Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 (C) Copyright 2001.  M.C. All Rights Reserved. All Reproduction for fee or
profit forbidden.

   Copies of my stories can be downloaded from:
</files/Authors/MikeC/> or at
<http://StoriesOnline.net>

   Send all comments and suggestions to MikeC@NSpace.net



   =============

   James Part VII.  Wandering Afield.

   Chapter 36

   Saturday looked to be a scorcher as I picked Mr and Mrs Cipola up in the
morning.  Amanda's heat was at eleven - which was good because it would not
be too hot.  The final heat was scheduled for two, which meant they would
likely be sweltering in their suits.

   On the way I told them about Amanda's friend who owned a marina and had
been giving her lessons in the Junior-class runabout.  I assured them it
was very safe as the speeds were strictly controlled and full safety gear
was mandatory.

   Amanda ran up to us from where she and Sara was working on Neta.  "Mom,
Dad!" She gave each of them a hug and a kiss.

   She took my arm and, after kissing me softly, turned back to her
parents, "I'm not going to let James steal my thunder this time.  So... 
Mom, Dad, I love James and he loves me.  He's great and really cares for
me. And he makes me very, very happy."

   Mrs Cipola smiled at me and even Mr Cipola nodded.  He shook my hand,
"James, I think you're a fine young man, but if..."

   "If he ever breaks my heart, I will personally break every bone in his
worthless body.  So you needn't worry Dad!"

   "I was going to say if he needs some pointers in handling you, I'll be
glad to help!" He smiled.

   "Mom...!  Are you going to let them make fun of me?"

   "Oh my Amanda, you've grown up so!" Mrs Cipola said with tears in her
eyes, "And you've grown so too!" She was admiring Amanda's lush new body,
just as every guy within ten feet were.

   Amanda pointed towards the boat, "Sara's 'family' owns Max's Marina at
the lake and she's been helping me and getting me ready for this!  Anyways,
I gotta go - wish me luck!" Amanda took my hand and led me away.

   The pit area took up the entire perimeter of the river and ours was
towards the end.  'Jewel' was docked about thirty feet away and the girls
gave us the thumbs up from the cabin.

   Sara pointed to a boat, beautifully prepared in black and chrome trim,
still being polished and buffed by its crew.  "That's 'Black' Angus
Needham. He's won every race for the last three years.  Everyone is waiting
for him to move up in class next year but for now, he's the one to beat."

   Each heat was three laps around the course and Amanda's was the second
of four.  She would have to come in third or better for a berth in the
finals.  Each race began with a flying start, and the drivers had to time
themselves to be close to the start line when the flag was dropped.

   The five minute siren went and Sara fired up the engine, smiling and
giving it an affectionate pat.  I wished Amanda luck.

   "Where's my kiss?" She grabbed me and gave me one.  A REAL kiss.  Lips,
tongue, spit, erection - the works.  Everyone watched us and I could feel
her parents' cold stares stabbing me in the back.

   As the boats jockeyed for starting position, I could see the skill in
which Amanda handled her craft.  It was also obvious why the 'Black' boat
was tops.  It was driven coolly and competently.  Instead of cutting
sharply around the buoys, it was almost coasted around.

   Sara was intrigued, "Why would he do that?  All it does is slow down his
exit - his start speed will suffer!"

   The start flag dropped and Amanda was first through, followed by the
number 14 boat.  'Black' was third, hampered by the wide turn that Sara had
questioned.  But almost immediately, the quality of the boat was apparent.
It cornered better and it planed quicker than anyone else.  It had
overtaken #14 by the second turn and was hot behind Amanda.

   Amanda had the inside track on turn four when 'Black' nudged 'Neta' in
the side, enough to throw her entry wide and allowed 'Black' to cut in on
the inside.  After that, he pulled away, beating Amanda by ten feet,
although she still made the finals by placing second.

   The damage to the rear quarter was not serious and should not affect the
performance of the boat, but Amanda was dejected, "I can't hold him off and
once he's past me, he out-turns and out-accelerates me!"

   Sara came back from applying duct tape to the damaged section and said,
"He's got three things going for him - One, he's good; Two, he's got a
fantastic boat and Three, he cheats." She looked at us, "Check out the
chrome trim around his boat.  Look closely, you'll see that they stick down
almost three inches.  When he leans into his turns, the rails act like
strakes and stop the boat from slipping out.  I saw the gouge it made on
'Neta', it looks like they're made of heavy gage stainless steel."

   "So what can we do about it..."

   "Wait, there's more.  Did you notice how much polishing they were doing
to their boat?  And why he wouldn't take the turns in warm-up?" She held
out her finger, a pale white toothpaste substance was on it.  "They weren't
polishing it, they were applying a surfactant - good old soap!  When it
dissolves in water, it reduces the surface tension, making the boat less
sticky, and therefore quicker to plane!  And he had to take the warm-up
turns easy because he didn't want to wash it off too early!"

   "...Or to leave soap bubbles - but can we do something about that?"

   "Not too much - officially, we should lodge a complaint, but it's hard
to prove anything after the race.  We can try the soap trick too, but it
will be iffy since we've never tested it on 'Neta'..." Sara stopped and
smiled, "But we do have a secret weapon!"

   The boat had hooks on each side to allow it to be tied down during
transportation.  Sara had removed ours because it was not required.  Now
she was going to put them back.

   "Sorry baby, this is for a good cause." She said to 'Neta', then to us,
"This time I'll just put one at the center of gravity and low on the
hull..."

   "They'll drag in the water when I lean!"

   "Exactly, so at least we level the playing field some!"

   "Good, without the soap, I can take the turns harder and beat him at the
start again!"

   "But make sure you test out the new addition first!" Sara warned.

   Amanda went to 'Jewel' to cool off and talk to the girls about our
plans, returning with refreshments to watch the remaining heats.

   Many of the competitors were poorly prepared and two even got themselves
tangled in the marker buoys.  I timed the other competitors and nobody came
within 4 seconds of Amanda.  She would only have the 'Black' to contend
with.

   We were having sandwiches which Brenda had brought over when a
competitor from the last race, still in his Nomex suit and helmet came over
with his technician.

   The crew member introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Patrick and this is
Jesse... my brother." We shook hands and exchanged names.

   "Isn't it hot in the suit?" Amanda asked.  She had hers halfway open and
her boobs halfway out.  Patrick blushed and tore his gaze off them.

   Jesse shook his head and muttered something.  "Jessie, it's all right!
We know you're a girl!" Sara whispered.

   "How could you tell?!" Patrick blurted and got kicked in his shin.

   "My name's Jessica, but call me Jessie."

   "Come over on the 'Jewel', the aircon is running.  You can let your hair
down and cool off." Amanda invited, "Girls ONLY.  James, you can entertain
Patrick and watch the boat."

   I cracked us beers and found out from Patrick that Jessie shared
Amanda's infatuation with fast things and had talked him into helping her
with the sport.  He was taking Mechanical Engineering at the U and they
would race in the Summer.

   "It's very difficult for girls to break into the racing scene.  You are
either a bimbo, or must be a lesbian." He sneered.  "Black Angus is
bragging to everybody how he's gonna whip your asses.  He's positive Amanda
was just lucky, simply because he's sure no team involving females can be
any good.  Make sure Amanda watch out for him!"

   "We've seen some of his dirty tricks.  We were talking about lodging a
complaint after the race."

   "Not too much good there!  His Dad is Hal Needham, the F1 Racer, he owns
a couple of circuits up north and nobody is going to cross him because of a
lowly J-Classer!" He shook his head, "That's why I'm glad we're out. 
Jessie is sixteen already and she's promised this will be her last year."

   He shook my hand and wished us luck as the girls came back out.  Jessie
was back in her helmet and zipped up suit.  She dragged Patrick away,
saying, "Wow, you'd kill to see the babes on the boat!"

   Amanda took my arm and went up to her parents, "How'd you like it so
far?"

   "It's good dear, just be very careful!" Mrs Cipola was looking a bit
faint from the heat and no doubt from the smell of the 2-stroke engines.

   "Do you want me to take you back?  I can come back for Amanda later!"

   "No, I want to stay for the finals.  I'm very proud of you Amanda, I'm
just not used to the noise and the heat!"

   We went back as the horn sounded.  Sara had touched up the torn section
in the back and had painted the strapping hooks as well.

   "That's Jessie's boat," Sara pointed, "She actually won her heat so
she's quite good."

   As they took their warm-up turns, Amanda and Jessie stayed together,
just trailing 'Black'.  As the 3 minute clock wound down, Amanda sped up
and, still with Jesse alongside, beat 'Black' across the start flag by two
boat lengths.

   "Watch this," Sara murmured.

   The two leaders imperceptive slowed and sprayed the 'Black' coming up
behind them.  At the first turn, they were ahead by 15 feet.  Amanda took
the inside track as Jessie took a less torturous turn on the outside.

   Once past the turn, 'Black' was almost alongside Jessie when Amanda cut
across their bow and her rooster tail dumped on 'Black', allowing Jessie to
pull away.  As the soap washed off, 'Black' was not able to make up any
grounds on Amanda, while she would cut off any of his attempts to overtake
Jessie.

   The two girls were neck to neck on the final stretch until Amanda
throttled back to let Jessie cross before her.  'Black' was a distant
third.

   Jessica and Amanda took their victory laps to riotous cheers as each
unfurled a streamer saying 'Power Tuned by Max's High Performance'.

   It was a fine sight when they mounted the podium and removed their
helmets, revealing that two girls had taken first and second places.  Angus
Needham did not show to accept his third place finish.  Although he still
remained the points leader, his invincibility had been cracked, by girls,
no less.

   I found him bitching loudly by his pit to a crowd of hangers-ons.  I
took his hand and put my arm around his shoulder and turned him about.

   "How are you, Ang!" I cried, masking his "Oof!" as I squeezed his hand
hard.  I did not let up until I felt his bones rub against each other.

   "Walk with me and NOT A SOUND!" I hissed, steering him away from the
crowd.

   I waited until we were a good distance off, "I don't like anyone
mouthing off my girlfriend, understand?" He nodded as sweat ran down his
face.  "And if I even THINK you're dissing her, I break your knees as well.
Nod if you understand." He did.  I increased the pressure until he started
whining.

   "Now, do you want to keep this hand?" He nodded eagerly, "Go up to the
girls and congratulate them nicely, loud enough so I can hear you, then go.
I don't want to see your face around here anymore."

   He did as he was told, shaking their hands gingerly and grudging out his
congratulations.  He disappeared inside his trailer which soon drove away.

   I helped Sara tie 'Neta' up and said goodbye to the girls - they would
be going back to their own home too after dropping the boats off.  Then I
rejoined Amanda's parents as they waited for her to get changed, inviting
them to Frank's for a late lunch.

   "Amanda seems to be very good.  Did she let the other girl win?"

   "Oh, Amanda is VERY good, she has an innate understanding of machinery
and their dynamics.  And, yes, it's Jessica's last year of racing and
honestly, it would surprise me a lot if Amanda didn't let her take first
place." I looked at them, "Amanda is a winner in every way."

   Amanda came back out, hair tied in a loose bun, wearing a white blouse
and tight jeans, soft and all girl and all curves.  We stared.

   "Whaddaya think, guys?" She rested a fist on her hip and struck a pose.
My heart leapt in my throat.

   "Oh, Amanda, you look like an angel!" Her mother blubbered on her as she
smiled and took my hand.

   "Wow, you HAVE grown up!" Mr Cipola shook his head.  "Wow!" He repeated.

   We drove over to the restaurant and met Frank inside.  He shook my hand
and bowed over Amanda's, impressing the hell out of her parents.  After she
introduced them they too received the effuse welcome.

   "Dad, can we get champagne - for the occasion?"

   He nodded, "Just this once, I suppose!  But you're too young to start
drinking, young lady!"

   "You know I won't, Dad." She smiled at me, "I'm giddy enough as it
is..."

   "Tell us about this job you have!" Mrs Cipola asked, "You were awfully
cryptic on the phone!"

   Amanda fished out the contracts and told us about her modeling career
and the job as engineering consultant.  "It will be all week up at the
Marina but I'd rather be working on the boats than taking pictures in them.
The technical part is what gives me a kick."

   "Is that a career choice Amanda?" Mr Cipola was an Engineer and he was
obviously pleased with the direction Amanda was taking.

   "I'm going to try and finish High School this year, then I'll try for
Electrical or Mechanical." She said, outlining Nicole's plan to graduate in
the least possible time.

   "Mom, Dad, I know it's a big decision and there's a lot of hard work
ahead.  But I WANT to get my degree and do something with it.  Give me this
summer, then we'll look at the results.  If this works out, I'll get my
education and you don't have to spend all your money putting me through
private school." She took her parents' hands, "Then you can do something
for yourselves for a change."

   "That's a lovely idea, Amanda, obviously you've thought this through. 
And we have the entire summer to see how things work out...  And James? 
You have similar plans?"

   "I've got a job in town but I'm also aiming to get my High school
diploma this summer and start Journalism." I paused, "And I would like to
spend as much time as I can with Amanda."

   "It's good you care so much for each other, but you're both very young.
Don't be in such a rush to grow up!"

   "I'm sure you're right, Mrs Cipola...  I'm very happy with what I
already share with Amanda - I won't need anything more." Amanda rolled her
eyes but her parents visibly relaxed.

   The meal was extremely enjoyable and Amanda made everyone comfortable.
She proudly insisted on treating us with her second place winnings.

   "Frank, thank you." Amanda said as she pressed the $40 she got back as
change into his hands.  "Please thank your staff for a lovely meal."

   "You are most kind.  Miss Amanda.  Give us some notice next time and
I'll prepare a special meal for you." He bowed deeply.

   The trip back was filled with Amanda's animated, but heavily censored
recounting of the shoot and the week.

   "Mom, we have to get me some new clothes - nothing fits anymore!" She
paused, "If you're busy, then I'm sure I can convince Dad to help me pick
out stuff...  bras, panties, that sort of thing...  Or maybe James..." She
ruffled my hair from the rear.

   Mrs Cipola laughed, "Let's not embarrass the guys, we can go this
afternoon.  Dad's going golfing anyways..."

   "OK, James, come pick me up tomorrow afternoon.  I'll have my new duds
and you're taking me on a date."

   "Yes ma'am." I answered as her parents laughed.

   I drove up to their house and, in front of her parents, Amanda leaned in
and gave me a soft warm kiss.

   = = = = =

   The bustle of the city and the shopping malls was startling after the
calm of the lake and I hurried as soon as I could out to Nicole's.  She was
not in and the big house stood empty and cold.

   She had collected a freezer full of meat and I had to do another major
excavation of rancid produce.  I prepared the vegetables I picked up and
started a big pot along with cubed sirloin steaks for soup.

   I moved some text books into the car and spent an hour on the exercise
machines.  Then I settled in the kitchen with a laptop to figure out the US
Patent System.  After I learned to ignore the confusing and confused
rhetoric, I wrote up my application for 'A means to determine gas-liquid
convergence zones in a moving body using aural interpretive methods', which
itself was more grandiose and longer than the methodology itself, but no
doubt the technical writers could stretch it to 10 pages or more.

   I heard her car pull up and greeted her at the garage entrance.

   She smiled and I was rooted in her beauty, and the aching need I have
for her.  We stared at each other, our breaths catching.

   I took her hand as I knelt and kissed it, "My princess..." I struggled
with my voice, "I am here to pay court..."

   She clasped me to her and stroked my hair.  "Welcome home," she
whispered, "My knight, my love." She pulled me up and we held each other,
shivering in our emotions.

   Our lips met and, smoothly, silently, our clothing drifted to the
ground. My hand touched her breast and she gasped in my mouth, darting her
tongue in to caress me.  I touched her nipple and it warmed and grew hard
in my palm.

   Her hands slid down my torso and held my hardening penis.  With
practiced ease, I leaned forward and she wrapped her legs around my waist
as she directed me into her soft core, sighing at the rightness of our
joining.

   She leaned her head in my neck and hummed happily as she slipped her
softness on my cock.  In minutes we were moaning and I staggered against
the wall as waves of sweetness drew sperm from deep within me.  Nicole
shuddered and hung on as she too, shook and grunted out her pleasure.

   "Mmm, I liked that!" She murmured in my ear as she worked her soft cunt
on me, milking me.  We held her on me until I was small, then she kissed my
ear, whispering, "Can I go wash up?"

   "Hmmm, don't be long..." I kissed her nose, "I made dinner..."

   She smiled tenderly and went upstairs.

   I threw my pants on and busied myself in the kitchen.  I had just ladled
out the soup when Nicole reappeared in her shimmering white gown.  She
softly kissed me and allowed me to seat her, oohing her delight at the vase
with the single white rose I had placed on the table.  I poured us wine, a
light white Zinfandel, then I lit the candles and turned the lights down.

   "To us..." We toasted and smiled.

   I served her the borscht with sour cream and followed it with veal
medallions which I had browned, then baked with chopped coriander on a bed
of fragrant rice, surrounded by cubed vegetables covered in a light buttery
sauce.

   Nicole leaned to kiss me softly and held her wine up, "Thank you, my
darling knight...  You spoil me."

   "No more than you deserve." We drank, "But I'll admit - I'm more than a
bit impressed with myself: it turned out better than I dared hope."

   Her eyes glinted, "And if I have any say in the matter, the rest of the
evening will unquestionably turn out quite nicely for you as well!"

   As we ate she told me about her trip to visit the construction
companies, culminating in a visit to an IPO company we had been investing
in.  SurgInt specializes in minimally-invasive surgical robots.  Their
revolutionary extensor system consisted of an articulated arm that could be
controlled remotely by a surgeon wearing a stereoscopic viewer.  Sensors
allowed the robot arm to emulate the surgeon's arm movements and the device
itself could be interchangeably equipped with grippers, retractors,
laser-cutters, cauterizers and suture-staplers.

   Its major advantage over laparoscopic technology was the robot's ability
to operate UNDER other body organs.  The heart and the liver being the
primary candidates - neither of which could be accessed using existing
low-intrusion methods.

   The major hurdles so far had been its 2-million dollar price-tag and the
lengthy wait for the FDA to approve its use outside of teaching hospitals.

   Nicole wanted to install a unit in the Valley Clinic, with plans to
expand it for recuperative care in the future.

   "We'll have the first unit in the State.  It's an ambitious plan but we
anticipate a 12-15 month payback once the FDA gives us the go-ahead, which
may not happen for 6-8 months, but we'll make use of the time to get the
staff trained.  The funny thing is that even without FDA approval, we can
still operate - as long as they're referrals or non-US citizens.  And the
list of overseas patients waiting for our kind of minimal-intrusion,
low-risk operations for coronary bypass and mitral replacement run in the
tens of thousands!"

   "Ah - that's why you want to add the rehab wing.  If they're from
abroad, they'll probably be fairly well-off, and they'd need to recuperate
before they can travel," I paused, "We'll need to set up the support staff
to arrange Visas, transportation...  Hmm, what about lodgings for their
relatives?"

   "One step at a time, hon!" Nicole laughed, "But you're getting an idea
of the magnitude of the venture!"

   After we finished dinner with extra helpings of fresh fruit, we took the
wine to the garden and sat on the steps of the pool.  Nicole leaned on me
and gently stirred the water with her foot.

   She held my hand, "Sometimes I get scared with the visions we come up
with.  Then I realize that that's what makes us unique.  Individually,
we're competent and confident - but together, we are an unstoppable force;
not afraid to try things, to help each other reach the next plateau.  It's
magic, what I've discovered with you," she turned to kiss me softly, "And
it's made even more meaningful by the incredible amount of love and
closeness we share..."

   She held my hand around her shoulder, looking up at the fading twilight
and whispered, "Love for the dusk...  Love for the glistening after; Quiet
the trees to their last tops...  Serene..."

   We gripped our hands, hearts pounding but barely breathing, lest it
disturbed the delicate glow that seemed to suddenly enfold us.





   =============

   (C) Copyright 2001.  M.C. All Rights Reserved. All Reproduction for fee
or profit forbidden.

   Copies of my stories can be downloaded from:
</files/Authors/MikeC/> or at
<http://StoriesOnline.net>
   Send all comments and suggestions to MikeC@NSpace.net