laughed, and told me how upset the family had been when he'd turned away the clients they'd sent him – then been proud when he'd become a success without their help. We exchanged business cards as an easy way to contact each other, with promises to stay in touch.
Back outside the gate, Agent Hendricks got out of the car, and shielded me while I got the holster back in place. I had to admit to myself that it made me feel a little more secure having it there, and decided that carrying it after all this was over might not be a bad idea.
On the way back to the hotel, I told him how the conversation had gone. He had trouble believing that old Benito Francone had let somebody off the hook like that, but I just told him that his informants would verify it soon enough. I think my confidence did as much to convince him as what I'd told him. He wasn't going to let the detail off the hook until Agent Hawkes told him, too, though.
Back at the hotel, I found Lucy waiting for me. She gave me a terrific welcoming kiss, then another, saying "The second one was from Amy. She said to tell you 'thank you' again, too."
I smiled, and pulled Lucy into a tight embrace, kissing her for all I was worth. When it finally ended, she pulled back a little, and said "Whoosh! What brought that on? Not that I'm complaining, I just want to know how to make it happen again!"
I told her where I'd been – she got a frightened, indignant look that I hadn't told her before – but quickly cheered up when I told her how it had turned out. She was mildly disappointed that it would take a couple days for the FBI to get the message, but gratefully realized that they would be slower to leave us alone than they were to protect us in the first place.
I looked around, and asked her where the girls were. She told me that they'd gone swimming in the hotel pool – AFTER calling down to warn the agents, and give them time to prepare.
I made my own call, and Lucy and I went down to the pool to watch them, and give them the anticipated good news.
When we got to the pool, Lucy and I could both see that the girls were well-protected: there were a couple of female agents obviously watching out, as well as a few other people that didn't seem to be doing anything, even for laying around a pool. Watching, I did notice that a couple of the younger male agents would steal the occasional admiring glance at them.
Lucy and I got their things and sat down at a table, where the girls eventually noticed us. When they came over, we handed each of them their towel, and I told them a condensed and simplified version of what I'd told Lucy. Both seemed to know that there was more to it, but were too happy at the news to bother with it. The girls asked us to join them, and after looking at each other, we agreed. I gestured to one of the agents in suits, and he came over to ask what I needed.
I told him that Lucy and I would be joining the girls for a swim after we went up and changed. He thanked me, and promptly got on the radio. Lucy and I headed back to the room, changed, and came back down. As we were going into the pool area, I saw Lucy give a little smile before she whispered to me "There's as many of the female agents checking YOU out as there are guys checking ME out!"
I grinned at her, and whispered back "I think the guys are getting the better deal.", and she nudged me in the ribs. By that time, we were right next to the pool, so I just bumped her with my hip – sending her into the water. She shrieked, and every agent that wasn't watching us started for a weapon before they heard the splash, and knew what had happened.
Lucy came up spluttering, and made a try for my ankle to pull me in; I carefully danced away, and made a dive toward the deep end of the pool. Once underwater, I tucked and turned, so that I was headed back for where Lucy was. She didn't see me, and gave another little shriek when I slid by and 'goosed' her. Robyn and Sandra were watching, and decided to come to her aid. Feeling a little feisty, I decided to give them a run for their money. Even though I stayed in the pool and they didn't, it still took them nearly twenty minutes before they managed to corner me for a mass-tickling exercise. Not being particularly ticklish, they still had their hands full a I put up a 'fight' by tickling and groping them at every opportunity. I finally decided to call a truce when Sandra went underwater and started trying to pull my suit down.
When I looked around, I could see that every agent in there had a grin on their face – even the ones that weren't actually looking at us. I eased over to where a couple of them were laying in their suits, and quietly said "Folks, it's a little like living in a fishbowl, us in here and you out there. Any*good* reason you can't jump in here and have some fun with us?"
They looked at each other, and one of them discretely got on the radio, telling us a few moments later that there wasn't any reason at all. That settled, two of the younger female agents got up, along with a couple of the younger male agents. When Lucy and the girls saw that, all three of them grinned. The agents jumped in, and headed over to where I had rejoined the others, whispering in Robyn's ear.
She got a big grin, and when the agents got close enough, I told them "The game is Tag. No getting out of the pool, if you do, you're 'it'.
No drowning, but dunking is allowed – for*anybody*. Robyn is 'it' first."
With that, Robyn went underwater, and made a beeline for one of the female agents who made a valiant effort at escaping – without success. In the meantime, Sandra headed off in a different direction, then turned back to jump on one of the male agents, pushing him underwater. I went under, and pulled the feet out from under the other female agent before moving on. Lucy just stayed there, hanging on to the edge of the pool, laughing – until the female agent that was 'it' headed for her. After that, it was catch-as-catch-can: while keeping an eye out for whoever was 'it', the rest would swim around trying to find someone to dunk or pull underwater. Once they understood that I was serious about anybody being a target, all of the agents got into the spirit of the thing, and didn't hesitate to go after anyone they thought was vulnerable. Sandra and one of the female agents teamed up to get me; the other female and a male got Lucy. Robyn was kept busy staying away from the other male agent – 'it' – who proved to be almost as good a swimmer as she was.
Eventually, all of us laughing and tired, we agreed to a halt to the game as we hung onto the edge of the pool to catch our breath. I looked around, and saw Agent Hendricks standing off to the side, a bemused expression on his face. When he was sure that he wasn't going to get splashed, he came over to crouch down by me and say "I don't think these people have*ever* had quite so much fun protecting someone as they have with you people. How you can do it is beyond me."
I looked up at him and said "It's easy, actually. If we stay locked up in our rooms, they win. Non Illegitimus Carborundum."
He looked confused, and I translated for him: "Don't let the bastards grind you down!" – then splashed him before heading for the other side of the pool. When I got there, I saw that all of the other agents were trying to hide grins at the sight of him standing there with a large wet spot on the front of his suit. He looked positively stunned for several seconds, then started laughing before telling me "Just remember, Dan: paybacks are a*mother*!", making several agents laugh. I just grinned at him before heading over to dunk Lucy. With that, the game was on again.
Finally, all of us had had enough, and by mutual consent, the game ended. We kind of collected in one corner of the pool, and one of the female agents told me "Mr. Andrews- I mean, Dan, I think this is the first time in my life that somebody has paid me to play grab-ass in a pool!", making the other agents laugh, and agree.
Lucy told them "Thank you, all of you, for jumping in with us and helping make this fun", then floated over to give each of the male agents a kiss on the cheek. Robyn and Sandra offered their thanks and kissed the guys, too – embarrassing them mightily. The females looked at me, with a mixture of anticipation and welcome; I went over and gave them a proper thanks, as well. Neither one hesitated in the slightest to kiss me back, and both looked pleased when we'd finished.
Robyn called out "Last one OUT is a rotten egg!", and promptly eeled out of the pool, leaving the rest of us to scramble out as best we could. The last one out was one of the male agents, who accepted the good-natured teasing he got with a smile and a laugh.
As I was drying off, I saw Lucy look behind me; but before I could turn to see what it was, felt myself being drenched in ice-cold water. I turned around to see that Agent Hendricks had emptied an entire pitcher of ice water on me, and was rapidly heading away, laughing. I laughed, too, joining everyone else, and nodded to him in acceptance of his trick.
Mostly dried off, the four of us wrapped our towels around ourselves to avoid dripping water onto the hotel carpet, and headed back to our rooms. Once there, we all stripped and headed in for a group shower to rinse off the chlorine from the pool. With that out of the way, we opted for a brief nap – Lucy and I in one bed, Robyn and Sandra in another.
I woke up to find Robyn climbing on top of me. Resting on her hands and knees, she looked down at me to ask "So, what's for supper?" – making me and Lucy both laugh. A moment later, Sandra assumed the same position over Lucy, who just turned to look at me.
I thought it over, and offered "If anyone's in the mood for some shopping, how about if we just grab a bite at the mall?"
All three of them thought it was a splendid idea, and Lucy goodnaturedly handed me the phone so I could give the FBI agents a headsup.
They didn't have any problem with the idea, and readily agreed to the fifteen minute time I offered. Lucy and the girls heard me, of course, and all immediately went into overdrive as they rushed around to get dresses in something more than the birthday suits they'd been wearing. Even though I ducked into the bathroom to shave again, I still managed to be ready ahead of them.
A while later, as we were going into the mall, I spotted one of the female agents that had been in the pool with us. Looking like a young housewife, she presented quite a different appearance than when I'd seen her last. I couldn't help easing over next to her and whispering "Personally, I think you looked better in pool!", causing her to grin and whisper back "Thanks!", before I rejoined Lucy and the girls.
First on the agenda was something to eat – Sandra and Robyn decided on pizza while Lucy and I went for roast beast sandwiches.
With something in our bellies, we were off to do some*serious* shopping. I lost track after about the umpteenth store, but I'm *pretty* sure we hit all of them. Any we might have missed probably didn't have any reason to be in a mall, anyway. When we were done, all of us were pretty well loaded down with packages – even I'd been drafted into pack horse duty. I think that the only thing that saved us was a couple of the agents discretely offering to help, each taking a package or two. I think they did it as much to try and blend in with the mall crowd as to help out.
Back at the hotel, we managed to get everything hauled up to our rooms, and decided that the easiest thing to do was to simply pile it up in the girls room. Lucy, the girls, and I thanked the agents that helped tote all the stuff by kissing the agents of the opposite sex.
With Lucy wearing an engagement ring, there wasn't any reason to pretend that we weren't staying together, which left one room 'unoccupied'.
Too tired from the pool and all the shopping, none of them had any interest in showing off the stuff they'd bought. In fact, all three of them started yawning not long after we put away the stuff we'd bought. I asked if anyone wanted to stay up, but none of them did; after a short discussion, we decided that Lucy and Sandra would sleep together, as would Robyn and I. That settled, all of us headed off to get ready for bed after kissing each other good night.
The next day, the three of them spent the day lazing around, watching movies on TV and so on while I got caught up on the work that I'd put off while helping Lucy. Every so often, one of them would come in to check on me; and if I wasn't too busy, would come over to give me a kiss or a hug. With that kind of encouragement, it actually didn't take me long to get caught up – again, laying the groundwork for the project in the first place saved me time and trouble in the long run.
As it got toward evening, I reached the point where I felt comfortable saving everything I'd done and putting the computer away.
From there, I went in to where Lucy and the girls were stretched out on the bed, watching a movie on the television. I joined them, and told Lucy that when the movie was over, she and I needed to talk. She nodded, and when the credits started rolling, the two of us got up to head into the girls' room. There, I told her that we probably needed to talk to her boss and their client the next day, Monday. She agreed, and we worked out the details of what all we needed to tell them, and in what order. Lucy got on the phone and left a message for her boss, telling him that we'd be giving him a call at four o'clock the next afternoon so he could make the necessary arrangements with the client.
With that out of the way, the next decision – according to Robyn and Sandra – was what to eat for supper. Not wanting to 'dress up', and feeling the desire to get out of the hotel for a little while, we settled on fast-food fried chicken. I called down to let the FBI people know, as well as to inform them that we'd be eating in whatever public park we could find. Hendricks told us there was a park with tables and a small pond not far away, and I readily agreed to his suggestion. We gave them some time to get set up, and then it was out for supper. Only a couple of cars tagged along with us as we hit the drive-though of the chicken place; most of them were already waiting for us when we got to the park. Lucy and the girls were delighted that there was a pond, and understood why I'd gotten an extra order of dinner rolls with the chicken. We found a table not far from the pond, and soon had a nice collection of ducks hitting us up for dinner rolls. A couple of squirrels showed up, too, but didn't find anything to their liking. A few crows hung out on the other side of us from the ducks, and decided that scraps of fried chicken were acceptable, though the mashed potatoes that got tossed their way found a couple of takers, as well.
When we'd finished eating there were still a few pieces of chicken left, along with some mashed potatoes and a few rolls. We decided to pack all of it up rather than throw it away, and took it with us as we headed around the pond on a little walk. Lucy and I walked along, hand in hand, as Robyn and Sandra rationed most of the remaining rolls to whatever ducks hadn't shown up for dinner call. About a third of the way around the pond, we came across an obviously homeless man. From the look of him, I figured he'd just had a run of bad luck – he didn't have the look of an alcoholic or drug user. I got Lucy to sit with me on a table for a little bit, then 'forgot' to pick up the package of leftovers up when we left. A couple minutes later, I looked behind us, and saw the homeless guy happily chowing down on it. Lucy looked back to see what I was watching, and saw him, too – then softly said "I wondered why you didn't bring the chicken along."
"If I'd offered it to him directly, he'd have refused, probably.
Leaving it there, he could take it without having whatever dignity he has left being offended."
Lucy hugged me in response as we continued walking.
After we'd finished our tour of the pond, I think all of us felt refreshed – reasonably full bellies, some time out in the fresh air, a little exercise, and each other's company. We headed back for the hotel, and spent the evening in various pleasures: the girls found a movie they both liked, while Lucy and I spent the evening laying next to each other on the bed, reading and listening to a classical music radio station. All during the evening, one or the other of us would lean over to give the other a kiss – on the shoulder, on the back, on the cheek, or if the timing was right, on the lips. None of them were invitations; rather, they were just expressions of love and affection, freely given and freely accepted.
When it started to get late, Lucy got up to let the girls know when they should go to bed; both accepted their instructions with only a little good-natured complaining.
Shortly after the appointed time, both girls came in to give us a goodnight kiss; both were nude, and Lucy and I couldn't help copping a feel as we kissed each of them. That done, both went back into Lucy's room to go to bed, closing the door behind them. Lucy and I stayed up a bit longer, both of us to finish up the chapter in the books we'd been reading. Lucy finished first, and just lay there watching me until I'd put my book down, too.
She kissed me on the cheek and asked "Today, at the park? Why was the guy you gave the chicken to the only one you tried to help? We saw a couple others, and you didn't even pay the slightest attention to them, other than to keep an eye on them."
"He was reasonably clean, and his clothes were decent and in good shape. He was alert, and paying attention to what was going on around him. It didn't look like he was a drunk or a druggie, just that maybe he'd had one too man bad things happen recently. If I'd thought of it sooner, I'd have let a five or ten fall out of my pocket, too. The other ones, well, it was pretty obvious that all of them were hung up on some chemical or other – alcohol, crack, heroin, whatever.
Anything they got would only go into their arms, or up their noses, or wherever. The first guy, he'd figure out how to use whatever he got to last him as long as possible, and try to get the most out of it. As long as someone is trying to do for themselves, I'm more than happy to give them a break. It's the ones that find excuses to forfeit responsibility for themselves that I can't tolerate."
Lucy kissed me on the cheek again, and said "You're as soft on the inside as you are hard on the outside. I love you."
I kissed her back, on the lips, and told her "I love you, too. Don't tell anybody what a marshmallow I am, okay? If word got out, I'd have a dickens of a time trying to negotiate deals with my customers."
She giggled, and answered "Okay, I won't tell", before moving in to give me a hug.
With that, both of us got up and undressed for bed; Lucy decided that she wanted me to spoon against her back. I put my arm around her, and she promptly moved my hand up to hold her breast as she wiggled back far enough to feel my penis resting between her ass cheeks. Once satisfied, she turned her head so we could share a goodnight kiss.
The next morning, Lucy decided to stay at the hotel, telling me "I've got my own report to write, remember?". The girls decided that they just wanted to lay around and read magazines that morning, so I was the only one that headed in to the FBI office. There, I was quickly called into Clara's office, where she told me "Dan, I am*not* amused by your little visit to Benny Falcone on Saturday. If I'd been aware of it, I would have forbidden it."
I just looked at her a moment, then raised in eyebrow in question.
She realized what she'd just said, and amended herself to say "Okay, I couldn't have forbidden it. But I damn well would have objected in the strongest possible terms. You took an unnecessary risk, going in there."
"It wasn't any risk at all, actually. I rode right up to the front gate with a couple cars full of FBI people. Hell, I was IN one of their cars. They parked right across the street from the front gate.
Obviously, they knew I was in there – and just as obviously, would be expecting me to come back out. So there really wasn't any way for Benny Francone to actually DO anything to me. All he could do was talk, which he did. After a bit, his nephew Jules showed up, and talked some sense into the old man. Then I talked to him a little bit, and he finally calmed down. When he saw that trying to do anything to me or Lucy or Robyn or Sandra would be a bad move, he was willing to consider that he had better things to do with his time and money."
"And how is it that you know Jules Francone, by the way?"
"Oh, that. Well, me and my crew kinda went in to pull him out of a jam when his helicopter decided it didn't want to fly any more. The thing was, it was in a place that Jules wasn't officially flying in, in the first place. Kinda awkward for the government, so they had us get him out before things got embarrassing. We did, though it got kinda interesting there, for a while."
"I'll bet. Okay, so what made you think he was legit, and not part of the family operations."
"As we were moving him out, he and I had a chance to talk a little.
He told me about his family, and that he didn't want to make his mark that way – that was why he'd volunteered for the military, so that he could do something on his own. Said when he got out, he was going to pass or fail on his own name. Sounded pretty reasonable to me, so I didn't have any reason to doubt him. Didn't know the local Family was his, though; you kinda forgot to tell me their names, remember?"
That flustered her for a few moments before she told me "Well, you might like to know that we're starting hear from our informants that old Benny has said to lay off you, that everything's cool. That, coupled with Vinnie Castillo being in the hospital and Charlie Petrovski telling people that you're – and I quote – 'one*bad* motherfucker', has about convinced anyone with any sense to leave you way alone. We're going to give it another day to see if the story holds up. If it does, we're going to reduce your detail – the only people you'll have to worry about then are the freelancers, and they're so inept that they shouldn't be any problem."
I nodded my understanding, and told her that Lucy and the girls would be happy to hear that. Clara went on to tell me "Just make sure you keep that vest on, and don't forget your weapon. You're still damn important to this investigation, and we don't want to see anything happen to you."
I asked how things were going, and she told me "They're going great.
The banks have been extremely cooperative, and our forensic accountants have taken what you gave them, and run with it. They've been at it all weekend, and expect to be done by tomorrow afternoon.
The last figure I heard was that the money they can directly attribute to you is three hundred and seventeen million dollars. This morning, they told us that they had roughly one point four BILLION dollars frozen, and were able to prove that all of it was destined for, or sourced from, illegal operations. They think they'll have a few hundred million more before they're done. This morning, we took down the honchos from TechnoDynamics; we snagged each of them as they showed up for this mornings meeting. We also got them under RICO – Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations – to seize all their property, too. Larceny, fraud, money laundering, drugs, weapons, tax evasion, and accessories to murder are just SOME of the charges they're facing. This one is going to be a beauty of a case; we figure to get at LEAST a quarter of old Benny's organization; with a little luck, we'll take out half or more of it."
I shared her smile, and asked how much of what she'd just told me I could share with the owners of the company, and Lucy's boss. She thought a moment, and said "You can tell them the financial part of it, and the stuff that directly affects them. Benny knows we're onto him, but not how bad we can hurt him – we'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible."
I agreed, and thanked her for her time. She smiled, and said "Believe me, it was MY pleasure. I'd be happy to come and clean your HOUSE after you bring us a case like this. Shucks, I'd clean Lucy's house, too, while I was at it. And I've got a couple dozen agents that would be willing to do yard work for you, too!", she laughed.
I chuckled at her enthusiasm, and she calmed down a bit and told me "Dan, I don't think I've*ever* had my people so happy and enthusiastic about protecting witnesses. No, come to think about it, I KNOW they haven't. Jones, Gallery, and Hendricks are all singing your praises. Every agent that you've come in contact with has made a point of mentioning how polite and friendly you are. I know you had four of them in the pool with you the other day, and all the other agents are actually jealous that they weren't on your detail that day. Sometimes they've had to protect people they didn't like very much – like Mob informants and such. But every one of them considers it an honor and pleasure to be on YOUR detail. Knowing your record, and seeing you shoot, they know that they're there more for Lucy and Robyn and Sandra than you; but even protecting the people you care about means something to these people – because it's YOU trusting them with YOUR loved ones. They know that you respect who they are and what they do – and for the most part, they just don't get enough of that in their jobs."
"What you said is right – I DO trust them, and respect them. But I have a question for you."
"What's that?"
"Is there any way that I can thank them for their time and efforts?
Without causing offense, or getting anyone in trouble?"
She thought it over for a few moments, then told me "I can think of a couple of things. First, we have an Emergency Fund for agents. It covers things like expenses for the families of agents that are wounded or hurt in the line of duty. A contribution to that would certainly be welcomed. If you wanted to do something for the people on your details, something that applied to all of them equally would be acceptable."
I nodded and thanked her, she assured me it wasn't a problem. We went on to talk about a few other things before I finally took my leave to head back to the hotel. I let Agent Gallery know I was going to make a detour along the way, and after I explained why, he readily agreed to it.
At the park, I wandered around a bit before I found the homeless man we'd seen the previous day. He watched as I approached, and when I got close enough, he told me "I remember you. You were the guy with the blonde and two kids yesterday. If you're here about the chicken, I waited to see if you were coming back for it; when it didn't look like you were, I ate it myself."
"No, I'm not here about the chicken. I'm here about you."
"What about me?" he asked, slightly suspicious.
"I'm curious to know what happened that put you here."
Only slightly mollified, he asked "Why? You one of those church people that thinks if you can save my soul, that's all I need?"
"Nope. You wanna be saved, you know where the church is; no matter to me if you go, or not. You're not dirty, and you're staying away from the junkies and drunks on the other side of the pond. I'm just curious to know why."
More relaxed, he thought about it for a few moments and finally told me "My name is Mark Sellers. I used to be a carpenter, until some old guy in a Caddie ran through the construction site I was on. Knocked out the wall I was working on, and ran over my leg – broke it in four places. The old guy was like eighty, and could hardly see or hear, but had a valid license. His insurance paid for my hospital and medical, but wouldn't do anything about teaching me how to get around again after they put all these pins and shit in my leg. Now I can't move around like I could before, and can't do carpentry like before – at least, nothing above ground level, which kinda put the kibosh on how much work I could do. I get a little work now and then, but nothing much, and nothing steady."
"How do you keep yourself clean and such?"
"There's a convenience store a few blocks over; they let me use it to wash up in the morning because I leave it cleaner than when I go in.
A Laundromat lets me run a load of clothes once a week in exchange for cleaning the place up. Every so often, I get somebody that lets me hang a picture or do a little light work; that keeps me in food, mostly. The cops know I'm not part of that bunch on the other side, so they leave me alone. A couple of the junkies tried to rip me off, and I managed to beat hell out of them, so the rest stay away, too."
"Doesn't sound like you feel sorry for yourself."
"Why should I be? Shit happens. The old man, he shouldn't have been on the road, but the law says it's okay with them, so I'm not gonna piss and moan about it. I do what I can, and hope I catch a break before the weather gets bad."
I looked him over, and he sat there without looking away. Finally, I told him "I think I might be able to help, if you want it. You'd have to learn a new job, but it would still be something involving housing and construction. Interested?"
He looked at me skeptically, and asked "And what's it gonna cost me?
Didn't look like you were into guys, yesterday. You don't know me, so you got no reason to trust me. What's the deal?"
"The deal is, I'm doing it*because* you're doing what you can, *because* you're not part of that bunch on the other side. What it's gonna cost you is your time and your effort to learn something new. I think I've got the best reason in the world to trust you: because you haven't asked me to."
That surprised him, and he looked at me with more curiosity than suspicion when he asked "And what do you get out of it? How do you get paid back for all this?"
"What I get out of it is helping somebody 'catch a break' – I've been in a couple scrapes myself, and know what it means. I get paid back when you do the same thing for someone else."
"How do you know that's gonna happen?"
"Simple. If you can't be trusted, you'll screw this up before I get too much time or money invested in it. If you see it all the way through, then you'll know what it means, and you'll do it for the next guy, or girl."
He looked me over, and when he looked into my eyes, was satisfied that I was serious about it. He told me "Mister, if you're serious, I'd be happy to give it a try. I've worked hard all my life, and ain't afraid to do it some more. And if what you're saying gets me back on my feet, I'll be happy to help someone else out, just like you helped me."
I nodded, and told him "Let me make a couple calls, and get things started. Where can I find you tomorrow?"
"It might be anyplace this side of the water, but I'll make sure and be here tomorrow afternoon."
"Deal. What do you need to get you through till tomorrow?"
He thought that over, and said "A meal would be good. Haven't had anything to eat since yesterday. The water fountains take care of the thirst."
I reached into my pocket, and handed him twenty dollars, saying "Get yourself something to eat. If you can, get yourself a room so you can clean up proper. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll be going to visit somebody."
He looked at the money, then at me, before saying "Mister, I don't know who you are, but I thank you. You left that chicken behind on purpose yesterday, didn't you?"
"Yup. Told the lady that you didn't look like a loafer, and that I figured you might like a decent meal. Figured if I offered it to you straight, you'd have told me to go to hell, so I kinda left it behind."
He grinned at me, and said "Yeah, if you'd offered, I'd have told you just that."
I nodded to him, and when he realized that I was getting ready to leave, managed to struggle to his feet – I could see that he'd have trouble moving around much on the leg that had been broken. He stuck a hand out to me, and when I took it, I found his grip strong and solid. He thanked me, and I told him I'd see him the next day.
Back at the hotel, I told Lucy what I'd done, and she positively beamed at me before giving me a hug and kiss. Then I went into my room, only to find Sandra and Robyn sprawled across my bed, a pile of magazines between them. I went on to their room, and sat down to make a couple of phone calls. The first was to Jules Francone.
I asked him if he needed any help, and he said that he needed about anybody he could find. I told him about Mark Sellers, and asked if he'd be willing to give the guy a job if I chipped in. Jules told me to go to hell, if the guy was willing to work and learn, paying him wasn't a problem. I told him I'd have Mark there the next afternoon, Jules told me to stop by any time. My next call was to a local community college, where I checked the requirements for admission, tuition prices, and what courses they offered. When they realized that I was serious, they were quite helpful.
Following that, I got a local paper, and started looking for someplace Mark could stay that was reasonably convenient to both Jules offices, and the college. When I realized that I didn't have much to go on, I collared one of the FBI people to come up and help me – with the additional help, it didn't take long to find several possible places. With a number of selections, the next thing was to go and check them out. The first couple were overpriced; the third was a dump, but the fourth turned out to be just the thing: a large garage that had been turned into a sparsely furnished one-bedroom apartment. The rent was reasonable, according to the FBI agent. There was parking for a vehicle, and the older couple that owned it was renting it out more as a way of keeping someone handy if they had any kind of emergency, than anything else. I told them that I was renting it for a friend of mine who was starting a new job in town, and paid the deposit and first month's rent. They paid the utilities, so that wasn't a problem. The only thing left was telephone, and I could take care of that the next day.
I got back to the hotel in time to join Lucy for our call to her boss. We told him what all had happened at our end – including the protection from the FBI, which surprised him until Lucy told him about the Mob involvement. In turn, Lucy gasped when I told him how much money the FBI credited me with recovering, and how much they were expecting to seize. Her boss went speechless for a full minute before giving me his congratulations. Their client was on the phone with us, too, and they both thanked and congratulated me, saying they'd be happy to take the FBI figure as 'final'. They went on to promise that they'd have a certified check for my eight percent – twenty five million plus change – ready when I got home. I thanked them, and then left, so that they and Lucy could talk business.
When she was done, Lucy came in to where I was laying on the bed, reading a book. She sat down next to me and gave me a fierce hug and big kiss before telling me that her boss and their client were both extremely pleased with her work, and highly impressed with the job I'd done. Her boss told her that she'd already been promoted again, and moved to a department at the same level as him – and congratulated her on both. Her boss also said that she'd be getting a nice bonus for how she handled the situation, and that he expected that their company would be showing ME their appreciation, as well.
With that out of the way, Lucy and I joined the girls as the evening news came on. The top story was the FBI raid on TechnDynamics. We saw Clara Hawkes giving a press conference, telling the public how much money they expected to recover, along with all the other gory details – including mentioning that it had been me that had helped make the case. When they heard that, Lucy and the girls all cheered and gave me a hug and kiss.
A while later, the four of us headed down for some supper; the hotel staff seemed to have caught the news, too – every one of them stared at me as I went by. Even our waitress recognized me, and congratulated me.
When we finished eating, the waitress refused a tip, telling me that anybody that helped the FBI catch 'thugs' didn't need to tip her. I tried to insist, but she got downright adamant about it, so I finally had to let it go. We hadn't been in my room for more than a few minutes when there was a knock on the door – when I opened it, I saw that it was Amy. I invited her in, and when the door closed behind her, she plastered herself against me to give me a BIG kiss and hug.
Yup, Sandra was right – Amy was some kisser.
When she was done with me, Lucy was next, followed by Robyn, then Sandra. Only when her kiss with Sandra ended did Amy say anything to us.
"Wow! A girl might get the idea you're all glad to see her, you keep kissing like that!"
Lucy laughed, telling her "I could say the same thing – you did a pretty fair job of letting me know how you felt, yourself!"
Amy blushed slightly, and said "I just wanted to let all of you know how happy and good the other night made me feel. ALL of you were so kind and patient with me, and I love you for it. The whole time I was home, I had to keep pinching myself to make sure that it all wasn't just a dream; and then I come in here and you let me know that it wasn't. I haven't felt this good, and this happy, in a long, long time – and I have all of you to thank for it. I only wish that I had some kind of memento to keep as a reminder of how happy you made me, and how much all of you mean to me."
I remembered the digital photos I'd taken, and said "Um, when I saw all of you in bed the next morning, I couldn't resist taking a couple photos with my digital camera. If you've got the time, we can have a look at them, and I'll be glad to make copies of them to a floppy disk you can take with you."
Amy looked surprised, then delighted, and said "I'd*love* to. I've got as much time as I want, so let's go!"
The lot of us trooped into the other room, where I quickly got my laptop fired up, then connected the camera to the USB port. In nothing flat, the images I'd taken were being thumbnailed to the screen. All of them were fascinated – and delighted – by the shots I'd taken. With Amy sitting on my lap, she and I went through them, making copies of the ones she wanted. To my surprise, she didn't just want the ones with her, but of nearly all of them. I had to do a little compression on the images, but finally managed to get all of them onto a few floppy disks for her to take home.
She thanked me for them, and gave me another kiss, much to Lucy's amusement. She followed that by kissing each of the others again, too – leaving Robyn and Sandra panting. I told her that Clara had okayed us heading home in a couple of days, and Amy saddened slightly at the news. When I asked her what was wrong she told us – the promptly brightened up again when she realized that it was after her next extended 'off' period. Lucy spoke for all of us when she asked Amy if she wanted to pay us another visit before we left – something that Amy quickly agreed to.
Claiming that she had to 'go play FBI agent', Amy stood up, letting me stand as well. After a round of hugs, and some serious fondling and groping, she left to take charge of the other agents – with me patting her cute ass as she headed out the door.
With Amy gone, Lucy and the others went back to look at the images I'd taken of them. All of them thought the photos were quite beautiful and erotic. So much so, in fact, that it didn't take them long to start shedding clothing so they could better reach all the interesting parts on each other. I simply stood back, watching them for a while – until they realized that I was still dressed, then they all came after me to remedy the situation. I fought it – but not too hard, or for too long.
My shirt was the first thing to go – and with it out of the way, Sandra promptly fastened her lips to one of my nipples as she ran her hands over my chest.
When my pants, then underwear, had joined my shirt, Lucy took me into her mouth while Robyn went to work licking my scrotum. In about zero seconds flat, they had me completely hard. That accomplished, the three of them managed to push me farther onto the bed. They got me on my back through the simple expedient of Sandra spreading her legs and positioning herself over my mouth – letting me know that her bleeding had stopped. As I dipped my tongue into her cleft, I felt Lucy shifting her position, as well – and with her, Robyn. A few moments later, I could feel it as the two of them started taking turns using their mouths on me. Their techniques were different, as was the way their mouths felt on me – but make no mistake, it still felt damn good, whichever one was doing me.
Lucy and Robyn were taking their time with me, so I was easily able to bring Sandra to orgasm without climaxing myself. When she'd gotten her breath back, Sandra moved down to take the place of Lucy, who moved up for her own mustache ride. Before long, she found her own release, and moved down to take Robyn's place. When Robyn had straddled my face, I went to work on her, too, savoring the ample nectar she all but dribbled onto my probing tongue. As I got her close to orgasm, we heard a knock at the door, and the sound of Amy's voice, announcing herself. Sandra quickly let Lucy take over, and went to let Amy in. When Amy saw what was happening, she all but froze in place as she watched me bring Robyn to a deep orgasm. When Robyn got her senses back, and unseated herself, Amy was right there to give me a kiss – and getting a sampling of the juices of all three of them in the process. As we were kissing, I reached out to squeeze and caress Amy's breasts, feeling her nipples harden under my touch.
Holding her body steady, she somehow managed to reach down to slip her panties down, then shake them loose of her legs before stepping out of them. She looked to where Lucy and Sandra were still focused on my erection, and asked "Can I have him? Please?"
Lucy and Sandra shared a look and a smile before nodding. With that, Amy pulled up the hem of her skirt, and climbed onto the bed to position herself over my saliva-slick erection. Reaching down, she positioned me at her entrance. She first lowered herself enough to get me inside – something easily done, as wet as she was – then another push left her pubic hair merged with mine. She paused a few moments, obviously savoring the sensation of having me inside her again, before starting to move over me as Sandra and Lucy both reached out to begin caressing her breasts through her blouse. Amy was still incredibly tight, and the feeling of the tight ring of her entrance sliding up and down my erection soon had me approaching a climax. I tried to hold off so that Amy could climax with me, but she wouldn't have it – telling me "Go ahead. Never mind me, just SHOOT!".
As incredible as her hot, wet insides felt, it didn't take me much longer to follow her instructions as I flooded her insides with load after load of my semen. She kept moving over me during this, and worked our combined juices into a froth that her actions forced out of her. When she felt that I'd given her everything I had, she reluctantly pulled herself off of me, and lay back on the bed – only to have Sandra move over her to begin licking up the rich foam that coated her mons, and leaked out of her. Realizing that Sandra was open to her, Amy didn't hesitate to lift her head to slide her tongue deep into Sandra's wet opening. While they were engaged in trying to get each other off, Lucy moved back down to lick and suck mine and Amy's combined juices off my penis and scrotum. Robyn simply laid back and masturbated to the sight of Amy and Sandra orally pleasing each other. Amy glanced over once to see her, and her arousal at the sight became evident as she had an orgasm under Sandra's lips and tongue. When the spasms had passed, Amy went back to trying to bring Sandra off with a vengeance – and in only a couple of minutes, we could see her pleasure as Sandra climaxed on her mouth.
With both of them satiated for the moment, Sandra managed to climb off Amy before collapsing on the bed next to Robyn. When she saw what Robyn was doing, Lucy extended an arm so that her fingers could join Robyn's, dipping into Robyn's woman hood only to reappear a moment later, glistening with her daughter's essence. A few moments later, Sandra joined in by reaching out to squeeze one of Robyn's breasts, and it's nipple. In short order, they'd managed to help Robyn into another climax that left her gasping.
When she'd gotten her breath and senses back, Amy sat up and told us "I only stopped by to tell you that you were welcome to come to my place if you wanted to. But when Sandra let me in, and I saw what you were doing, well, it was just too much for me – I*had* to join in!
You were all*so* sexy on the bed like that – I just couldn't help myself. Now I've got to get cleaned up before I go back downstairs. A female FBI agent that smells like pussy is one thing; but smelling like someone ELSE'S pussy simply wouldn't do!"
All of us laughed at her comment, and Lucy got up to get her a damp washcloth. With it, Amy quickly wiped off her face, then went into the bathroom to rinse out the cloth before using it to cleanse her pelvis, too. When she came out of the bathroom, she blushed furiously when she saw me laying there on the bed, twirling her panties on my finger. She came over and snatched them away from me, to laughter from the others. With a devil may care look at me, she put them back on right there in front of us – then stepped close enough to me that I could slide my hand under her skirt to smooth them across her ass cheeks. Another kiss to all of us, and she dabbed a little perfume behind her ears and in her cleavage before telling us "I mean it – if the four of you want to, you're more than welcome to stay with me before you leave town."
Lucy told her we'd think about it, and Amy gave us another smile before going out the door.
Lucy turned to look at us before saying "I don't know what we did to her, but whatever it was, we did a damn fine job of it. I think it's safe to say that she's over her fear of sex!", making all of us laugh.
All of us lay there for a while, simply content to be with each other, before Robyn and Sandra started feeling frisky again. Lucy and I watched as their touches went from friendly to loving to passionate, and finally ending when Robyn rolled on top of Sandra for a session of '69'. We could hear and see it as the two of them licked and sucked at each other's sex. It didn't take long before we could smell how aroused both of them were, too, as they took their time enjoying each other's bodies.
I could hear Lucy's panting next to me as we watched the two youngsters pleasuring each other; all Lucy had to do was look down to see my obvious arousal at the sight before me. When she couldn't take it any more, Lucy moved on top of me, kneeling above my erection, her back toward me. She reached down with both hands, using one to hold herself open as she held me steady with the other so she could lower herself completely onto me in a single thrust. With my hardness fully inside her, she leaned back against my chest, and started rocking herself over me so that my penis only moved in her a couple inches at a time. I reached under her arms to take her breasts in my hands, squeezing them and pinching her nipples, feeling them harden and extend under my touch. A couple minutes later, she reached between her legs, and started playing with her clitoris as she continued slowly rocking on me. Both of us took our time making love, watching as Sandra and Robyn did the same in front of us. As their passion and arousal increased, so did ours – so that when, several minutes later, Robyn cried out her release, I heard Lucy respond with her own climax. A few moments later, she cried out again when she felt me spraying her insides with my hot semen, only to have her second call answered by Sandra's orgasmic moan.
Lucy leaned back to rest against me, and we watched Sandra direct her collapse toward an open spot on the bed; when she was off Robyn, Robyn turned to lay next to her, the two of them holding each other in post-orgasmic bliss.
I could feel my erection slowly subsiding inside Lucy; when it finally pulled free of her, both of us could feel the miniature flood of my semen start draining out of her. Robyn saw it, and quickly went into the bathroom to bring us a hand towel. With only a moments thought, she tucked the end of it under my scrotum, then folded the rest of it under her mother's exposed opening. Her mission accomplished, she gave Lucy a kiss, then went back to lay next to Sandra.
I held Lucy next to my, my arms wrapped around her waist, while the two of us kissed over her shoulder.
After a while, Robyn and Sandra decided that they were ready to clean up a bit before they went to bed. Both delayed long enough to give Lucy and I each a kiss before heading into the bathroom. A bit later, we heard the shower come on, and saw the bathroom slowly fill with steam. There was plenty of laughing and giggling as the two of them cleaned each other up; Lucy and I just looked at each other, knowing what was going on between them.
Finally, they reappeared, letting Lucy and I watch as they dried each other off. Satisfied with their handiwork, they came over to give us another kiss goodnight before heading into Lucy's room to go to bed.
A little bit later, by mutual consent, Lucy and I got up to take our own shower before going to bed ourselves. As we were waiting for sleep to come, Lucy asked me about spending the night with Amy; I told her that I'd be delighted to, but that I worried what her neighbors might think. Lucy nodded at that, and said that she'd talk it over with the girls before she said anything to Amy. I expressed my agreement, and the two of us lay there snuggling until we fell asleep.
The next morning, I managed to catch the phone after only a single ring; having not left a wakeup call, I couldn't help but wonder who it was. I quickly found out that it was Agent Hawkes, asking me if I could come in to the office the next afternoon for a press conference. Apparently, the story had caught national attention, and the press was begging for more details, and to meet the man that had handed the FBI the keys to such a big case. I was considerably less than enthusiastic, but Clara finally convinced me that I should do it. I reluctantly agreed, and we set the time for it. Then she asked if Lucy and the girls would be interested, and I told her that I'd ask Lucy, but that under no circumstances was I going to put the girls on TV – having them there, and associated with such a big case was a virtual invitation for trouble to come looking for them. Clara conceded the point, and accepted that Lucy would make her own decision. That settled, the conversation ended.
A couple minutes later, I got up to start some coffee before heading into the bathroom. Shaved and brushed, I came out to find the coffee done. I poured myself a cup, then one for Lucy. I set hers on the nightstand next to the bed where she was laying, figuring that the smell would help wake her as gently as possible.
It did, and she finally opened her eyes to see me sitting there watching her. It took her a couple seconds, but she finally realized that I had a cup of coffee, but that my coffee was too far away for what she was smelling. She looked around and saw the cup I'd poured for her. Smiling, she sat up against the headboard, and took the cup in her hands. After a couple of sips, she turned to me again, and thanked me for it. I told her about Clara's phone call, and that I'd agreed to be present for the press conference. She smiled her pleasure and pride at that, then sobered again when I told her that Clara had also asked if she'd participate, too. She told me she'd think about it, then listened in increasing apprehension as I told her about Clara's inquiry about whether the girls could appear, too.
She instantly agreed when she heard that I'd told Clara that the girls absolutely, positively would NOT be there, and why. As we were discussing what to do 'after', Robyn and Sandra wandered in, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Apparently drawn to the smell of the coffee, Robyn parked herself on my lap while Sandra nestled in next to Lucy. Each of them took our coffee cups to take a sip, then another. With the cups nearly empty, they looked at each other before Sandra handed her – Lucy's – cup to Robyn, who got up to refill them before reestablishing herself on my lap.
Sandra asked what we'd been talking about when they came in, and Lucy and I told them. Both expressed an interest at being in the news conference, but took it well when we explained that they couldn't – and why. Both encouraged Lucy to be there, though – Robyn pointing out that it was a good chance for Lucy to get her company's name into the news for publicity.
With my second cup of coffee gone – with Robyn's help – I knew that I needed to get going to take care of something else I'd almost forgotten about: making sure Mark could get to work and the college.
I patted Robyn on the butt to get her to let me up; with only mild protest, she moved over to lay on the other side of Lucy. Lucy asked where I was going, and I told her. That prompted the girls to ask what I was doing, and so I explained to them about what had happened at the park, and what I'd done the previous afternoon. Both expressed happiness that I was helping somebody, and wished me luck.
I let the FBI people know that I was on my way down for some breakfast, and they told me everything was fine. Once in the lobby, Agent Gallery met me, saying "Dan, I don't know what happened up there with Amy Jones, and God's honest truth, I don't care. All I know is that she's not the same person she was when I took over for her the other day. She's happier, she smiles a lot more, she even joked with me a little bit. Whatever you did, it was just what she needed. Thanks."
I smiled at him, and said "Tom, WE – me, Lucy, and the girls – talked to her a little bit, and let her know that we were her friends. We showed her that we cared about her, and that she was a good person, attractive inside and out. There were a couple of rough spots we had to help her through, but she hung in there, and we got them taken care of. All we did, really, was let the real Amy out."
He looked at me curiously, and said "Well, whatever it was, it worked. I, and all of her friends, appreciate it."
I shook his hand, and headed in to fill up the hole in my middle. A different waitress, but this one too recognized my name. Somewhat shyly, she asked for an autograph, which I gave her on one of the hotel menus. Then I pointed out Agent Gallery, and told her he was a member of the FBI. She was delighted to learn that, and promptly headed off to get his autograph, too, surprising him and pleasing him at the same time. When she'd left, he gave me a playful dirty look, then smiled and nodded his thanks.
My meal done, this waitress was reluctant to accept a tip until I found the right combination of cajolery and flattery to get her to take it. Only then was I free to head out for my morning 'mission'.
After visiting a few used car dealerships, I realized that I wasn't likely to find anything appropriate on a dealer's lot. I picked up a newspaper, and looked it over. I found a few ads that seemed reasonable, and with the help of one of the FBI agents navigating for me, starting going through the ads as I checked out the different vehicles. I had it down to a couple of possibilities when I pulled up to the address for the next-to-last ad. It was a middle-aged couple looking to sell their son's old car – a '57 Ford Fairlane. The boy had apparently lavished a lot of attention and care on it – the body work was in good condition, and the engine was positively flawless, purring like a kitten. Despite showing it's age in a few spots, it was certainly a bit of reliable transportation.
The couple and I haggled a little bit, and had almost stalemated when the FBI agent with me addressed me by name to ask to speak with me privately. A little ways away from the couple, he simply said that *he* thought the car was worth what the couple was asking, but that he'd called me away to see if a little time to think would help them come down some. I turned so my back was toward them, and smiled at him before thanking him for his thoughtfulness, and help. He solemnly nodded to me, and we went back to where the couple was standing.
The man hesitated a moment, then asked me if I was the Dan Andrews they'd heard about on the TV last night. I admitted that I was, and the woman asked how they could be sure of that. The agent with me stepped forward, and showed them his ID, then assured them that really was*that* Dan Andrews.
The two of them looked fairly impressed and pleased, before the man asked me why*I* was looking to buy their car. I told him about how I'd found Mark in the park, and briefly told them his story before adding that I was looking to help someone that just needed a chance to get their feet back under them. The two of them shared a look, and the man told me that he figured if I could spot crooks like the ones at TechnoDynamics, he figured I could spot a good prospect, too. He followed up by saying that they'd take my offer, and as their part to help Mark get started, they'd pay the title transfer costs. I told them I'd be happy to do it, but the woman spoke up, telling me "There's a lot of folks that will hear about somebody like him, and just say 'That's too bad'. Ain't many that'll do like you, and say 'Let me help'. We want to do our share, too."
There wasn't anything for me to do but thank them. Both waved it off, and the man asked me for Mark's name and address so he could get the title taken care of. I gave him both, using the address of the apartment I'd rented.
With that information, the man looked at me and said "Me and the Missus, we got some of our retirement money in those folks. Been losing value, these last few months. I was starting to think that maybe I needed to sell it, but didn't want to lose money on the deal."
I smiled, and told him "Way I figure it, you're not the only one. But with folks finding out that it was the head honchos stealing money from the company, and the company going to get it's money back, I wouldn't be surprised if it even went UP in value a little."
He got a thoughtful look at that, and thanked me – and I thanked him in return for his help with Mark. He just waved it off, saying "Everybody needs a hand sometime in their life. When I needed it, somebody gave it to me. Now I'm just passing it along, same as what you're asking him to do."
He went on to tell me that he'd get the title taken care of right away, so that Mark could pick up the car later that afternoon. I counted out the price of the car to him, and he handed me the keys before we shook hands. I thanked them again, and the lady came forward to give me a hug, then another to the agent with me – both embarrassing and pleasing him.
Back at the hotel, I found that Lucy and the girls were both down in the pool – accompanied by a number of agents, some of whom were even in the pool with them. I took the opportunity to call around before getting the car insured, paying the first six months premium with my credit card. That done, I made a call to the phone company, and got basic phone service started, again paying the deposit with my credit card.
With nothing left but to get Mark to Jules' office that afternoon, I headed down to watch Lucy and the youngsters in the pool. When I got there, I found that they'd gotten a couple of guys and a girl to join them, and had a rousing game of water volleyball going, FBI versus Civilians. I watched as the game drew to a close – neither side was cutting the other*any* slack, and it stayed close until the FBI people finally managed to put one into the corner before Robyn could get to it. The agents actually looked relieved to take a rest when my three climbed out of the pool to sit at the table with me. All three dried off carefully before hugging me, and giving me a kiss – Sandra and Robyn on the cheek, Lucy full on the lips. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the agents around us smiling.
I quickly filled them in on how things had gone, and all three thought it was nice of the couple to pay the title fees as a way of helping Mark. Lucy in particular thought it was good of me to take care of getting Mark set up with a phone, and paying the insurance on the car. As she put it "I've been there. When you're just starting out like he is, everything is more expensive, because you're just starting out. You can't afford it, really, but you really don't have any choice. Now he's got a chance to get going properly."
When Robyn's stomach growled, we all laughed with the realization that it was about lunch time. The hotel staff was kind enough to let us order from the caf, and bring the food out to us by the pool.
Only the agents that had been in the pool accepted my offer to buy them something to eat, too – even then, they ate lightly. I tried to tip the young man that brought us our meal, but he wasn't having any, either. He did hold still for Lucy, then Sandra and Robyn, to kiss him on the cheek before he beat a hasty – if blushing – retreat.
We'd finished our lunch and were just sitting there watching the world go by when Agent Gallery approached. I saw him stop a little distance away, and waved for him to come on and join us. When he got close, I invited him to sit down. He did, and after greeting the ladies, told me "Clara's finally gotten enough confirmation to believe that old Benny is going to leave you alone. Vinnie's brother made some noise about coming after you, but Charlie talked him, and he decided he didn't want any of YOUR kind of trouble. Tomorrow morning, we're going to reduce your detail by about half. We'll still have some people with you, but they'll be there more as a courtesy to make sure people don't bother you, than with any expectation of trouble. They'll also be a lot more flexible, so you can pretty much do what you want without having to worry about them."
The four of us thanked him, and he paused a few moments before looking at me to tell all of us "I wanted to take this chance to thank you. Not just for brining us in this case, but for how helpful and patient you've been about the situation. I know that it couldn't have been fun having all of us around all the time, and all four of you accepted it with grace and tolerance that not many of our protectees show. You've also done a helluva lot to bring up the morale of the protective details that have been with you. Dan, you're a living example of what all of us want to be like; and seeing you in action gives all of us a goal to work toward. And all three of these young ladies are living reasons for why we do what we do. As much as we have to watch out for people that we'd just as soon not have to, watching the four of you gives us all the proof we need to know that what we're doing is right, and gives us all the reason we need to come in to work."
All three of the girls were more than a little misty-eyed at what he'd said; even I felt a little lump in my throat at the sincerity he'd expressed. When he stood up, the three of them quickly stood up too, each giving him a solid hug and kiss. I stood up with them, and when they'd finished, solemnly shook hands with him, telling him "Tom, I felt better knowing that you and the others were there; it helped put my mind at ease, and let me concentrate on what*I* needed to do. Make sure your people know that I respect them, and appreciate their time and efforts on my behalf."
He nodded solemnly, and took his leave of us.
When he'd gone, the four of us sat around for a little while, thinking about what he'd said, before we started discussing going home. Robyn and Sandra both smiled broadly when Lucy said she'd make the arrangements for all four of us to fly back. Even I felt a little relief at the prospect of having something resembling a life again – though I knew that it wouldn't be completely normal until all of this had finally blown over.
Looking at my watch, I realized that I needed to get going to collect Mark and get him to Jules' offices. All three of them gave me another hug and kiss before I left. As I left the pool, I heard Robyn challenge the agents to a rematch; it made me want to stay around to see how things turned out.
At the park, I found Mark anxiously waiting on one of the benches near where we'd agreed to meet. When I got close, he saw me, and stood up, saying "I was starting to worry that something had happened to you, or that you'd changed your mind or something."
I smiled in reassurance, and told him "No, just had something important come up."
I could see that he'd done everything he could to make as good an impression as possible. He was clean and shaven; his pants and shirt were simple work clothes, but clean and pressed. His boots were worn, but he'd taken the time to clean them up thoroughly, and even tried to put a shine on them. Yeah, I figured, he wants this; he's going to turn out just fine.
He saw me looking him over, and started to get nervous. I reassured him, telling him "It's okay, Mark. The guy I'm taking you to, he knows you've had some hard times – he's not expecting you to show up in a suit. Just be honest with him about what you know, and don't know, and everything will be fine."
He nodded his understanding, and we talked as we headed for the car, then to Jules' offices. As I was parking the car, Mark looked at the sign for Jules' office, and said "I've heard of that guy. Mob family, but word is, he's not in it, that he goes his own way. From what I've seen, he'd pretty damn good."
We got out of the car, and when I headed for Jules' door, Mark suddenly got nervous, saying "Here? You're gonna get me a job HERE? I don't know anything about this stuff!"
I laughed, and told him "I'll bet you know more than you think.
Besides, that's what you're here for – to learn. Remember I told you you'd have to learn a new job, but that it would still involve construction? Well, this is it."
He looked at me skeptically, but followed me in. When I introduced myself to the receptionist, she brightened considerably, and told us Jules would be right with us. Then she got on the phone and let him know we were there. In just a minute or so, Jules came out. He shook hands with me, then when I introduced Mark, shook with him, too. He led us back to his office, and when we'd sat down, asked if we wanted anything. I was ready for a cup of coffee, and Mark followed my lead.
Jules told one of his people to bring us three cups, then sat behind his desk. He looked Mark over, and finally said "I understand you had a run of bad luck, and that you're looking for work. What did you do before?"
Hesitantly at first, Mark told him what he'd done up until his accident, and mentioned some of the people that he'd worked for.
Jules listened patiently, and asked Mark to elaborate on a few points. When Mark was done, Jules asked him what he'd done since the accident, and how he'd gotten by. Mark didn't hesitate to tell him after I gave him a nod of encouragement. Again, Jules listened patiently, nodding and asking a few more questions.
When he'd finished, Jules told him "Sounds like you've had your share of bad luck, and then some. But you didn't give up like a lot would.
Tell me what you think about architects and builders – and remember, I know bullshit when I hear it. Tell me straight, okay?"
Mark looked at me again, I again nodded to him to go ahead. He took a deep breath, and started out "Most builders are crooks. Not that they'll actually*cheat* anybody; they'll just do as little as they can get away with. Once something meets Code, they don't care if it would only cost a nickel to do the job better and make the place last five, ten years longer. Architects, they're pretty smart with book learning, but most of them have never actually built anything – not with their own hands and sweat, I mean. Usually, they give us these drawings for stuff and tell us to build something a certain way. Then they won't listen when somebody that actually does the work for living tries to tell them there's a cheaper, faster way of doing the same thing. They trust contractors and builders too much, and the worker bees not enough."
Visibly nervous when he was finished, Mark took a sip of his coffee before Jules replied by saying "That's about what I figured. You DO know more than you think you do, at least, about the stuff that matters to*me*. I can use you, to start, as general office help.
That means that you'll spend a lot of time filling out forms and learning the trade from THIS end of things. But I expect you to learn the rest of it too – why us architects do what we do, and what all is involved in creating the plans that you guys work from. And you'll be going out on jobs with me. You'll be the only one in here that's seen this stuff from the other side, so you know what we*really* need to watch for. You're going to be spending a lot of time getting 'book learning'; but with what you already know, I don't think you'll have much trouble with it. I can start you at fifteen hundred a month; you'll go up from there as fast as you can learn, okay?"
Mark could only sit there staring for a few moments before remembering to nod his head in agreement.
Jules asked him "When can you start? You got a place to stay? You need wheels or anything?"
Mark opened his mouth to answer, but I was ready for the questions, telling Jules "Yeah, he's got a place to stay. He'll be picking up his wheels this afternoon. He can start whenever it's convenient for you."
Jules laughed, and said "Convenient for me was three months ago, but tomorrow will do."
Looking over at Mark, who was staring at me, Jules asked "You didn't know, did you? That you had a place to stay, or a car?"
Mark just shook his head, his eyes never leaving me.
Jules laughed again, and said "It's okay. He does shit like that.
I'll bet he didn't tell you that I pretty much owe him my life, did he?"
That got Marks attention, and he turned back to listen as Jules told him "I used to drive helicopters. One of 'em decided 'fuck it, I don't wanna fly no more', and down she goes in a place where the folks on the ground aren't too friendly. I'm thinking, okay, now I'm seriously fucked; what I didn't know that Uncle Sam, he sent this son of a bitch to bail me out. It got some kinda interesting, but this guy and some of his buddies, they brought me back, all safe and sound – not even a*scratch* on me. If it wasn't for them – HIM – I'd probably be worm chow someplace."
Jules went on, saying "He said he thought all you needed was a chance, and asked me to have a look. He was right – he usually is – and now I've got somebody that I could have used three, four months ago. Listen, don't sweat it. He helps people he figures deserve the HELP. He don't do shit for anyone he figures is just looking to suck tit. Me, I can see that you've had a hard time – the way you walk, I can see you got hurt pretty bad. But you showed up here in the best you got, ready to give it your best shot. You didn't try to bullshit me, and that counts for a LOT with me. When my shit was weak, he helped me out – well, truth be told, he saved my ass. Now, with you, he's doing it again. Damned if I know how many else there are, or will be. But he did me a good turn, and now I pay him back by doing a good turn for somebody else. I expect you'll do the same thing, when you get a chance. That's how it works with him – help somebody, and have them pass it along when they can. It don't matter how much money you spend on it; all that counts is that you give it your BEST. He trusts people to be honest enough to know when they're doing that – and from what I've seen, he's a pretty good judge of who to help. So take his help, get yourself going again, and when the time comes, do your part for someone else."
Mark nodded to him, then turned to look at me again. I just told him "That's the deal I offered you in the park, right?"
He nodded, and said "Thanks isn't enough, but it's all I have to offer right now. But when I can, I'll pay the next person, with interest."
"That's all I ask", I told him.
Jules just sat there, a big shit-eating grin on his face when he told Mark "Great. I'll see you in the morning, eight o'clock. We usually work weekdays, eight to five, hour lunch. We've got a breakroom with a microwave and fridge if you want to bring your lunch. What you're wearing will do until payday – tenth and twenty-fifth, to beat the bank crowds; after that, I'll expect to see you dressed like the rest of us – casual, but professional, right?"
Mark voiced his understanding, and stood up when I did. Jules got up and led us to an office where he told the woman behind the desk "Shirley, this is Mark Sellers. He's starting tomorrow, so if you could have the paperwork ready for him in the morning, I'd appreciate it. He's starting at fifteen hundred a month, salaried. If he needs an advance on salary, he's good to half a month, repaid over six paychecks. Anything else, just ask me or him, right?"
Shirley nodded her understanding, and Jules left us with her. She turned to Mark and asked him for the information she'd need to get him started. She also gave him an employment application to fill out and return the next morning. She was polite and friendly the whole time, even when she asked if he needed an advance. Mark looked at me, and I shook my head 'no', which was the answer he gave her. When she had all the information she needed, she welcomed him to the company, and asked if we needed to see Jules again. I told her that I didn't think so, and she showed us the way out.
Back outside, I could see that Mark was stunned at the change in his circumstances. Back in the car, I asked where he'd stayed the night before. He gave me the name of a place, and then directed me to it – a run-down hotel that rented rooms for just a few dollars a night. He explained that he'd stayed there the night before so he could have a secure place to keep his stuff while he got cleaned up. I assured him that he'd done the right thing, and he went in to collect his things – coming back out with a worn knapsack and a couple of small trashbags. From the hotel, we headed to the apartment I'd gotten for him; his eyes got big when I handed him the key, and he realized it was HIS. He quickly put his stuff away, and quickly memorized his phone number when I told him that he had phone service; when the couple that owned it came out, I introduced them to each other. The old man and woman welcomed him, saying that he must be the friend I'd rented the place for the previous day. After they'd gotten to know each other a little, I explained that we still had a few errands to run, but that he'd be back in a little while. Both welcomed him again, before heading into their house to let us get on our way.
The next stop was the college, where we got Mark signed up for some beginning courses he could take in the evenings. We only did a couple of classes, so that all his time wouldn't be taken up – I understood the importance of having 'down' time too well. I paid his admission and tuition fees, then we made a stop at the bookstore to get his textbooks and other supplies.
From there, it was off to pick up his car. The lady was waiting for us, her husband having headed off to his job. She had the title ready, and invited us in for a cup of coffee and a slice of pie, which we both accepted. When we'd finished, she patted Mark on the hand, and told him "Young man, I think Mr. Andrews here was right. I know you had some hard times, but I think you're going to do just fine. I can see you're a hardworking man, and I'm sure my husband will be glad to know we were able to help you get going again."
Mark thanked her, and she gave both of us a peck on the cheek by way of a goodbye. Outside, I told Mark that I'd had to tell them why I was buying their car after they found out who I was. He nodded his understanding, and thanked me. I handed him the keys to the car, and the paperwork the insurance company had faxed to me. He got in and started it up. I told him that the first six months insurance were paid for, and that it had a full tank of gas. I went on to tell him that I knew it wasn't fancy, and he answered that all he needed was a reliable way to get around, and that this would do just fine – trying to hide the tears in his eyes.
He followed me back to the hotel, and waited patiently in the lobby while I went up to get Lucy and the girls. When I told them who was waiting to have supper with us, they quickly got ready, and the four of us headed back downstairs. When we got off the elevator, Lucy whispered to me "I remember what he looked like in the park. That's quite a change in him, Dan."
I whispered back "Yeah, amazing what a little dose of self-respect and a little good luck will do, isn't it?"
"I don't think luck has much to do with it, at all – I think it was you, more than anything else." She answered.
When we got close, I introduced them to each other, and the five of us headed for the hotel restaurant. As we started in, Lucy could see that Mark was nervous, and I heard her whisper to him "It's okay, Mark. We'll show you what to do", calming him considerably. When we'd been shown a table, Robyn and Sandra didn't hesitate to sit next to him, making conversation with him as though he was somebody they simply hadn't seen for a long time. With the realization that he was a welcome guest, he relaxed considerably, though he was careful to watch what the rest of us did, and follow our lead.
When the meal was over, he helped Sandra, then Robyn, with their chairs as I did with Lucy. The five of us left the restaurant, and back out in the lobby, he told me "Mr. Andrews, I want to thank you.
You've done a lot for me today. Not just the job and the apartment and the car and all that, but you've treated me like a human being – you and these lovely ladies, that is. It's been a while since anybody looked at me like anything but a bum sitting under a tree, and I've got you to thank for it. I want to promise you, right here and now, that you won't be sorry for giving me a chance."
Lucy looked at him, and said "Mark, I know Dan, and I know he's a good judge of people. There isn't a doubt in my mind that you'll do just what you said. And it was my pleasure to have your company with us for supper."
Here, Sandra chipped in, telling him "Yeah, we're glad you were with us tonight.", with Robyn adding "Yeah – you're nice to talk to!". I made eye contact with Lucy, and she got the message, telling the girls that they needed to get back up to the room. When they'd gone, I pulled out a couple of hundred dollars, and handed it to Mark, telling him "Here, use this to get yourself some groceries. Tonight you should get some new clothes so you fit in a little better, too.
Nobody would say anything, but I know you wouldn't be very comfortable, either. Payday is only a week away, and if I know Jules, you'll get paid for the full two weeks. If not, don't be afraid to ask for an advance. You'll get it, without anybody saying anything – Jules doesn't work that way, and I know he wouldn't have people that did, either."
He nodded, and accepted the money. I added my business card, and said "I know it's going to be some time before you catch your breath – you're going to be kinda busy for a while. But when you get the chance, drop me a line and let me know how things are going, okay?"
Again, I could see him blinking away tears as he nodded before sticking his hand out. I shook with him, and his grip let me know how much he appreciated the chance he'd been given. I patted him on the shoulder and wished him well as he headed for the door. I watched as he left, and when he got to the door, he turned and gave me a small salute before leaving.
When I got back to 'my' room, I hadn't any more than closed the door behind me when I was ambushed by three crying females. It was a few minutes before they could start taking turns telling me how happy they were, and how proud of me they felt for me helping Mark get on his feet again. When the waterworks finally dried up, the four of us retired to my bed to watch a movie on TV while we cuddled.
About ten o'clock, I got a call from Clara, telling me that the news conference had been scheduled for three o'clock, and asking if I could be there a half hour early. I agreed, and let her know that Lucy had agreed to be there with me, but would answer only a few questions. Clara thanked me, and that ended the conversation.
The four of us were ready to head out for lunch when I got another phone call from Jules.
"Boomer, you'll never guess what happened."
"Okay, since I'll never guess, why don't you just tell me?"
"Mark showed up this morning – no surprise there – but he did it a half hour early. Dressed in different clothes, and packing a sack lunch. He's got his paperwork ready, Shirley's got him in and out in record time. He's carrying around this notebook in his pocket, writing stuff down while he pays attention to*everything*. He's asking questions right and left, like you'd hope a new employee would. He talked with my engineers for a while, and they tell me he's definitely got his head on straight. I showed him where he'd be working, and the first thing out of his mouth is 'What do you want me to do first?'. It's lunchtime, and he's in there eating while he reads an algebra book.*Somebody* got him signed up for some college courses; school hasn't even started yet, and he's already in there studying for crying out loud. If his grades are as good as I think they'll be,*I'll* pay his expenses until he gets a degree. Anybody asks him, he's willing to help – he don't care*what* they want. I'm telling you, Boomer, you find any more 'bums' out there, you send 'em to me first, okay?"
"Sounds like he's off to a good start, then."
"Good? Hell, he's off to a*great* start. Boomer, I thought I was gonna get to pay you back a little on this, but it just looks like I owe you another one. He's asking good questions, and paying attention to the answers. I admit, I tried to trip him up, told him to do something a different way than I told him the first time. He hears me through, and when I'm done, tells me 'you said to do it this way last time', repeats what I'd said before. Then he asks me 'I think either way would work, but which is best? Which way do you want me to do it?' I tell him, and that's how he does it, each and every time. He runs into a snag, he asks somebody how to fix it. I'm telling you, I wish I had a couple more of him, at least."
I laughed, and said "Hell, Guido, they're out there. Not all of them as good as Mark sounds, but I'll bet they'd give it a hell of a try.
Give them a chance, and see how it works out. Worst thing happens, you don't keep them past a probationary period."
"You ever screw up, Boomer?"
"Sometimes. When I do, it's a beauty, though."
He laughed, and said "I don't know if I'd want to be around for something like that – but it's nice to know you make mistakes, too!"
I laughed with him, and after we said our goodbyes, headed out to lunch. By the time we'd finished, it was time to head for the FBI offices. It occurred to me to fake a flat tire or something, then I realized that even if I*did* have a flat, there'd be FBI agents right on the spot to help out.
We got there a couple minutes before the time Clara had asked, and a couple of agents met us outside and escorted us in through a side entrance to avoid the media crowd. Inside, we were led to the large conference room that had been set up. Inside, Clara told Lucy and I where we'd be sitting. Next to me, I heard a man say "Hey, Freddie, get a shot of the teenyboppers. Maybe we can use it later."
I turned to him and said "I don't think the*young ladies* are part of the story. Why not leave them out of it?"
He gave me a dirty look, and said "Listen, jack,*I* decide what's news and what isn't. Now get the fuck outta my face."
Something about his tone and attitude just set me off, and I think everyone but me was surprised when he found himself pressed against the wall, my hand around his throat as he turned an interesting shade of purple.
I told him "Listen, cheesedick – who you think you are doesn't mean *shit* to me. If your momma didn't teach you manners, I*damn* sure can. Got it?"
Behind me, I heard Clara say "Ease up on him, Dan. That's Gus Kenney, lead muckraker for a local independent. They're the last ones that would have him."
I loosened my grip a bit, and as the purple faded, Clara said "Well, Gus, I see you still know how to win enemies and influence people.
You must not have paid any attention to the background info we sent out. If you had, you'd know that the man with your life LITERALLY in his hands is none other than Dan Andrews, the hero of the hour. You'd also know that Dan is formerly of the Special Forces, and TAUGHT unarmed combat."
The little weasel visibly paled at that, and Clara went on "And if you'd shown up when we asked you to, instead of twenty minutes late, you'd have heard us ask the media to respect the privacy of some of the people involved – most notably, a couple of young LADIES with Dan, here. Of course, I know that you don't have any idea of what a LADY is, but I'm sure your cameraman could have explained it to you."
Seeing that his attitude had changed, I let go of his throat, which he started rubbing. It took him a couple tries, but he finally got some of his self-importance back and sputtered "I… I'm going to SUE, dammit! That was a violation of the First Amendment! And assault! With a deadly weapon!"
Clara just laughed, and told him "*I* didn't see anything, Gus. Did any of the rest of you?"
Gus and I looked around, and all we could see was the grins of the other news people. Clearly, Gus had earned himself quite a following.
When I turned back to look at him, Gus stared at me a moment, then said "Freddie, you go that on tape, right?"
Beside me, I head Freddie open up the camera, then felt him press something into my hand – a video tape. A moment later, I heard him reload the camera, before telling Gus "No, Gus. Nothing happened."
Behind me, I heard several cameras going into action – Freddie quietly told me "Don't worry. They're rewinding, to make sure they tape over the girls – and anything else."
With the realization that he didn't have any more cards to play, Gus all but collapsed inward on himself, and started edging for the back of the crowd. People made way for him as though he were a leper – which, I suppose, he was. I turned to the news people, and nodded my thanks. Every one of them smiled in return.
Clara broke the remaining tension by telling the news people "In addition to his obvious good taste" – they laughed at that – "Dan also has a Masters degree in computer science from M.I.T. It goes well with the degrees he got from Princeton in Mathematics and Philosophy, and the medals he earned as the leader of a team that was the prototype for the Delta Force." That last part resulted in a few murmurs, and several of them giving me a closer look.
Clara went on to introduce Lucy, who got a wolf whistle from somewhere in the back. Clara laughed, and said "Don't get any ideas – she's engaged to Dan!" A moment later, we all laughed when someone said "Uh, never mind!"
When the laughter died down, Clare told them "*FOR BACKGROUND ONLY*" – the magic phrase that said "hands off!" in media-speak – "the two young ladies that Dan is so protective of are Robyn" – she smiled and gave everyone a little wave – "who is Lucy's daughter, and Sandra" – she smiled and waved, too – "who is Robyn's friend." I noticed that the camera people went so far as to point their cameras at the floor while Robyn and Sandra were being introduced. Lucy saw it, too, and squeezed my hand under the table we were sitting at.
Clara continued by telling them "In a gesture of goodwill, they've agreed to be present at this conference. Lucy has agreed to answer a FEW questions; when she's done, let it go, okay folks? Dan has indicated that he's willing to answer them until his patience runs out. That would be a good time to stop." she told them, to general laughter.
When the laughter faded, she told them "Actually, Dan and the rest have been surprisingly patient with all that's happened to them. We were concerned about possible involvement by organized crime, and had assigned them a protective detail. They've been very cooperative with the detail members, and shown great patience with having to live their lives in something of a fishbowl. At our people's request, Dan here made a pass through our combat pistol range. His expert pistol rating in the Army served him well – he set a new course record on his FIRST and ONLY try. A record, by the way, that was set by one of the members of his protective detail. We've already made available to you a brief description of what happened in this case, and approximately when. One of my agents will be handing out additional information on Dan and Lucy. We ask that you do NOT ask about any security arrangements or precautions, for obvious reasons. That said, we'll open the floor to questions."
The first was a reporter from a local paper, who asked Lucy "Ma'am?
What was it that got you here in the first place?"
Lucy briefly told them that one of her company's clients had requested an audit; she went on to explain what had happened that had gotten her concerned enough to contact me.
Next was a TV journalist, who asked me "Mr. Andrews, is it true that you had to show the FBI's people how to see what you'd found, and explain it to them?"
I told him that the FBI had a fine technical department, but that not all of their experts could be everyplace at once; the people I'd dealt with had been skilled professionals that simply didn't have the time or resources to stay on top of everything.
I caught the next question, too, when a reporter asked about my military background. I told him what I could, and when he tried to press for more, I told him that he'd have to ask the people in charge – I was just a line grunt that did as I was told. He got the message, but didn't like it.
For nearly an hour it went like that – Lucy catching a few questions, but most of them being directed at me. I was getting tired of it when Clara and I locked eyes. She understood, and jumped in to tell them "Okay, folks, one last question, then we have to call it a day, okay?"
There was a brief clamor before one of the print guys managed to make himself heard "Mr. Andrews, how much are you being paid for what you did? From the information, the FBI is crediting you with the recovery of over three hundred million dollars."
The rest of them quickly quieted down to hear me answer him "I'm being paid a percentage of the money recovered."
"What percentage is that, sir?"
I smiled, and told him "That's for the people signing the check to say. Ask them."
Lucy and I stood up then, and at the request of some of the photographers, assumed a couple of poses for them. Then Clara got in on the action for another round of photos. But all of it stopped dead when Robyn and Sandra left their places at the side and moved to join Lucy and me.
As we were leaving, I told them "Thanks, folks.", and heard one of them reply "Thank YOU, Mr. Andrews."
As we were making our way out, Clara told me "Thank you, Dan, for answering the questions about our people the way you did. You could have made us look like a bunch of bumbling fools, but you didn't, and we appreciate it."
I told her "Clara, you've got damn good people here. I'm not going to shaft them for*anyone*."
By that time, we'd reached the door we came in, and Clara wished us a safe trip home. The news people were still bunched up at the front of the building, so the four of us were able to make our escape unnoticed. On the way back, I suggested that we might want to stay in our room that night; Lucy and the girls understood immediately, and quickly agreed. At Sandra's suggestion, we made a quick stop at a convenience store to load up on snacks and munchies, then continued back to the hotel.
We'd been in our rooms only a couple of minutes when the early news came on – featuring the news conference as the lead story. The network news followed, and we were again the top story. Back to the evening news, where we again got top billing. The phone rang, and I answered it, half-afraid of who it might be, and what they'd want.
Lucy was listening in when we heard Muddy say "Damn, Boomer, but you're some kind of*ugly* on TV!"
I laughed, and told him "I don't understand it, Muddy – I'm just so *cute* in person!", and hearing him laugh in response. Lucy just sat next to me, grinning.
When he stopped chuckling, Muddy told me "Boomer, I knew you were into something serious when all those FBI people showed up. Didn't know it was gonna get*this* serious, they go showing your face on TV like that."
"Well, they had to have*somebody* to push out in front of the cameras, and you know how MY luck runs."
He sniggered, and asked "All those FBI people that was watching out for you – what are you doing to take care of them?"
I told him that Clara had told me about their Emergency Fund, and that I'd be making a contribution to it. He asked if I had anything in mind for my protective detail, and I told him I wanted to, but hadn't thought of anything yet.
He sighed, and said "Damn fool. You send 'em on out here, and*I'll* take care of them for you."
I thought it over, and told him "Only if I can pay for it."
And the argument started.
It finally ended when I told him "Dammit, Muddy! I swear to God, I'll give every last one of them a McDonalds gift certificate before I send a single one of them out there for you to feed!"
There was dead silence on the line for several seconds before we heard him say "And you would, too, wouldn't you?"
"Damn right. Muddy, it was US they were watching out for, and it's damn well gonna be ME that thanks them. If you want to help, that's fine, but*I'M* covering the tab on this one. This one's MY payback, not yours."
We heard him sigh, and he gave in, telling me "Okay, Boomer, this one's yours. You find out how many, and write me a check, and I'll take care of them when they get here."
"You've got a deal, Muddy. But I'm telling you right now, if you don't cash the check, I'll come back here and kick your ass, you got it?"
He laughed, and said "You know, I think you could, too. You're right tough, for a white boy. Best pack a lunch, though."
"Lunch, my ass. I'd be packing everything I could carry.", I answered, laughing.
He told me to be careful, and I assured him I would; that ended the conversation. Lucy looked at me, and asked "Did the two of you ever actually get into a fight?"
"Nope. We liked each other too much, and neither one of us wanted to know how it would turn out." I told her, and getting a grin in response.
With a way of paying back the protective detail, I felt a little more comfortable, and made a mental note to get the necessary info from Clara the next day, and to make arrangements to let the protective detail know how to collect.
There weren't any more calls that night, and nobody bothered us – I think all of us were grateful for the peace and quiet. But I think we also knew that it wasn't going to last; that we were going to get swamped, one way or another.
Any way, with a couple of good movies to watch, we spent the rest of the evening quietly. Except for the popcorn fight, and eating too much junk food. When it got late, we just undressed on the bed and threw all our clothes to the floor. We fell asleep where we were at when the mood struck us.
The next morning, I woke up to find Lucy laying there, watching me as I slept. I gave her a questioning look, and she just smiled, saying "I was thinking about what you said to Muddy last night, about being so cute. I know you were joking, but it got me thinking while I was looking at you. You're not cute. Mel Gibson is cute. What you are is handsome, in a rough, simple way. I can look at you, and see what you're going to look like in twenty or thirty years, and you're still going to look pretty much the same. What makes you handsome is the way you look at people, and the strength people can see in your face.
I can look at you, and SEE that you're an honest person; and that you're absolutely FAIR, for good or bad."
I moved forward to kiss her, and when I was done, she put her hands on my face to hold it steady. She looked at me that way for several minutes before pulling my head down to give me a kiss that let me know how very much she loved me.
The kiss ended slowly, and even when our lips finally parted, we continued to look into each other's eyes for a bit longer. Finally, Lucy asked me "Coffee?"; I nodded, and started to get up, but she pushed me back down before saying "Stay there. You've been busy enough the last few days. Let me do something that would make ME happy, okay?"
I smiled my agreement, and watched as she got up, then moved over to where the coffeemaker was. Watching her firm ass clench and unclench as she moved around, and how her breasts would sway in time with her movements soon had me sporting an erection. When she turned around and saw it, she got an impish grin, and asked "You want some help with that?"
I grinned at her, and told her "Nope. Just saluting a very pretty, very sexy, lady." – and making her dimple a bit when she smiled.
When the coffee was ready, she brought me a cup, then sat next to me with her own. Together, we sat and looked at the beautiful sight Robyn and Sandra presented us as they lay there holding each other in their sleep.
When Lucy brought us each a second cup, the smell must have been enough to cut through the fog for the two youngsters: first Robyn, then Sandra opened their eyes, smiled a good morning to us, and proceeded into a stretch that left them creaking – something that Lucy and I could easily hear.
Sandra climbed onto my lap, and Robyn took station on Lucy's, and each of them took our coffee long enough to take a couple of sips before handing it back. With the cobwebs gone, both of them moved to lean against us as we put an arm around them. Sandra protested slightly when I patted her on the butt to get her off my lap, but readily took a position tucked into Lucy's side. The three of them watched as I made my way toward the bathroom; as I got close, I heard Robyn say "Dibs on a shower with Dan!". I turned and told her it would be a minute, and she just grinned at me as I closed the door.
When I opened it again, she was right there waiting for me, and took charge of making sure the shower was the right temperature and so on.
When everything was ready, she took me by the hand and led me into the tub before closing the door behind her. Every time I'd start to do something for myself, she'd insist on doing it for me. She only repented when I pointed out that if she was going to shower WITH me, then that meant she'd have to shower, too – and washing her was something*I* was still in charge of. With a happy smile, she turned control of the soap over to me. She stood there, happy to have my touch on her as I first soaped her down, then rinsed her off. When I was done, she resumed command, and led the way out of the shower. She then dried me off – and let me dry her off in return. The whole time, our contact with each other was that of gentle loving, not sexual; and brought us closer together in our hearts.
When we got out of the bathroom, we found that the TV had been turned on to one of the morning shows. I thought I was going to get through it without seeing myself on TV, but it was not to be.
After giving Robyn and I a kiss each, Lucy and Sandra headed in for their own shower. While they were in there, I put a call in to the FBI office, and was quickly put in touch with Clara. When she answered, I told her that I had a couple of quick questions. She told me to go ahead, and I first asked her how many people had been on protective detail for me. She put me on hold for a few seconds, then came back to tell me that there had been sixty-three agents assigned to us, at one point or other. My next question was to ask her what the current balance of the Emergency Fund was. She put me on hold again, for a little longer before coming back to tell me that the current balance was seventeen thousand dollars. She went on to tell me that most of the time, it ranged between roughly ten and twentyfive thousand, depending on what had been happening. She followed that by letting me know that in a typical year, they drew roughly forty thousand dollars out of it, for various reasons. I thanked her, and she assured me it was her pleasure. I could tell she was curious, but determined not to ask me any questions.
I did some quick calculations, and decided that what it would cost to feed the protective detail was within my budget – before I got paid for the most recent job I'd done. That settled, I called my accountant back home, and gave him instructions to get a certified check to Muddy as soon as he could. He'd been watching television, and knew what I'd done. I told him what my fee was going to be, and I thought he'd passed out when he didn't respond for a long time. When he did, he only asked if I was sure I wanted him to continue to be my accountant. I assured him that I did – I knew him, and trusted him, and he'd proven himself to be a big help. He thanked me, and said that he'd get started planning on how to deal with it. I thanked him, and ended the conversation.
About that time, Lucy and Sandra came out of the shower to join Robyn and me on the bed to watch some more television. The three of them never seemed to tire of hearing about what all had happened, and seeing my picture appear.
When it got close to lunchtime, I called the number that Amy had left us. She answered the phone, and quickly assured me that the invitation was still good. We quickly settled on a time for the four of us to show up, and she told me she'd be waiting for us.
Next on the agenda was to make arrangements for all the stuff we'd bought to be shipped home. The concierge was more than happy to help out, politely refusing any offer any of us made to him to pay for his time and trouble. He finally agreed to a kiss from Lucy and each of the girls, and a handshake from me.
The last thing to do was to pay our bill, and figure out how to get out of the hotel with as little fuss as possible. The hotel politely informed us that Lucy's boss had called and said that every charge for all three rooms was to be billed to their company credit card, no matter what anyone else said. They were disappointed that we were planning to check out – not because of the loss of room rentals, but because it was US leaving. That settled, I spoke to the head of the remaining detail assigned to us, and told him what we were wanting to do. He readily pledged his support, and helped work out a plan. When the hotel staff learned what we were planning, they insisted on helping – every one of them thought it a great adventure to help get one past all the media people that were getting in the way. Together with the FBI agents, they came up with a plan that sounded like something from a spy novel – but it was so simple, so painfully obvious, that I was sure it would work.
Lucy, Robyn, Sandra, and I spent the rest of our time in the hotel getting packed, and ready for the trip to see Amy. We'd be leaving all our luggage, except for a single small overnight type bag each, in the hotel. The next morning, the luggage would be sent to the airport in time for our departure; all of our purchases would be carefully packaged up and shipped to us. The press, of course, would notice all the activity, but we'd already be gone to parts unknown.
At the appointed time, the four of us left the rooms, and took the elevator down a couple of floors. There, the maintenance people opened up the freight elevator for us, and took us down to the basement. There, each of us was hidden in a laundry cart, and wheeled onto a large delivery van from their linen supplier. The van would take the regular route to the linen service, but make a small detour a few blocks before it got there, where one of the FBI agents would be waiting to take us to yet another location to meet Amy, who would actually take us back to her apartment. While all this was happening, the remaining hotel staff and assorted agents would be doing everything they could to distract and confuse whatever media types they ran across. All along the way, we thanked everyone that helped us; their uniform response was that it was their pleasure to help us out, and thanking US.
The whole thing went off without a hitch. A couple of newspaper people followed the van for a little while, but when it became 'obvious' that it was just taking the regular route, they gave up and went back to the hotel. One of the TV people stumbled across us, but was quickly left behind by the expert counter-surveillance training the FBI people had. We were all by ourselves when the agent delivered us to Amy. All of us thanked him, and he just smiled, saying that it was worth it to put one over on the 'newsies'.
Amy did a few tricks of her own, taking us to her apartment, just to make sure nobody was with us. The place she finally took us to was a small cluster of a few duplex apartments of obviously varying sizes.
I think all four of us were surprised when she pulled up in front of one of the larger units, saying "Well, here we are – home!" She led us inside, and showed us where we could put our bags, before leading us into the living room – a rather sizeable one, with a fireplace in one corner. Lucy asked her about it, and Amy laughed, telling us that the owners had given her a break on the rent, figuring that having an FBI agent on the premises would reduce the amount of trouble from the other tenants. She grinned when she told us "They told me straight out: having a babe with a badge and a gun was bound to do*something* positive for the place. The only problem we ever had was with a guy that was living in one of the other apartments when I moved in. He found out fast enough that I was an FBI agent, and that didn't seem to bother him too much. But when he saw the weird hours I have to keep sometimes, I think he figured there was too much chance of getting caught at whatever he was up to, and he moved out. The people that took his place are a younger couple with the*cutest* baby. All my neighbors kind of watch out for each other, and they actually LIKE me having such weird hours – they figure it keeps the burglars and such away, not knowing when I'll be here and when I won't."
Robyn asked "Won't having all of us here cause you any problems?"
Amy told her "No, it won't. Actually they've learned what I do for the Bureau, and the news of the last couple of days let them know what was up when I told a couple of them that I was going to let some people 'hide out' with me tonight. They already know who you are, and they think I'm just being a good agent by keeping you here, away from the press. They positively think it's great – kind of like spy stuff, only not dangerous. Just don't be surprised if there are more than a couple of window drapes pulled back when you leave tomorrow – they won't be able to resist looking at who I've been hiding out. In the mean time, they won't bother anyone – they think this is 'business' for me, and they don't want to interfere."
When Sandra asked, Amy was happy to give us a tour of the place – a large living room that we'd already been in, a dining area, the modern well-equipped kitchen, a small laundry area, a positively HUGE bedroom, and adjoining large bathroom with spa tub. It was an apartment solely by virtue of sharing a kitchen wall with the apartment next door, a smaller version of the one we were in, according to Amy. We also met her cat, J. Edgar, who deigned to sniff at us before going back to sleep. Sad to say for the cat, there was a noticeable resemblance.
She asked if we wanted anything to drink, and I asked if she had any beer. She nodded, and Lucy said that it sounded good to her, too.
Robyn and Sandra expressed an interest, and when I nodded my approval to Amy, got one to share.
We headed into Amy's living room, where Lucy and I sat at opposite ends of the couch while Robyn and Sandra found places on the fireplace hearth. When Amy came in, she got surprisingly shy on us, and Lucy had to physically move her over to sit on my lap. When all I did was put my arm around her, she visibly relaxed. The five of us sat around talking for a good hour – mostly it was me, Lucy, and Amy talking, but Robyn and Sandra joined in occasionally, too. Finally, it was Robyn that dared to ask "Amy? We've been here over an hour, now, and you still haven't kissed any of us. Don't you still like us?"
Amy turned to look at Lucy, then me. I just told her "She's right. It *has* been over an hour. When you sat down, you acted like you were afraid I was going to suck your brains out through your ears or something. What's up?"
She hesitated a few moments, then admitted "The other day, after I was with you in your room, one of the other agents said something to me about what good friends we'd become. It came so close after what we'd done that it made me kind of jumpy; I still haven't shaken it, really."
"Didn't Tom Gallery say something to you even before that?" I asked.
Amy nodded, and said "Yeah, he told me that I looked like I'd had a pleasant day off. I knew HE knew, but he's Tom, and I know him pretty good. This other guy, he was somebody that's only been with us about six months, and I still wasn't sure about him."
"Is there any reason to believe that he meant anything by it? I mean, was he smirking or anything? Did he say it like he knew what you'd done? Or was it just a casual observation, like 'the sun is out today'?"
She thought back on it a bit, and finally admitted "No, it sounded just like a passing comment, like you said. He wasn't smiling or leering or anything like that."
"Then you've been nervous with us this evening just because of a passing comment by someone you don't think you know well enough; a comment that probably just came a little too soon after you'd enjoyed some pleasant time with us."
She finally grinned at me, and admitted "Yeah, something like that.
Okay, so maybe I'm just having a relapse or something, okay?"
Here, Lucy chipped in by saying "Well, Doctor Dan, if the patient is having a relapse, then the only solution is another treatment, don't you think?"
"Indeed it is, Nurse Lucy. Nurse Robyn and Nurse Sandra, prepare the patient, if you would!"
Robyn and Sandra both grinned as they got up and came over to where Amy was still sitting on my lap. First Sandra, then Robyn prepared her by giving her a kiss – full on the lips, and as inviting as they could make it. When they were done, I said "Nurse Lucy, I do believe the patient is beginning to respond. The next stage of the treatment, if you please."
Lucy quickly moved over to sit next to me before gently pulling Amy's head down to give her another kiss – this one just as inviting and passionate as what Robyn and Sandra had just given. Only Lucy added her own touch. Literally, by reaching out to cup one of Amy's breasts in her hand before running her thumb across it's nipple – making it visibly stick out from the light blouse that Amy was wearing. By the time their kiss ended, Amy was panting slightly, and starting to show a little flush on her face and shoulders. Lucy turned to me and said "Doctor Dan, it seems the patient is ready for the final stage of treatment."
Amy couldn't help grinning as I said "Very well. Nurses, I'll be taking the patient to the operating room. If you could prep her while I get ready to operate?"
All three giggled, and stood up to follow me when I got up to carry Amy into the bedroom, where I placed her on the bed. Lucy, Robyn, and Sandra went about undressing her as I stood at the foot of the bed, taking my own clothes off. They weren't the slightest bit reluctant to fondle and molest anything that interested them. I took my time, so that they were done well ahead of me, with Amy well-aroused from all the groping they'd done. Amy's eyes locking on my semi-erect penis as I made my way toward her, then climbed onto the bed with her. She readily spread her legs to make room for me as I moved over her, then welcomed me as I started kissing her.
I felt the nubbins of her nipples harden against my chest as her arousal grew with each kiss. I let my kisses extend across her entire head and shoulders, then started moving down her body. When her breasts came within range, I gave each a tongue bath before taking each of her nipples into my mouth and sucking it to full hardness.
When I left them to continue my journey down her body, Lucy and Sandra each fastened their lips around one of her nipples to continue what I'd started. A brief pit stop (pun intended) at her belly button, then it was on to my ultimate target: the glistening petals of her womanly flower, and the delicate bud of her clitoris. The position I was in allowed Robyn to apply her considerable oral talents toward getting me completely hard. Between the three of us working on Amy, and Robyn working on me, it didn't take long at all before Amy and I were both ready.
I eased my way back up her body, displacing Sandra and Lucy to nurse at Amy's breasts for a bit before continuing my journey. When I was in position, Amy readily lifted her knees and spread her legs to make even more room for me. Between us, we could feel Robyn reach in to spread Amy's labia, and position my penis at her entrance. Amy nodded to me, and I eased myself forward, pressing myself into her tight, wet sheath. Next to us, we heard Robyn say "This is*so* cool to watch him sliding into her. I can almost feel it myself!"
Our eyes remained locked on each other as I paused a couple of times before withdrawing slightly to distribute Amy's hot oils – as tight as she was, I needed every bit of help I could get. Finally, though, the deed was done: both of us felt it as our pubic bones met with a gentle nudge.
I paused a few moments, then started easing my way back out of her, stopping when only the head of my penis was trapped behind the tight ring of her entrance. Then, a little more quickly, I pressed myself into her again, until our pubic bones were reintroduced. Back out, then back in. Back out, then back in – each time, a little faster, and a little easier as her insides got wetter and looser. In only a couple of minutes, I was able to get into a steady rhythm of pistoning in and out of her well-oiled cylinder.
I saw her look to the side, heard her gasp; when I looked myself, I saw that Lucy, Robyn, and Sandra had all stripped, and were involved in a ring of pleasure: Robyn with her head between Sandra's thighs, Sandra's face between Lucy's, and Lucy closing the circle with Robyn.
Even as I continued to make love with her, Amy and I watched as Robyn used her tongue and lips to caress Sandra's labia and clitoris. The sight aroused both of us greatly, and it was only a few minutes later that we all heard Amy loudly cry out her release – even as I jetted my semen deep into her womanhood.
I stayed inside Amy as we watched Robyn's efforts have the desired effect on Sandra: we could see Sandra's labia getting more extended and thicker, as well as see – and smell! – an increase in the amount of inner fluids she was releasing for Robyn to lick up.
With Amy's hot, wet vagina wrapped around me, and the sight of Robyn giving such pleasure to Sandra, I never really lost my erection. In fact, by the time we heard Sandra groan her release, I was fully hard again, and ready to continue – for the last few minutes, Amy had been slowly hunching her pelvis, so I knew that she was more than eager for me to pick up where I'd left off.
When she felt me start to move in her, Amy looked into my eyes and told me "I'm*so* ready, it won't take much for me this time if you'll just*fuck* me. No need to go slow or anything else – just *do* it."
I raised an eyebrow in question, and she nodded her assurance that that was what she really wanted.
So I did.
I raised myself to hold myself over her on my arms, then reached down to 'hook' her legs over my arms – opening her completely, and tilting her pelvis up so that I could enter her as deeply as possible. I backed my way out of her before thrusting back into her, hard and fast – and heard her gasp in pleasure.
Again, then again, each time listening to her aroused grunt when our pelvises met. In less than a minute, I was moving in her in a smooth, steady rhythm, all but pounding into her. The sounds of her arousal, and the motion I was using on her, eventually got the attention of Lucy and the others. All three of them stopped what they were doing to each other to watch as I repeatedly hammered into Amy like a pile driver. With the position and angle we were at, all three of them could watch as my erection slid in and out of her, and see how wet she became when the overflow of her secretions first soaked our pubic hair, then began to trickle between her asscheeks. Her secretions pooled briefly at the pucker of her anus, then continued their way down between her cheeks. A minute later, I felt a hand under my balls, and looked down to see that Lucy, of all people, was spreading Amy's warm oils around with her finger. As I watched, Lucy got one of her fingers well-lubricated with Amy's juices, and gently probed at Amy's rectum – and after a little twisting of her finger, managed to get it to slide inside. When that happened, Amy nearly lost it: her head started flying back and forth on the pillow, her hair a blur, as she shouted her pleasure and arousal. I could feel Lucy's finger slightly stroking the underside of my penis, only a fraction of an inch of Amy's insides separating us. In a few seconds, Lucy got in sync, mirroring what I was doing: sliding her finger out as I pressed in, then back in as I withdrew. Neither of the girls was foolish enough to try kissing Amy, but Robyn was more than happy to fasten her lips to one of Amy's breasts while Sandra caressed the other.
With all four of us focused on her, it was only a minute or so more before Amy all but screamed as an obviously powerful orgasm took her over. I tried to continue to move inside her, but she'd gotten so unbelievable tight around me that I did little more than slide around inside my own skin. Still, it seemed to be enough for her: each time I moved, I felt her vaginal muscles flutter around me. Lucy looked up at me and said "I… I can't move my finger! At ALL!", in absolute amazement.
It was a full two minutes before Lucy or I either one could actually *move* inside Amy – even when her spasms had passed, she was still so 'locked' in her pleasure that I don't think she could relax herself enough to let us move. Never before had I seen or heard of a woman that this excited during sex, and got this much pleasure from it. I could only wonder at the clods that had been so clumsy as to deny themselves*this* kind of response from a woman.
Finally, though, Lucy was able to pull her finger free of Amy's nether opening – something that resulted in ME feeling Amy's vagina tighten around me as a mini-spasm passed through her. Only when it ended was I able to rescue my penis from her eager clutches. Robyn and Sandra were simply awe-struck at the intensity and duration of Amy's passion.
With the stimulus of Lucy's finger and my penis gone, it didn't take long for Amy to come down from wherever she'd been. When she saw all of us watching her, she blushed furiously before saying "What Dan was doing to me felt*so* good by itself; but when I felt somebody's finger inside me, well, I just kind of 'lost it'!"
Lucy looked at her solemnly, and said "Amy, I don't think you lost it. I think you just found it, and didn't want to give it back!"
Amy grinned at that, as did Sandra and Robyn. All four of them looked at me, waiting to hear what I had to say. I just shook my head, and make a 'tsk, tsk, tsk' noise before telling Amy "I don't know what kind of monster we turned loose in you, but I really think you need to get a leash on it!" – making Amy blush again while the other three giggled.
Amy looked down and saw that I was still wet with her juices, and showed a few flecks of my semen that we'd pushed out of her. Without hesitation, she moved forward to begin licking me off. When she did that, it put her ass up in the air; Robyn grinned, and moved to perform a similar service for Amy.
After taking me into her mouth to lick and suck our combined juices off me, Amy gently nudged me to lay on my back – more than slightly distracted by what Robyn was doing to her. When I was laid out, she had me straighten my legs, then guided an eager Sandra to squat over me. Sandra put her hands on my thighs to hold herself steady as Amy reached between her legs to spread her labia apart, and guide my saliva-slick erection to Sandra's opening. Sandra started lowering herself when she felt that I was in position, and when the head of my penis was inside her, Amy let go of her labia while continuing to hold me steady. Amy finally let got of me when she felt Sandra's soft pubic hair brushing her hand. She stayed in the position she was in, though – Robyn happily licking and sucking on her labia and clitoris while she watched my erection disappearing into Sandra. She groaned when Sandra was finally seated on me; whether it was from the sight she'd just witnessed, or something Robyn did, I don't know. All I was focused on was the delightful sensation of having Sandra's vagina encasing my erect penis. As Sandra started sliding herself up and down on my manhood, Lucy moved to straddle my face, her back to Sandra's – I happily extended my tongue to run it between her glistening extended labia, drawing a pleased gasp from her. I did it again as I reached up to take her breasts in my hands, softly squeezing them and running my thumbs over her nipples.
I slid my tongue inside Lucy, as though making love to her with it, hearing her softly groan in pleasure as I did. As I continued to probe her insides, I started rubbing her exposed clitoris with my upper lip, exciting her even more. I felt her breasts tightening under my touch, even as her nipples extended and hardened; her smooth skin and firm breasts were delightful to hold as I savored the delightful nectar she was producing in quantity. When I felt her starting to move her pelvis, I curled my tongue slightly, so that she could use it to press against her clitoris as she impaled herself on it. As her excitement increased, I began softly sucking at her, so that she would feel it at different times as she moved over me. I even varied the amount of suction I applied, so that she would have plenty of variation in what she was experiencing.
After a bit, I could hear it as Sandra released an aroused, but frustrated, moan. Lucy apparently heard it, too, and lifted herself above me so that she could turn around to face Sandra. She settled herself again, and I readily applied myself to fluttering my tongue across her clitoris. I felt her moving over me a bit, and a moment later, felt the delightful sensation of Sandra turning herself around while keeping my penis inside her. From the way Lucy's weight shifted, and the way her nipples grazed my belly, I could only conclude that she was leaning over to suck on Sandra's breasts and nipples as Sandra went back to impaling herself on me. A few minutes later, I heard Sandra gasp, and felt her stop moving as her young vagina clamped down on me. When the clasping around my penis ended, I felt her lift herself off me – only to have Lucy lower herself some more to take my Sandra-slickened penis in her mouth. She greedily licked and sucked Sandra's essence off me, then went on to apply herself to bringing me to climax.
I had a different idea, though, and gradually stopped using my lips and tongue to caress her labia and clitoris. She moaned her frustration, and finally released me from her mouth to gasp "Dan, I'm so*close*, dammit!"
I chuckled, and told her "Good. Then you'll be glad to know that I want to be inside you when it happens."
She moaned in anticipation, and quickly moved off of me so that I could get up. She lay on her back in front of me, quickly spreading her legs and lifting her knees to open herself to me. I moved forward, and gently nudged her to indicate I wanted her to move 'up'.
She looked confused for a moment, then looked where I wanted her to move TO – and got a happy smile on her face. With only a little adjustment, she found herself underneath Amy, with Amy's breasts dangling just out of reach of her mouth. Amy's eyes were closed in response to what Robyn was doing to her, and she didn't seem to realize her opportunity – until I spoke her name a couple of times.
When she opened her eyes to look at me, she saw Lucy under her.
Raising her head, she smiled at me before letting her body drop enough to take one of Lucy's nipples into her mouth – and making her own breasts available to Lucy. Lucy quickly took advantage of her opportunity, placing her lips around one of Amy's breasts in return.
I watched them for a few seconds before moving up to position myself at the opening of Lucy's womanhood. I heard Lucy moan in anticipation when she felt me slip between her labia, and she tried to arch her pelvis up to take me inside, but she was only able to move far enough to*almost* get the head of my erection inside. She released a frustrated moan, resigned to waiting for me to start pressing into her. Wet as she was, it was easy for me to bury myself in her in a single, smooth motion. She released Amy's breast long enough to gasp her pleasure before sucking it back between her lips.
Even as I began moving myself back and forth between her glistening labia, I watched the two of them nursing at each other's breast – and saw that the other breast on each sported a puckered areola and erect nipple.
Sandra watched all of us for several minutes, until she felt up to moving between Robyn's thighs to begin licking and sucking on Robyn's clitoris as she slid a couple of fingers into Robyn's wet opening.
Knowing Lucy as I did, it didn't take me long to bring her to the edge of an orgasm – only to let her slide away from it. A bit later, I brought her to the brink, and let the opportunity escape her again.
When I felt her desperate arching as she tried to hold me inside her, I started easing her to orgasm again, and when I knew she was on the very ragged edge of orgasm, held her there for several long, long seconds before giving her the nudge that tripped her release. I felt her vagina pulsing around my buried erection, and it felt great – but not great enough, yet, to let me have my own climax. The one I'd enjoyed with Amy had simply been too much, and too recent.
The power of Lucy's orgasm left her limp as a wet cloth, unable to continue her play with Amy. Amy watched as I slid myself out of Lucy, and with a look of awe, asked "What are you? Superman or something?"
I only smiled and shook my head before moving around to where Robyn and Sandra were joined. Sandra saw my wet erection waving in front of me, and moved to make room for me between Robyn's thighs. Her eyes wide, Sandra watched as I wedged the head of my penis between Robyn's labia as Robyn finally pulled her face from between Amy's thighs, her cheeks and chin glistening with Amy's oils. Amy took the opportunity to move forward and roll onto her back, next to Lucy, who could still barely stir. Sandra saw her opportunity, and moved to cover Amy's body with her own as Robyn closed her eyes in pleasure at the feeling of my erection filling her young womanhood.
Robyn and I made love for several minutes as Sandra and Amy took care of each other – we could see where Sandra's tongue was plumbing the depths of Amy's vagina, and how she was able to lap up Amy's ample fluids. We were watching when Sandra suddenly tilted her head back and released a long, low moan as Amy brought her to orgasm – the sight and sound of it was enough to trigger Robyn into her own climax; her vagina clasping at my erection was finally enough to let me join her, firing shot after shot of hot sperm deep inside her.
When the last few drops had left me, I lowered myself to cover Robyn's body with my own, my mostly-erect penis still inside her. She reached up to hug me, then gestured with her head that she wanted to lay on top of ME. Taking her into my arms, I rolled us over, where we bumped against Lucy. With a little maneuvering, Robyn and I got our legs reversed, so that hers were spread and resting outside of mine as I held her in my arms, her head resting on my shoulder.
I looked down, and could see that Amy had her eyes locked on where I was still inside Robyn. With a touch of wonder in her voice, I heard her say "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd have never believed he could get that thing inside them – but he did. It was incredible, watching Sandra take all of him inside her; and now I can see that Robyn can do it, too. It's absolutely amazing."
"What's amazing is that he gave every one of us an orgasm with that *thing* of his – even if he did tease me with it!" Lucy said, slapping my leg in play. Sandra and Amy both laughed, and I could feel Robyn's body shake as she silently joined them.
A moment later, Lucy announced "Doctor, I think the treatment was a success: the patient has recovered. Unfortunately, the staff has died in the process!" – and all of us laughed with her.
Finally, my penis softened enough to pull free of Robyn, uncorking our combined juices and leaving them free to dribble down to soak our pubic hair.
After a minute, Robyn squirmed above me before lifting her head to say "It's nice cuddling like this, but I'm getting just a*little* draft, if you know what I mean!"
Amy announced "I can't imagine WHY", launching all of them into a fit of giggles.
When they'd caught their breath, Amy told us "I'm sorry to say that I don't think my poor tub will hold all of us, but I'm sure it will handle three. I'm starting to feel a little sticky, so if anyone wants to join me, they're welcome."
As she started to get up, Lucy did too, and the two of them headed in to clean off – each other, and together, I imagined. Sandra opted to stay with me and Robyn.
When they got out about fifteen minutes later, Amy told us "If you want to go right in, there's plenty of hot water. There's one REALLY HUGE boiler for all the apartments, and I've never run out."
The three of us thanked her, and Robyn teamed up with Sandra to get me up and moving when I protested having to move. In the bathroom, we found that Amy had made sure there were plenty of towels available; she'd even set a couple out for us before leaving the bathroom. While Robyn and Sandra explored each other, I got the shower started; when the temperature was right, all three of us got in. Sandra and I helped Robyn clean off, then Robyn and I did Sandra. Finally, the two of them gave ME a good going over – and it felt WONDERFUL. I truly regretted it when Sandra finally turned the water off as Robyn opened the shower door. Continuing their pampering, both dried me off, and had me sit on the commode as they went on to dry each other. When we were all ready, I stood up and each of them pulled an arm around so my hand held one of their breasts as they each put an arm around me.
We headed back into the bedroom – only to find no one there. We went on to find them in the living room, sitting at opposite ends of the couch, naked.
I moved to sit in a chair, and Amy quickly grabbed my arm to pull me down between them, then guide Sandra to Lucy's lap, and Robyn to her own. With me seated, Amy and Lucy moved to close any gap, so that both were resting against me.
A few minutes later, Amy asked if anyone was hungry – and getting prompt confirmation from Sandra and Robyn. When she asked what we wanted, each of us answered that about anything would be fine. She suggested spaghetti, and we all readily agreed – it sounded pretty darn good, actually.
Amy eased Robyn onto my lap, then got up to go into the kitchen. We heard her moving around, and Lucy asked if she wanted any help, or if there was anything one of us could do. Amy simply told her that everything was under control, and that what we could do was just sit there and rest. A few minutes later, she reappeared, telling us that the spaghetti was started, and that everything would be ready in ten minutes, or so. She collected kisses from Robyn and Sandra, then disappeared into the kitchen again. A few minutes later, we detected the smell of hot garlic bread, and the first whiff of spaghetti sauce. About the time we were ready to start drooling all over ourselves, she announced that supper was ready – I was last to the table because Lucy used me as a brace to get up herself.
Once we were seated, Amy told us "I'm not much of a religious person, but if you want to say a prayer, you're welcome to."
Before any of the others could tell her that we weren't religious, either, I said "In that case, I'll use an old Boy Sprout prayer. We used it mostly on camping trips, in the winter. Lets you get to the food before it gets cold."
All four of them looked at me as I intoned "Rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub. Yay, Lord!" – and reached for some hot garlic bread.
All of them cracked up in response, and dinner was on. With the five of us sitting there naked, it was a pretty casual thing – when spaghetti sauce dripped onto someone, one of the people next to them would lick it off. Considering the company, I think more than a few of the 'spills' were less than accidental.
It was a good thing Amy made as much as she did – all of us filled our bellies, and there was only a single piece of garlic bread left when we were done. Robyn and I both started to reach for it at the same time, but Robyn laughingly gave up when I curled my lip and growled at her. The rest thought it was hysterical, and almost laughed until they cried.
When the food was gone, we all slid our chairs back to finish up the nice wine that Amy provided. When Lucy, Amy, and I started to talk with each other, Robyn and Sandra quietly got up and started to clear the table. Amy tried to protest, but both of them studiously ignored her after telling her that they were happy to do it after the good food. When she looked to us for help, Lucy and I just shrugged.
After a couple minutes, Robyn and Sandra rejoined us. When we'd finished our wine, Amy asked if anyone wanted coffee. Lucy asked if she had any decaf, and Amy assured her she did before getting up and heading into the kitchen; a moment later, we heard a grinding noise, then water being poured. When she came back, Lucy raised an eyebrow, and Amy told us that she preferred the taste of fresh-ground coffee.
She also thanked Sandra and Robyn for loading the dishes into the dishwasher, and putting away the rest of the spaghetti and sauce from the pots.
When we heard the coffeemaker finally burble it's job was done, Lucy and I got up with her to go to the kitchen. A couple moments later, the girls joined us. Amy tried to protest that we were her guests, and I told her "Amy, we're not your guests. We're your*friends*. If I ask you to get me a cup of coffee, I expect to hear you ask me if my arm is broken, or tell me – profanely – to get it myself. Okay?"
She grinned, and nodded, and let us pour our own damn coffee before we all headed into the living room. This time, Robyn shared my and Lucy's lap while Sandra filled Amy's. Robyn and Sandra listened as Amy, Lucy, and I continued the conversation we'd been having in the kitchen, but every so often, one of them would speak up to add something to what one of the rest of us was saying.
As the evening wore on, Amy felt more and more comfortable about telling us things about herself – even though she'd pretty much opened up to us that first night, the things she told us now were more immediate, and somehow more 'personal'. One of the things that she mentioned was that Agent Tom Gallery had asked her out for dinner or drinks a few times. She said that she knew he was interested in her, but until recently, hadn't felt comfortable enough with men to be willing to go out with him. It wasn't that she didn't like his company or anything like that; rather, she'd been concerned that she'd like him too much, and find herself in bed with him – only to be hurt or disappointed again. She liked him, but was afraid that she'd turned him down one too many times, and that he wouldn't ask her again.
After getting a promise that she'd keep what I had to tell her confidential, I told her about the conversations I'd had with Gallery. She was surprised to know that he'd taken notice that she didn't seem to get any 'bed rest', or talk about her friends outside the Bureau. Then she was absolutely amazed that Gallery had told me he was fine with the idea of her being with us – and that he'd seemed to know that the 'us' was more than just her and me. I went on to tell her that his only apparent interest had been that she be happy, and that she broke out of the 'shell' he thought she had around her – and that he'd also noticed the change in her, and thanked me for it.
When she said that she wasn't sure what to do, that she still liked him and thought she was ready to go out with him but was afraid he wouldn't ask again, it was Lucy that surprised her by suggesting that Amy ask HIM out.
Amy tried to protest that she couldn't, and Lucy simply told her "Amy, if you like him, and want to go out with him, you've got two choices. Either you can wait for him to ask you again – which may be a while – or YOU can ask HIM out. You're a grown woman. You're an FBI agent, and you willingly put yourself between crooks and their victims. If that isn't guts, I don't know what is. Besides, if you can bring yourself to be the one to ask for the date, then you can be pretty damn sure that you're ready for what a relationship with him might involve. It might turn out he just wants company while he gets drunk, or it might be that he actually cares about you, and wants something more than just a night in bed. Or it might be that he wants something in between those two extremes. However it turns out, you'll never know what*might* happen between the two of you until there's a *two* of you for something to happen between."
Even I understood the twisted syntax of that last sentence, and it seemed to make a lot of sense to Amy, too. She sat there for a bit, sipping her coffee, while the rest of us stayed silent. When she finally looked up at us again, she said "I'll do it. I'm going to ask Tom Gallery out. I won't really see him for a couple days, but I'm going to do it. He and I will both have off time in a week or so, and that's when I'll try to make the date for."
Sandra hugged her, surprising Amy a little, before saying "Good for you, Amy. You ought to have someone special, like the rest of us – you're a good person, and a*great* kisser!" – that last part making Amy turn pink while the rest of us laughed.
With the world's problems solved, there didn't seem to be anything left but for us to go to bed – all of us had started yawning, and I think the evenings earlier activities had tired us all.
Amy told us that she didn't think that her bed would hold all of us, and asked Robyn and Sandra if they'd mind sleeping on the couch – that it opened up into a small bed. Both readily agreed, and Amy asked Lucy and I to go ahead and get ready while she got the girls set up. We did as she asked, and a few minutes later, she came in to find us laying on opposite sides of the bed. She looked at us quizzically, and Lucy told her "It's your bed. You get the middle.
Besides, BOTH of us want to cuddle with you. Amy smiled, and climbed up between us from the foot of the bed. When she was ready, Lucy and I both rolled onto our sides. I tucked my legs up, and Amy lifted her legs to let them drape over mine. Lucy and I each rested an arm on Amy, bending them so that our hands laid on her breasts. In return, Amy let her hands rest on the top insides of our thighs. Lucy kissed her on the cheek, and when Amy turned her head, kissed her again on the lips. Amy just looked at her as Lucy told her "Amy, Sandra was right. You*are* a good person, and you*do* deserve to have someone special. And you are a*terrific* kisser!", the last with a smile.
Amy turned her head to look at me, and I softly kissed her on the forehead, then again on the lips, before telling her "Remember what I told you about yourself, that first night? Every bit of it is true. *I* love you. Lucy loves you. Robyn and Sandra love you. I'm a guy, and from the way Tom talks, I'd bet HE loves you, too. But you'll never know for*sure* unless you're willing to take the chance. Amy, one thing I've learned along the way is that it isn't the thing itself that's so hard, but the worrying and thinking about it beforehand."
She nodded her understanding, then laughed when I told her "Besides – if we have to come back here for*another* treatment, I don't think we could stand it!"
She gave me a chaste, but still deeply loving, kiss. The three of us lay there, happy to be holding each other, as we drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up neatly spooning with Amy, who was spooning with Lucy. Both of us had an arm around the person in front of us; and if Amy was doing what*I* was, she had a secure hold on Lucy's breast. Lucy had her arm resting on Amy, her hand on Amy's bare hip.
I carefully eased myself out of bed, and made a trip to the bathroom before heading out to check on Robyn and Sandra – both of whom were dead to the world, snuggled up next to each other. Back in the bedroom, I gently slid my way back into bed, until I was again nestled against Amy's back, and had my arm around her to hold her breast in my hand. After a few minutes, I fell asleep again.
When I woke up again, I was on my back, and Amy was laying on her side, resting against me with her arm on my chest. I turned my head to look at her, and saw that she was wide awake. I also noticed that Lucy was missing from the other side of her.
Amy smiled at me, and said "You were still asleep when we woke up; Lucy told me that she was going to go cuddle with the girls, and that I could have your for a little while after you woke up, if I wanted.
I was laying here looking at you while you were asleep, and I decided that I wanted."
I put a mock-horrified look on my face, and exclaimed "Good Grief!
I've been traded!"
Amy giggled, and said "No, not traded – I don't think Lucy would give you up for anything. You're just being loaned, for a little while.
You don't mind, do you?"
I smiled at her, and answered "For you, no, I don't mind being loaned out."
She smiled back, and I put an arm around her before she nestled herself against me even more. We lay there like that for quite a while before she whispered into my chest "I wish I could wake up like this*every* morning."
"I'd be willing, but I think Lucy might object after a while, though.", I told her.
She giggled, and said "No, as much as I love you, and as nice as you and the rest have been, it's not YOU that I want, but someone of my OWN. Somebody that makes me feel the way you do; somebody that I feel about the way I do all of you; somebody that I can share my life with."
I hugged her, and said "Amy, that person is out there. I promise. It might be Tom Gallery, it might not. But whoever it is, they're out there. You just have to be open to seeing them when they show up, and willing to follow up on it when you find them. You might find a few wrong ones along the way, but you'll never find the RIGHT one if you don't at least try. The only thing I'd ask is that you don't settle for anything less than the best, okay?"
She hugged me back, and said "But the BEST is already taken – by Lucy. But I know what you mean."
A little while later, she told me "If I'm going to have to wait until I find my best, then I'd better get something from THE best, to get me by for a while." before reaching down to take me in her hand.
When she felt me start to respond to her touch, she kissed my chest, and eased herself around so she could watch as she used her hand to bring me semi-erect. With that accomplished, she didn't hesitate to move a little farther and take me into her mouth. When she did, I gently nudged her leg, and she readily moved around to let me guide her over my head. With her open above me, I took a few moments to try and memorize how she looked: underneath her dark red pubic hair, her clitoris was already making an appearance. Her labia were already starting to swell; extending to the outer margins of her mons, there was a distinct shine between them, where the entrance to her womanhood was. I could already detect the faint perfume of her essence, and extended my tongue to sample it directly – and finding it as delightful as I had the first time. Taking each of her labia between my lips, I gently lip-chewed them before taking them even further into my mouth to softly suck on them. I heard her sounds of pleasure and arousal when I did, and continued to focus on them for a little longer. I finally moved my attentions to the glistening opening she was presenting to me – sliding my stiffened tongue into it before placing my lips around it to try and softly suck more of her essence into my mouth. As I did that, I went on to slide my tongue in and out of her, making love to her with it; my reward was an increase in the nectar she produced in response.
When my taste buds had their fill, I went on to apply myself to her clitoris, which was now fully exposed and ready for my attentions. I fluttered across it with the tip of my tongue, and heard her moan in response before I did it again, and getting a similar reaction. I put my lips around it, and rhythmically sucked on it gently, in time with the movement of her hot mouth on my erection. I continued doing that for another couple of minutes before gradually changing over to draw circles around her clitoris with the tip of my tongue; I could hear and feel her arousal and passion increase the longer I did it, until finally, she released my erection from her mouth as I heard and felt her orgasm over me. As each spasm passed through her, I gently pressed on her clitoris with my lips, intensifying what she was going through, and prolonging it, judging from her gasps and moans.
When enough of it had passed, she managed to move off my head, and turn herself around next to me. Her eyes hooded in desire, she moved down until she was able to straddle my hips. Reaching between us with both hands, she used one to hold herself open, and the other to hold my erection steady as she impaled herself on me. When I was about halfway into her, she released her hold on me, then on herself, and leaned forward to put her hands on the bed above my shoulders. That left her breasts dangling in front of me, in open invitation. As she worked herself the rest of the way down onto me, I lifted my head again to take the ends of each of her breasts into my mouth, first one then the other, sucking on them as I ran my tongue across her nipples. As I was doing that, I raised my hands to hold her breasts, cupping and squeezing them – she pressed them into my hands in encouragement to continue what I was doing.
I felt her settle into my 'lap', and was delighted when she decided to pause for a little bit – she felt wonderful around me, and I wanted a little time to savor the sensation. There was even more to enjoy when she started experimenting with her vaginal muscles, learning how better to control them. After a bit, she said "It actually feels better when I can let them relax, when I'm looser". I told her that it felt pretty good to me, too, and she smiled before trying it some more. When she was satisfied, she lifted herself off me, until the tight ring of her entrance was just behind the head of my penis, then settled herself down onto me again. She waited a few moments, then did it again, only slightly faster. Another pause, and again she raised and lowered herself, only marginally faster than the time before. Several more times she did it, until she found a speed and frequency that pleased her. I was glad that it was something that I could live with – she was moving herself over me fast and often enough to keep me hard, but not enough to stimulate me too much. It felt positively wonderful, and I was easily able to continue playing with her firm breasts, and sucking on the ends of them.
After a while, I heard her panting start to speed up, and felt her moving over me more and more quickly as she pressed herself against me harder and harder when I was all the way inside her. I knew that she was working herself toward another orgasm, and I did everything I could to distract myself from letting the feeling of what she was doing push me into climaxing with her. It was a close call, but I managed to keep from unloading in her when she all but slammed herself down onto me before throwing her head back as she released a deep, passionate cry of release. I was fascinated by the expressions that crossed her face as she went through her orgasm – I could only hold her breasts, and squeeze them in time with the clasping of her vagina around my penis. If I'd dared try to move in her, I know I would have emptied myself into her.
When her orgasm had passed, she almost fell as she leaned forward to rest on my chest. I put my arms around her, and held her tightly as I rained soft kisses on her face and shoulders. A little time later, she raised her head to look at me for a few moments before kissing me, deeply and passionately. I returned it with as much of each as she was giving me. When our kiss finally broke, I could see that she was again flushed with desire, and panting in arousal. I took her into my arms again, and shifted my legs to be outside of hers before carefully rolling us over. With me above her, she looked deep into my eyes, and said "Now we're going to make love TOGETHER, aren't we?"
I nodded in affirmation, and kissed her softly on the lips as she moved her legs to be outside of mine – then lifted them up so that her ankles were crossed behind me. Resting on my elbows, I started moving in her, in slow, steady strokes – letting myself withdraw almost completely before filling her with my hardness again. After only a few such strokes, she started moving in counterpoint to what I was doing: lifting her pelvis in welcome to me, and letting it fall again as I slid out of her.
We continued like that for several minutes, letting the passion build as we made slow, gentle love with each other. With our eyes locked, there was nothing else but each other. It wasn't the deeply emotional experience that Lucy and I had shared; but it was still deeper – and meant more – than what we'd experienced the first time we made love.
Finally, we could see in each other's faces that both of us were ready for it to end. I raised myself up onto my arms as Amy unlocked her ankles and drew her knees nearly up to her shoulders, angling herself to take me as deeply as possible.
I slowly speeded up my thrusts in her, watching as her breasts wobbled slightly in reaction. For her part, I saw her focus, and felt it as she started applying what she'd learned about controlling her vaginal muscles – I could feel her relaxing around me, letting me slip in and out of her relatively easily. She was still hot and tight inside, but now it was a most pleasant tightness. I maintained the pace I'd gotten into; I could see from her face that it was moving her along very nicely, just as it was doing for me.
Several minutes later, I felt the sensation in my balls that let me know that there wasn't any turning back – that one way or another, I was going to climax. With that, I changed my position slightly, so that as I entered her, it pulled more on her labia, and applied a little more pressure to her clitoris. I heard her groan her approval in response, and kept going.
A few more minutes, and I felt the stirring that told me only a few more strokes would do it. At that point, I slowed down considerably, sliding myself in and out of her from one end of my penis to the other, bumping myself against her clitoris when I was fully inside her. Even as I sensed the first wad of semen leaving my balls, I felt her tighten around me as she loudly cried out her release. Whether it was God, Fate, luck, or whatever, I don't know – all I'm sure of is that the tightening of her vagina as her spasms hit her was in perfect timing with my own: even as the first shot of my jism was entering her, her vaginal muscled tightened around me. Then as I felt the next one, she would relax to let it through, only to tighten down on me when it was inside her. Our eyes remained locked on each other, and both of us were pleased by it.
As the last of my semen flowed into her, I remembered something; when I looked up, I could see that she'd grabbed a pillow, and sunk her fingernails into it, instead of me. She realized where I was looking, then what she'd done – and gave me a surprisingly shy smile before saying "After last time, I wanted to be sure I didn't hurt you. I think Lucy forgave me for the first time, but I didn't want to push it."
I smiled back, and told her "I think Lucy would have understood better than you think – but*I'm* glad you did it, anyway."
She giggled a little, and I lowered myself to rest above her, supporting myself on my elbows so that we could kiss each other softly and lovingly. We stayed like that until my penis softened enough to pull free of her – and a couple minutes longer. Finally, though, both of us felt the need to clean up. We got up and headed in to share a shower, playfully soaping each other up while paying particular attention to the fun parts. When we'd run out of things to play with, and excuses for not getting out, Amy turned off the shower, and I reached out to grab a towel to start drying her off.
She didn't help any by wrapping her arms around me and refusing to turn loose. I finally got to finish the job when I pointed out that as much as she liked me drying her back, her front would probably be even more fun. When I was done, she looked up into my face and told me that the front HAD been more fun – but that it was her turn, now.
I waited patiently as she meticulously dried off every part of me – some parts better than others. When she was done, I pulled her into my arms for a hug and kiss before we went out to say good morning to the others. We found the three of them on the sofa-bed, Lucy in the middle with Robyn and Sandra snuggled into her sides. All three of them were watching cartoons on Amy's TV, with the sound turned low.
Robyn looked up at Amy with an impish grin, and said "I don't know WHY we had to turn the sound down – YOU TWO were making so much noise I don't think you would have heard a train wreck!"
Amy blushed, and asked "Were we really that loud?"
Lucy grinned as she answered "Only one of you. The scream woke all three of us up!"
Amy blushed even darker, and started to apologize when Sandra grinned, and told her "It's okay. He does that to us, sometimes, too.
Besides, it made me feel*so* horny!" – and getting a laugh from Robyn and Lucy.
Amy offered to fix us all breakfast, and Lucy just told her "No, you lay down here, and I'll fix it."
Amy started to protest, and Lucy teased her by saying "No, I'll do it. I think we all know that you got plenty of 'exercise' this morning, already!"
Amy turned pink again, but accepted Lucy's decision, moving to lay between Robyn and Sandra, who both grinned at her as they made room for her. It wasn't a very large bed, so there wasn't room for me to join them; I had to content myself with leaning back in a*very* comfortable recliner. Lucy stopped off to give me a kiss before heading into the kitchen. We heard a little rummaging around, then a few minutes later, the smell of fresh coffee greeted us. Robyn and Sandra both got up and headed into the kitchen, coming back with large mugs of fresh coffee that they handed to Amy and I before they resumed their places next to her.
A couple of cartoons later, we all detected the smell of eggs, bacon, and fried potatoes; a minute later, Lucy brought plates out for each of us, each one well loaded with food. She disappeared again, and came out with her own plate and mug of coffee, then took her seat on my lap. The conversation was light and sparse as we wrapped ourselves around our meals.
When we were done, Robyn and Sandra again assumed cleanup duties; this time, Amy didn't bother trying to fight it. Particularly when they brought all three of us fresh mugs of coffee, delivered with a kiss.
Finally, Amy asked what time we had to be at the airport. Lucy told her what time the flight was, and Amy said that we had another hour before we should leave. Then she made a couple of false starts before asking if we'd do her a favor. I assured her that we would, if we could, and asked what the favor was. She bashfully admitted that she wanted to know if we could take a few photos with my digital camera, so she'd have something special to remember us by. All of us chimed in that we'd be more than happy to. I went to where I'd left my bags, and dug out the camera and it's cable. Checking to make sure it still had plenty of power left, I took it into the living room, and asked Amy what photos she wanted. She finally told me that she wanted them to be of her with all of us – naked. Lucy and I smiled at her while Robyn and Sandra just grinned. It didn't take long before the camera held images of Amy with Lucy and I standing on each side of her, Amy with Robyn and Sandra, Amy with each of us individually, and all five of us together.
I hooked the camera to Amy's computer, and quickly copied the images from it's memory to her hard drive. From there, it was easy enough to call them up so she could see them any time she liked. Her eyes wet, she looked at each of them for several seconds before shutting down the computer, and standing up to give each of us a hug and kiss.
Only then did she tell us that we probably needed to get dressed, and ready to go to the airport.
When all of us had taken care of our morning duties, and dressed, Lucy, the girls, and I collected our bags and set them by the front door. Amy was the last to appear, coming out of her bedroom in the same dress that she'd worn when she first visited us. She hesitated, then said "Once we're out that door, I know I can't give you all the kind of goodbye that I want to, so I want to do it now, while I can."
With that, she moved to kiss and hug Sandra, then Robyn. Lucy was next, and finally me – and she was*still* a damn fine kisser.
That done, we picked up our bags, and headed out the door. As Amy was loading our bags into the trunk of her car, I looked around – sure enough, about every apartment in sight had a drape or window blind pulled to the side so the resident could see who Amy was 'protecting'. I whispered to Amy "You were right – everybody that can is looking at us. What say we give them a thrill, and check our weapons before we get in the car?"
She laughed quietly, and said "Sure, sounds good to me!" That said, both of us drew our weapons, and made sure they were loaded and ready to go as Lucy and the girls got into the car. With a nod to each other, we put them away, then got in her car. As we were leaving, Lucy asked me "And what was all that about? Pulling your guns out, I mean?" I told her about the people that had been peeking at us, and how Amy and I had decided to add a little excitement to their lives.
When they heard about that, all three of them broke up into hysterical laughter, Amy and I joining them.
Since we hadn't left the hotel yet, none of the news people thought to hang out at the airport. Amy pulled up in front of the departure terminal for our airline, and we all piled out. The skycap gave me a double-take, but didn't say anything. When Amy had unloaded our bags with Lucy's help, he got them all tagged, and gave me the receipts. I tried to hand him a twenty, and he just said "No need for that, sir.
I saw you on the TV the other night, and it's my pleasure to help out. You and this lady, you done a good thing, and I'm proud to be of service to you both."
I tried to give it to him to pass along, explaining that I wanted our bags loaded last; he still refused it, saying "I tell the ground crew who they belong to, they'll be just as happy as I am to do it for nothing, sir."
Lucy had a try at him, too, without success. I finally conceded the defeat, and asked if I could at least shake his hand. He perked up considerably, and told me "I'd be right proud to, sir." We shook, and he was positively beaming with pride when we went inside with Amy.
She stood back a ways as we got in line to pick up our tickets, but someone from the airline came out from behind the counter to approach us. Amy moved closer to us, and heard him quietly ask me "Mr.
Andrews? I'm with the airline, sir. There's no need for you to stand out here; we've got your tickets all ready. If you'll follow me, sir, we can get you on your way without any, um, undue attention."
I thanked him, and the five of us followed him to the end of the ticket counter, where he discretely handed me our tickets. I thanked him, and he told me "It's our pleasure, sir. We thought that you might be experiencing a certain amount of notoriety, and prepared the tickets ahead of time. We deal with enough celebrities and such that we know publicity can be awkward and inconvenient at times."
I thanked him again, and we started for the departure gate.
When we got to the security checkpoint, all of us loaded our bags onto the little conveyor to be X-rayed. Lucy, Robyn, and Sandra all went through the metal detector; I showed them my gun permit, and started around it. One of the security people put a hand in my chest, and told me that I'd still have to go through the detector – that he'd hold my weapon. I looked down to where his hand was, then looked him in the eye. He pulled his hand back, and I told him "That's a federal permit. It means I don't have to turn the weapon over to *anyone*, for*any* reason."
He told me that was wrong, and started to tell me something else when Amy lit into him. First thing she did was show him her FBI ID. That got his attention.
"Officer" – she looked at his nametag – "Larson. This man is carrying a FEDERAL permit. As he told you, it entitles him to carry his weapon virtually ANYWHERE. That means he has the right to bypass this security checkpoint completely. As a COURTESY to you, he allowed his carryon, and those of the people with him, to be scanned. That he tried to explain to you what his permit means is an indication of his patience, and a sure sign of your ignorance. As an added bonus attraction, this man is Dan Andrews. If you'd watched anything but cartoons the last few days, you would know that he personally helped the FBI seize and recover a BILLION and a quarter dollars. You would also know that he has done more crime-busting in the last week than you're likely to do in your entire lifetime. So,*Officer*" – she said it like it left a bad taste in her mouth – "unless you want to find out what it's like to make sure no one steals the tires off the planes at the salvage yard, I suggest that you show this man the respect he's due, and let him go."
The other people at the checkpoint watched all of this in silence – Amy hadn't left them any doubt about which direction was uphill from where they were.
The security guy turned about the color of library paste as Amy was talking to him; when she was done, it took him a couple tries before he could get out an apology, and tell me he'd made a mistake. I politely thanked him, and Amy and I moved toward where the others were standing a little way down the concourse.
Beside me, I heard Amy grumble "Jackass airport security people.
Decent ones cost too much, and the ones that are willing to take the pay aren't worth*shit*."
I laughed, and told her "Amy, that was some kind of speech you gave him. I haven't seen anybody turn that shade of white in a*long* time."
She looked over at me, and finally grinned, telling me "It just drives me nuts when somebody with a badge gets too full of themselves. People have to deal with idiots like him, they start to think*anyone* with a badge is going to be just like him."
"Only until they meet people like you, and the rest of them. Then they know what*real* law enforcement is all about."
She smiled at me, and we joined the others to make our way to the departure gate. We made a brief stop at a newsstand so Lucy and the girls could pick up something to read; I expected to have enough to do with my laptop.
We still had over half an hour before our plane would take on passengers, so the five of us found a quiet spot in one corner to spend time with each other. Amy chatted quietly with Robyn and Sandra while I told Lucy about what Amy had done at the security checkpoint.
She laughed when I was done, and interrupted Amy long enough to congratulate her, and thank her.
When she turned back to me, I told her "There's still something that you need to start thinking about, and planning for."
She looked at me in expectation, and I told her "You've still got a wedding to plan, remember?"
With that, she suddenly realized that it had completely slipped her mind, and looked down to the diamond ring on her finger before looking up at me again with tears in her eyes.
I told her "Oh, now don't go crying. Your face'll get all puffy, and you'll scare the stewardesses. Excuse me, flight attendants. Besides, I'll be there – I promise!"
She laughed, and leaned over to give me a hug and kiss before sitting up again. When they finally announced that our flight was ready to board, all of us stood up, even though we'd be the last called because of our first class tickets – Lucy's boss had come through for us on that, too. Finally, they announced boarding of first class passengers, and Amy came over to wish us a good flight. All four of us politely kissed her on the cheek in goodbye – careful to ignore the tears in her eyes. As I stood up to head for the gateway, I noticed that several of the guys around us were looking at me with envy before they went back to eyeballing Amy. I caught her eye, and indicated that she should look around. She did, discretely, and her eyes were smiling when she looked back at me.
The flight back was as bland as the flight out, but Robyn and Sandra still found ways to enjoy it. Lucy sat next to me, holding my hand the entire time. I found out that watching her look out the plane window wasn't boring, at all.
After we landed and collected our bags, we found that Lucy's company had set up a limo to get all of us home.
The next day was spent getting ourselves settled back into our normal routine; the days after that were spent taking care of all the things that everyone wanted us to do when we got back: I went with Lucy to her office, where they showed her where her new office was, and gave her the keys to her own – new – company car, and presented her with a *very* nice bonus check. They wanted to give me a bonus, too, but I convinced them to make annual payments to the FBI's Emergency Relief fund, instead. Their client showed up to give me a certified check – in the amount of $25,425,034.64. The FBI had officially totaled the money directly accountable to my efforts as something over 317 million dollars; Lucy's client cheerfully figured my payment down to the last penny of the FBI's figure. The only 'publicity' they wanted out of it was a few photos as they handed over the check; they were considerate enough not to want turn it into a big media event.
It was several weeks before I could go anyplace without having people I didn't know coming up to me for one reason or another.
Robyn and Sandra became major celebrities at their respective schools; Sandra's parents were more than a little upset with us, but got over it soon enough. It helped that Clara Hawkes sent her a nice letter, thanking her for helping putting a dent in a major crime family, and assisting the FBI in recovering well over a billion dollars.
Robyn stayed alert to what was around her, and told me once that she'd noticed a guy following her home from school. The next day, I shadowed her, and found him. It turned out to be a local reporter, trying to find a way to make a story out of her. Between looking at the business end of my.45, and my explanation of how*very* disappointed I was in him, he decided that he didn't want the story all that much. Neither Robyn nor I ever said anything about it to Lucy. Lucy and Robyn actually got used to having me wearing my.45 whenever I went out. I quit wearing the vest, but having the weapon with me felt pretty good.
Over the next six months or so, the trial of the TechnoDynamics bunch took place. Their lawyers tried to fight it as best they could, but the evidence was simply too overwhelming. Lucy and I both had to make several trips for depositions, and then a final one to appear on the witness stand. Each visit, we'd spend a little time with Amy – sometimes in her bed, sometimes not. Either way, it was always a pleasure – particularly when she could get Tom Gallery to join us; the two of them had apparently become something of an item.
My accountant had a running battle with the IRS. I'd hired him for the simple reason that he had a well-deserved reputation for doing everything he could to legally reduce the taxes his clients paid. The IRS didn't see it that way where I was concerned, and he spent no small amount of time in IRS offices defending his actions. It only ended when a Senator for our state got the letter I sent to him, explaining what had happened, and how the IRS was getting a little full of themselves. When he got involved, they eventually decided that everything my accountant had done was legal and reasonable, and finally quit jerking him around. When all was said and done, I ended up getting to keep a little over three quarters of the fee I'd gotten – about eighteen million dollars. I promptly had the accountant set up a trust that would deposit about thirty thousand a year into the Emergency Fund at the FBI office where Lucy and I had gone; when Clara heard about it, she actually called us, and cried as she told us over and over again how much they appreciated it.
The trial finally ended with the whole TechnoDynamics bunch going to prison for a long, long time; a few months later, Amy got married to Tom Gallery. When Muddy heard about the planned nuptials, he politely informed them that HE was doing the catering – for free, since they'd both helped protect me and the girls. They tried to argue it with him, but didn't do any better at it than I ever did.
When Lucy and I set the date, her ex-husband agreed that since their boys didn't care to visit Lucy, and Robyn didn't like to visit them, that it was best if the visits were allowed to stop.
Robyn was the ring bearer, and Sandra the flower girl. Muddy catered, and did double duty as my best man. Jules showed up, too – with Mark.
Jules told me how well Mark was doing: straight 'A' grades. He also told me that he'd found out that Mark had gone to thank the couple that sold me the car, and found the husband trying to build a deck – after hurting himself on the project the weekend before. Mark had talked the man into sitting in a lawn chair, and finished the job himself. When the couple tried to pay him, he'd simply refused, thanked them again for their help, and left. Mark told me that he was having supper a couple times a week with the older couple he was renting the apartment from; they seemed to enjoy the company, and it reassured them that he was there if they needed any help. With pride, he offered me his last bank statements – he'd opened checking and savings accounts, and both showed that he was being extremely responsible with his money.
Tom and Amy managed to make it to the wedding, too – bringing along a congratulatory card signed by every agent assigned to their office, and a gift that all the protective detail had chipped in for.
Even old Benny Falcone sent us a wedding present – hand delivered by Charlie, who told me he was getting out of the 'business'. I congratulated him, and he looked considerably relieved when I shook his hand.
Lucy and I honeymooned on a trip on the Caribbean; Robyn stayed with Sandra without complaint, telling us that she just wanted us to be happy, and have some real private time together.
When we got back, we moved our things into the house we'd found while waiting for the trial. Four bedrooms on a large lot, it also had a separate guest house that I could turn into an office. It's also a *lot* closer to where Lucy used to live, so Sandra has been able to come over pretty much any time she wants – something that makes Robyn happy as can be. Robyn and Sandra both have steady boyfriends, but they still spend a pretty fair amount of time together, too.
Lucy wanted, and got, a cat that soon earned the name 'Wacko'. She (neutered) would be walking across the floor, and suddenly jump into the air and twist around, as though something had just attacked her.
The nearest thing to her might be some furniture, a good six feet away. She's an affectionate little beast, though, and considers any horizontal human anatomy to be a sleeping place.
We also got a dog – a neutered female black Labrador – that we named 'Sunshine' as a contrary to her coloring and a compliment to her personality. She and Wacko got along surprisingly well.
Amy and Tom have stayed with us a few times. Tom was pretty hesitant at first, even after Amy showed him the photos we'd taken that last morning; but when none of the rest of us displayed any concern about nudity or any of the rest of it, he gradually learned to relax.
Whenever the girls get into each other, he and I just sit out by the pool and drink beer.
Amy finally got her record back – after an additional seventeen tries. She's also informed me that if I get anywhere NEAR their range, she'll shoot me herself. I'm*pretty* sure she's only joking.
Tom says he wouldn't bet on it, either way.
Lucy's still working at the same company; she'd been promoted a couple more times, and her name is mentioned whenever brings up the subject of the next executive board opening.
I'm still free-lancing computer work, more to give myself something to do than anything else. Lucy bought me a nice camera system, telling me that the photos I took of them all in bed were really good. I've been messing around with it, and Lucy says she'd like to take some time off so the two of us could travel around the country while I took photos – she thinks they'd make a good coffee table book.
We'll see.