Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 The following is a work of fiction regarding sexual relationships.  If you
feel that it is illegal, immoral, or otherwise improper for you to read
this, then *Don't Read It.*

   * * *

   *Cynthia Martin Part 6 of 8*

   *Copyright (c) By Morgan, 1991, 2001*

   The first five parts of this book show a total of six parts.  You'll
notice that it's now up to eight.  The reason is -- as you will see in this
part -- the book takes a turn and really becomes the start of a different
book altogether.  I was going to truncate it and pick up the balance in a
subsequent book.  However, it turned out not to be possible.  As noted
below, this is part of the Ali Clifford saga.  What this means is that
characters recur in other books and reference is made to events in them as
well.  Anyway, it's longer than I intended, and it does stop rather
abruptly.  Sorry about that.

   Please note the original copyright date.  This story was basically
written ten years ago.  As a result, you will likely find obsolete
references.  I'm afraid you'll just have to live with it; it's too tedious
trying to keep up with the latest and greatest.

   This book is part of the Ali Clifford saga and is a sequel to -- and
much longer than -- _Call Girls._ If you haven't read it, I urge you to do
so.  Without having read it, the actions in the first few pages will not
make any sense.

   Incidentally, you will find occasional entries, _word_.  The reason for
this is that MS Word's Auto Format function puts a word preceded and
followed by an underscore in italics; that's my intent.  Similarly, *word*
results in the word appearing in bold face.  If you use Word's Auto Format,
it will take care of things; if you don't, you at least know why it's
there.

   More of my works are posted on my site <www.asstr.org/~Morgan> If you
like it -- or if you don't -- please let me know at <morg105829@aol.com.>
My books are now also being posted on <www.storiesonline.net> although at
this writing there are fewer of them than on my site.

   * * *

   *Chapter 44*

   After a little discussion, Cathy and Ken decided to leave the Bears'
party and have dinner alone.  It turned out that they were both now famous
in New Orleans and Antoine's management was happy to oblige them with a
table in spite of the Super Bowl crowd.  They were quietly enjoying a
pre-dinner drink when Cindy and Dan appeared and asked to join them.  Cindy
made a remark to Ken with a wink about the uppity slaves she had to put up
with these days.  After they ordered drinks Cindy just looked at Cathy and
sadly shook her head saying, "Now what are we going to do with you, Slave
Cathy?"

   "Me?" Cathy replied in a little-girl voice, "What did I do now,
Mistress?"

   Ignoring Cathy's reply Cindy addressed her response to Dan and said, "Do
you suppose I could borrow Jan's strong right arm?  She trained me right!
She started me with over twenty lashes before I had been there for ten
minutes, and I guess we got up to about fifty or so within the first
thirty-six hours.  Darling, that must be the way to get along with slaves.
What do you think?"

   "I think we should leave it up to Ken," Dan replied.  "Ken, Cindy is
talking about teaching a slave about good order and discipline.  Imagine
how you would feel if one day you turn on the television set and you see
your own slave, bold as brass, being interviewed.  And she didn't even ask
permission.  Ken, unless you want her to run your life, you need to
establish the need for obedience very quickly.

   "There are other advantages, though.  For example, wouldn't you like to
have a non-slip surface on Slave Cathy's buttocks?  I suspect she's going
to be exactly like Cindy.  When you make love with these girls they just
can't seem to take it.  They completely come apart.  You should see Cindy!
Her hair is soaking wet, her head flops from side to side and her pelvis is
moving totally out of control.  Her own words are that she ends up looking
like a rag doll that's been left outside in the pouring rain.  We could
take care of the surface of her ass, if you want, so you could have
something to get a better grip on."

   Ken just leaned over and melted his lips against Cathy's.  They held the
kiss and Cathy's eyes flashed with laughter as she heard Cindy drumming her
fingertips on the table.  Finally, she eased away, took a deep breath,
looked at Cindy with her eyes dancing and said, "Does my dear mistress
desire something?  Or is age beginning to catch up with her?  My mistress
seems to be starting to twitch or something."

   Cindy dropped her pose.  Reaching across the table, she took Cathy's
hands in hers and said, "Darling, you were absolutely terrific!  I just saw
your TV interview with Bob Costas.  He claimed it was the best he has ever
done in his entire professional career.  Honey, he means it.  Incidentally,
I talked to Dad after the game."

   She grinned and shook her head, murmuring, "Parents!" Then she said,
"Now he can't even get out of Mary's bed long enough to come down here! 
Can you believe it?  They've been married for months and they're _still_
imitating bunnies!  Anyway, he said that because he was home, he received
at least ten calls from the top customers of the bank telling him how lucky
he is to have such marvelous people." Now Cindy shook her head sadly and
said, "I'm afraid I can't whip you, even if it _is_ for you own good!  Dad
would kill me!"

   They continued to talk about the game and the TV show while they waited
for the waiter to bring their first course.  Just then the headwaiter
showed a man to their table.  Because he was approaching from behind, Ken
couldn't see him.  Cathy, sitting across from Ken, looked up and saw him.
She realized immediately that he looked like a very distinguished, older
version of Ken.  He winked at her and then smiled broadly.

   Jumping to her feet, she ran around the table and said, "Father
Bradley?" His smile turned into a grin and he held out his arms.  Cathy
hugged him and gave him a very warm kiss that ended suddenly when she
gasped in pain.  Ed Bradley had inadvertently squeezed her cracked rib.

   He was shocked to see her face whiten with pain as she put a hand down
on the tabletop for support.  Grave concern was showing on his face as he
helped her back to her seat.  When she sat down, she held onto the table
edge with both hands and then took several shallow breaths to keep from
further irritating the rib.  Edgar noticed that tears of pain had appeared
in her eyes and were flowing down her face in spite of her attempt to
smile.

   Meanwhile, Ken had jumped from his seat with an expression of utter
shock on his face.  Finally he gasped, "Dad!  What are you doing down
here?"

   The senior Bradley just shook his head and said, "It appears that I'm
killing my future daughter-in-law!  That's hardly what I had in mind,
though." He looked at Cathy and saw she was now able to smile and did.

   She took a couple of deeper breaths and then said woefully, "Father
Bradley, I'm very sorry.  I...  I guess I forgot."

   "Forgot what, daughter?" he asked kindly.

   "I cracked a rib yesterday," she replied.  "The pain had receded to an
ache like a bad toothache so I had just tuned it out.  I forgot it's still
pretty sensitive if its touched, though."

   "Cracked a rib?  When?  How?" he exclaimed.

   "I kicked her in the game we played yesterday," Ken replied.  "You may
have even seen it on television."

   Edgar Bradley nodded quickly and asked, "Was that the play in the second
half where she threw a block on your ankles, putting you on your face and
springing her friend for the long touchdown run?" Ken said it was.  "Do you
mean to tell me that she played the rest of the game _with a cracked rib?_
She didn't even call a timeout.  How could she possibly play?"

   "Dad," Ken replied, "It's Cathy.  She will not be a quitter...  under
any circumstances.  If she can still stand up, she'll keep going.  You
heard her a moment ago: The pain receded to an ache like a toothache?  Who
in hell can do anything effectively with a toothache.  I'll be honest: I
forgot it had happened.  She moves so naturally and never lets on.  The
fact is that she has been in constant pain.  She never even saw a doctor
for it.

   "Our coach, Mike Ditka, asked her about it after the game.  He's had a
cracked rib, too, and just can't understand it.  All I can say is the Cathy
must have a remarkably high pain tolerance."

   Then the senior Bradley went to his knees next to Cathy.  This time he
made no move to hold her but rather just leaned towards her and kissed her
softly full on the lips.

   When he pulled away, Cathy was beaming with pleasure.  "Father Bradley,
you have made my day!  When I looked up and saw you standing behind Ken, I
was looking at Ken thirty years from now.  You look so very handsome and
distinguished!" Edgar Bradley was a very trim six feet two with sandy hair
now showing some gray at the temples.

   "That's what I think, too, darling," Vangie Collins said from behind her
daughter's back.  "That's one reason why I'm marrying him."

   Hearing the voice, Cathy jumped to her feet and spun around with her
eyes wide.  _"Mother!"_ she exclaimed.  "What are you doing here?"

   Vangie took her daughter in her arms and just held her tightly.  She was
careful to hold her by the shoulders having just cringed seeing the
terrible pain Cathy must have suffered.  Then she eased away and just
looked at her.  As she did, she slowly shook her head and said, "Cathy
Collins, you look good enough to eat!  I have never seen you look so good.
Of course..." She stopped and then began to look sorrowful.

   "What's wrong, Mother?" Cathy asked sensing her mother's concern.

   "Darling, you're so tanned.  Of course you look like a golden goddess
but pale is in this year.  Then your makeup..."

   Cathy instantly realized that this was something new.  Her mother
actually seemed to be teasing her!  Now looking at her mother skeptically,
she said, "Make-up?"

   "Yes, dear.  Bright eye shadow is in.  Black eyebrows.  Rouge spots on
both cheeks...  And your figure: My God!  You're allowing your breasts to
show.  Flat is in, too." She held her forefinger under her mouth looking
thoughtful and then just shook her head and said, "Well, maybe a good dress
designer could do something.  We could always bind your breasts, I guess,
but darling, yours appear to be very firm." While she was teasing Cathy she
was studying her closely.  Changing tacks, she said, "Catherine, you're
wearing no makeup at all, are you?"

   "I am, too, Mother.  I really am!" Removing one of the bobby-pins from
her hair she held it out and said, "See!  Here's half of it."

   Vangie just shook her head, looked at Ed and asked, "Ed, could we get a
couple of chairs and a drink?  I need to sit down to recover from this
shock." He motioned to the waiter while Vangie studied her daughter again.
Finally she said, "Let's see.  Where's the other one?" Cathy nodded and
pulled out the other bobby pin and showed her mother.  Vangie said, "Oh,
well, here's where millions more women begin to hate you, Catherine
Collins. And it serves you right!" Smiling wryly, she continued, "I'll bet
that putting on makeup for you consists of brushing your teeth and washing
your face with soap and water, yet!"

   "That's not true, Mother," Cathy protested.  "I take a shower, too."
Suddenly Cathy's jaw dropped as she realized what must have happened.  The
primary reason for her rift with her mother was over her mother's
insistence that she meet a certain boy.  Although Ken hadn't said much, she
thought the same thing might be true with him, too.  The six were now all
seated around the table and Cathy exclaimed, "Do you mean that Ken is..."

   "...the guy you've been avoiding for years?  Of course!  The man who
caused you to walk out and not speak to me for nearly two years?  That,
too," Vangie replied softly.

   Suddenly, Cathy broke down in tears and went to her mother's arms. 
Vangie just held her and could feel her own tears rolling down her face. 
Then Cathy looked at her with her love shining from her eyes and said,
"Mom, I was a twenty-four-carat bitch!  I'm so sorry!  God, have I missed
you!  I didn't realize how much until just now."

   Vangie shook her head and said, "No, darling, it wasn't you.  It was me.
You were right and I was wrong.  All I could talk about was how
advantageous a marriage to this young man would be...  in economic terms. I
never talked about Ken because I really didn't know anything about him. 
All I knew was his father's net worth, for God's sake!" She looked at Ken
carefully and nodded.  She asked diffidently, "Cathy, do you...  do you
want...  children?"

   "Oh, God, Mom!  If it works out the way I hope, I'll be in maternity
clothes exclusively for the next ten years, anyway!" Suddenly, her face
showed concern and she asked, "Does that bother you?"

   Her mother quickly shook her head and said, "Darling, a few years ago...
Shit!  Just a couple of months ago, it would have.  I would have said any
or all of the following: You're much too young to be a mother, and/or, it
will ruin your girlish figure, and/or, it will hurt your career, and/or
'Dahling, it just isn't done in this day and age,' and/or, 'Are you aware
of the population explosion?' Pick one or more.

   "Now, darling Cathy, nothing could make me happier.  Children of your
marriage to Kenneth Bradley will be very special people!" Tears came to her
eyes as she added, "God, I can hardly wait!  Imagine, being a grandmother
and being able to spoil them all rotten!" She smiled warmly at Cathy and
continued: "I've learned a lot about you and Ken Bradley in just the last
few hours."
Then she told how they had seen the TV interview and how Ed had
chartered a plane to bring them to New Orleans.  It was only then that she
learned Ken was a professional football player, as well as learning of his
academic background from an announcer's comment.  She rose and went to Ken.
He rose to his feet not knowing quite what to expect.  Vangie took him in
her arms and kissed him softly.  Ken's eye's widened at the very warm kiss
she gave him, but he recovered and kissed her thoroughly.  When he released
her, her head was spinning.  She murmured, "Wow!" Then she looked at Ed and
said, "Darling, why didn't you tell me what a gorgeous man your son was? 

Hell, _I_ would have married him!"

   Ed Bradley just shook his head sadly and said, "I didn't tell you,
Vangie, because I didn't know it myself.  Do you realize what a remarkable
job these two young people have done with their lives...  _in spite of
us?"_

   Meanwhile, Ken was still standing.  Now he said, "Mother, I think it's
about time I introduced you to our dear friends, Cynthia Martin and Daniel
Burke.  Dan is executive vice president of Chicago Trust Company while
Cindy is a senior vice president and is also Cathy's boss...  and, I guess,
her owner.  Cindy, as you undoubtedly gathered, this is my father, Edgar
Bradley, and Cathy's mother, Mrs.  Collins."

   Ed shook hands with Dan as did the woman who said, "The name is Vangie
as you may have heard from Ed.  It's short for Evangeline.  Cindy Martin,
I'm delighted to meet you." She looked puzzled and said, "I could have
sworn I heard Ken say something about you being Cathy's owner.  What does
that mean?"

   Before anyone else could speak, Cathy said brightly, "It's very simple,
Mother.  I'm Cynthia Martin's house slave.  I cook, clean, serve and
perform other functions around the house."

   "You're her _what?"_ Vangie exclaimed.  "Did I hear you say, 'slave'?  I
thought that was the word I heard before but I was sure it must have been
something else."

   "You heard right, Mother," Cathy replied with a grin.  "It's been very
good for me and Cindy is a very thoughtful mistress.  She hasn't even
whipped me at all, yet.  On the other hand, now I'm a good cook, a good
housekeeper, and I think I now know a great deal about making a man happy."
Her face turned serious as she added, "Because we want a large family I
won't be able to work.  If I expect Ken to support me, I need to bring
something to the party.  My job, as I see it, is to try to make his life as
comfortable as possible."

   Vangie just shook her head, not fully comprehending what her daughter
had just said.  Then looking back at Cindy, there was a sudden look of
recognition on her face as she said, "The announcer mentioned you, I
think.T Something about twins?"

   Again Cathy answered.  "Mom, Cindy is one of the two best-known and
best-loved women in Chicago," she said.  "With our deputy head, April
Jefferson, they are the 'twins who aren't.' If there's anyone around who
knows who originated the term I haven't met them yet, but it's a term
that's been around for months.  When you see the two of them together,
you'll see it's an obvious name for them.  You see, Cindy and April are the
same height and have virtually identical figures.  Of course, April is a
black girl, but, in fact, she has the most delicious-looking mocha-brown
skin I have ever seen.  She also has the bearing, poise and manners of a
queen.  Anyway, the two of them have been lending money to a great many
small-business people in Chicago.  The word on the street is that if you're
working hard, striving to get ahead, but need money to grow and prosper
_regardless of who you are or where you came from_ the twins will find you
and help you."

   Tears had begun to stream from her eyes as she continued, "It's true,
too.  One of the first loans April ever made was to three black ex-convicts
running an auto repair establishment.  Believe it or not, the bank is
running their pension plan for them now.  Incidentally, she was originally
hired by the bank as a receptionist.  I've been told that she made the loan
after only two days of Cindy's coaching.  Moving her into lending was
Janice Stewart's idea, but Cindy was the person who made it work.

   "We also have a Korean grocer.  Now he's looking for an education loan
to help with college for his daughter.  The girl is as smart as a whip. 
She met April, who, like her, is a product of the Chicago schools.  Now
she's made up her mind to go on to college and then get a job in our
bank... in Cindy's lending unit.  She claims April Jefferson is her
inspiration.  Then we have a French restaurant operator -- they've paid off
their five-year term loan in five months, by the way -- a Polish machinist,
a black furniture dealer..."

   She smiled through her tears and pointed to her slave collar and said,
"I'm a member of an ultra-select group, now.  I'm one of Cindy's Slaves. 
We get these gold collars to wear.  Incidentally, Mom, it's eighteen-carat
gold and must weigh over half a pound.  To show you how and why it's so
special, the first time I met Ken we were walking home and were stopped by
two holdup men wearing ski masks.  When one of them saw my collar, that was
the end of the holdup." Looking up she asked Ken, "Darling, do you
remember?"

   "I sure do," he replied.  "The guy apologized and said it was all a
terrible mistake.  Cathy and I are nearly certain that they escorted us the
rest of the way home.  No one in his right mind touches one of Cindy's
girls!  Not unless they're tired of living, of course.  Cathy herself made
her first loan to an Irishman, J.J.  Murphy.  She's a member of his family
now.  I think J.J.  thinks she's his daughter or something.  All I know is
he couldn't take better care of her if she were."

   He looked at his father and his voice dropped.  "Dad," he said, "I'm
talking with Dan and Cindy about joining the bank in that program.  It's
the only financial program I have ever seen that's really having a positive
impact in the community.  By the way, there's something else you should
know.  To cover the program against the bank examiners, the _owners of the
bank_ have covered the entire portfolio of loans with personal takeout
guarantees.  What it means is that if a loan is classified, the owners will
buy it from the bank at its face amount and then pay the bank a fee to
continue to service it.  Have you ever heard of such a deal?"

   Ed Bradley shrugged and said, "Ken, guarantees are fine but what are
they worth if push comes to shove and they have to actually make good? 
Where's the money going to come from to cover a default?  I'll admit it
does _sound_ good, though."

   "In this case, Dad, the guarantees are worth a great deal," Ken replied.
"You didn't ask but the owners of the bank have a combined personal net
worth of about $10 _billion!_ That's with a B!" Now he grinned and said,
"You know your way around the _Forbes_ list pretty well.  You've heard of
Bill Clifford?  Dave Chapman?  The Cartwright brothers?  They're the
owners. But there's more: April's mother is the richest woman in Chicago.
She wants a piece of the action at the bank but they won't cut her in.  On
the other hand, she sort of got even by putting up $250 million for about
half the public equity in the renovation of a steel mill.  Bill Cartwright
personally put up the rest.

   "Have you heard of Bill Cartwright?  I think you should know about some
of the people that Cynthia Martin has attracted to her unit.  Bill received
the Medal of Honor a few months ago.  He had been tortured by the
Vietnamese for _fourteen years!_ They couldn't break him in spite of the
most brutal, sustained torturing imaginable.  His wife, Kathy, is Eurasian.
She met him and helped him in prison when she was _ten years old!_ They're
married now, and Kathy is a vice president in her unit.  She has analytical
and language skills that are truly unbelievable."

   Tears had appeared at the corners of his eyes as he said, "Dad, when
people like that are attracted to a person, it says one hell of a lot about
the person.  They could spot a phony fifty miles away!

   "Then there's Kelly McBride, another vice president and Cathy's boss. 
Kelly put the steel-mill deal together using her knowledge of steelmaking,
would you believe?  Kelly is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Notre Dame who
majored in philosophy and English.  Of course she's marrying Kevin
Cavanaugh who is the starting tight end on the Bears and my best friend on
the team.  Kevin is an almost-Ph.D.  metallurgist and one of the world's
foremost authorities on electric steel-making." Ken grinned and added,
"Kelly claims to be marrying him to keep her eye on him.  He's the one
indispensable member of the new steel plant's management team.  Of course,
Cindy claimed that Kelly _was_ taking customer service a little farther
than was absolutely necessary."

   He sat back and said, "Dad, that's the Special Lending Division.  It was
only started after the 4th of July last year with just Cindy alone.  Now
there are over sixty people in the division with a loan portfolio, not
counting the steel mill, of over $75 million.  It doesn't sound like much
until you remember that almost all the loans are for only a few thousand
dollars each.  It takes a lot of loans of that size to reach $75 million!"

   He held his head up and said, "These people are doing something
wonderful and I want to be a part of it." As if remembering something, he
added quickly, "By the way, this is not a charity operation!  The Division
produced about 90 percent of the bank's profit for last year.  They are
really doing well by doing good.  What do you think?"

   Edgar Bradley was shaking his head.  Finally he said, "Do you mean to
say that William H.  Clifford has something to do with this?  My God!  That
man is unbelievable.  Everything he touches turns to money.  And he's
personally involved?"

   Cindy grinned and said, "That's mostly right.  However, Bill says it's
his wife, Ali, who makes all the money for them.  They're Dan's adoptive
parents, by the way.  And I guess I own a piece of the bank, now, too."

   Now Bradley's jaw did drop.  He looked at Dan and said, "You mean to say
you're related to...  to William Clifford?  William H.  Clifford?"

   "He prefers me to call him Dad, but yes." He looked at Cindy and said,
"Honey, you'll have to help me with the relationships.  Let's see: Dad's
daughter -- my sister, Jennifer -- is married to Steve Chapman who is Dave
and Judy Chapman's only child.  The senior Chapmans along with Steve and
Jennifer each own a piece of the bank.  Another piece is owned by Janice
and Peter Stewart.  Jan is another sister and Cindy's owner until she gave
her her freedom a month ago.  Cindy was her personal slave, believe it or
not, in the same way that Cathy insists she's now Cindy's.  We'll be living
next door to Jan and Pete when we get our new house finished.  Then Bill
and Chip Cartwright are both married to my sisters: Bill to Kathy and Chip
to Connie.  I guess Mom and Dad like to keep it in the family."

   He looked at Cindy and asked, "Did I get it mostly right?" She just
vigorously nodded her head and kissed him.  Then he looked at Cathy and Ken
and said, "Do we still have to pay for your wedding?  After all, Cindy and
I are the poor ones.  Hell, just about six months ago I walked all the way
out to the Stewarts because I didn't have enough money for flowers for
Cindy and cab fare, too."

   Suddenly recognition dawned on Ken and Cathy at the same time.  Each
pointed to the other and they said in unison, "You're rich!" Then while the
two young people looked dumbfounded at each other, everyone else around the
table began to laugh.  Finally, Vangie said, "Dan, since they are both only
children, I guess the truth is they're both stinking rich!" She grinned at
the two and said, "I think it's pretty funny." Then she turned to Cathy and
said, "Darling, when will you be coming back to New York so we can plan
your wedding?"

   Cathy slowly shook her head and said, "Mom, I'm not coming back.  We're
getting married at a small ceremony in Chicago on Saturday." She looked up
with tears slowly rolling down her cheek and said, "Mom, we hope you and
Dad can both come.  Can you?"

   Vangie looked at her daughter for a long moment.  Then she visibly
brightened and said, "Darling, that's the only truly stupid thing I have
ever heard you say in your entire life!  Where in hell do you think we
would be?"

   "But Mom," she protested, "I know how socially active you are and how
filled your calendar always is.  I was hoping you could find the time to
come out, though."

   Now tears started to flow down Vangie's cheeks but she held her head up
straight.  She said softly, "Cathy, I'm sorry.  That was a very painful
reminder of what a bitch I've been to you!  God, I don't deserve a daughter
as fine as you are, and Heaven knows I tried my damnedest to ruin you."

   Now her tears were flowing and she was sobbing.  Ed Bradley tried to
take her in his arms but she shook him off.  Looking at him she said, "Ed,
you should know this about me.  You should know the selfish, money-grubbing
bitch you asked to marry you.  I don't know how many events that were
important to my daughter -- my only child, mind you -- that I was too busy
to attend." Ed reached in his pocket and passed her his handkerchief.  Now
her mascara had run and her face was a mess, but her true beauty showed
through, anyway.

   Then Ed said, "Vangie, maybe we deserve each other.  I never asked my
son what he wanted to do or what he liked.  I thought that marrying your
daughter would be very advantageous to the family in business terms.  I
never asked about your daughter nor did you ever ask about my son.  I
learned more about both of them today _on television,_ for Christ's sake,
than I knew myself.  Would you believe I didn't know my own son was elected
to Phi Beta Kappa?"

   He shook his head and said, "You apologize _to me?_ Vangie, let me tell
you how bad _I_ was.  My secretary pays my bills and mails out all the
checks.  Would you believe I didn't even know Ken _went_ to the Harvard
Business School until my accountant asked me what the check to Harvard was
for?  And even then I didn't know until my secretary told me!  Performance?
I didn't know he was a Baker Scholar until Bob Costas said so today _on
television!_ How's that for being closely involved with your children?

   "I guess we deserve each other," he said with a wry smile.  Then he
asked, "Vangie, did you know your daughter was a member of Phi Beta Kappa?
Did you have any clue how smart she was?"

   She looked at him with an expression of amazement coupled with subtle
amusement on her face and said, "Know it?  Of course not!  I'm quite sure
it didn't make the society pages of the _Times,_ though, and that's the
only way I might have known."

   She looked at Cathy and just shook her head, saying, "Do you know, I'm
not even sure I took the trouble even to read all your letters?" Again her
tears were flowing and she said, "Darling, are you sure you want me even to
come to your wedding?  It's obvious that it must be in Chicago.  That's
where your friends are -- _all_ your friends -- isn't it?  Those no-minds
in New York?  Thinking about it, either collectively or individually, they
aren't worth the powder to blow them to hell!"

   The discussion became more general and the six people finally even got
around to eating dinner.  It was clear to Cathy that her mother had changed
-- dramatically.  She still didn't have a clue what had caused the change,
but for the first time she found she really liked her.  Vangie Collins was
very intelligent, very well-informed and had a caustic wit, particularly
when she directed it at herself.  Finally, as the evening wore on she could
feel herself close to physical collapse as the events of the previous
thirty-six hours -- beginning with their football game and ending with her
reunion with her mother -- began to catch up with her.

   She asked her mother where she and Ed were staying.  Vangie looked at Ed
and Ed looked embarrassed.  He said, "Oops!  I knew I forgot something! 
Vangie, it isn't really too cold.  How about if we find a nice cozy bench
over in Jackson Park?"

   Ken laughed and shook his head, noticing the same thing about his father
that Cathy had been seeing in her mother.  He was now far more relaxed than
Ken had ever seen him.  Ken knew that if the hotel situation had arisen
just a few months earlier his father would have raised forty kinds of hell
to get a hotel room.  Like Cathy with her mother, he had no idea what
caused the change in his father, either.  He told him that his team
roommate at the hotel had already gone home so he had an extra bed that he
could use.

   Cathy said she had a king-size bed to herself and could make room for
her mother, "...provided you don't snore," she added.

   Vangie just snorted and grinned.  Cathy noticed an all-time first for
her mother: She hadn't repaired her makeup after she had been crying;
rather, she had just wiped off most of the rest of it.  The fact that she
hadn't used a mirror and left streaks on her face didn't seem to bother her
a bit.  Cathy thought her mother looked more lovely with the remains of the
smeared makeup on her face than she had ever seen her in her life.*Chapter
45*

   Returning to the Royal Orleans, they went right up to the suite and
Cathy showed her mother the room they would be sharing while Cindy and Dan
quickly disappeared into their own room.  Her mother looked askance at
Cathy as they did and she just laughed.  "Mom," she said, "Those two can't
live without each other's love.  They need to make love the same way they
need to breathe." Then Cathy disappeared into the bathroom, washed her
face, brushed her teeth and reappeared a few minutes later nude.

   Seeing the interest on her mother's face, Cathy just stood still with
her shoulders back.  There were just beautiful curves flowing from her
slender waist to her slim hips to her lovely thighs and calves.  She asked
softly, "Do you want to look carefully, Mother?  I don't think you've seen
me naked since I was about eight years old." To Cathy's surprise, her
mother began to cry.  "What's wrong, Mom?" she asked.  "What did I do this
time?"

   Vangie just shook her head but wrapped herself into a ball on the bed
and tried to muffle her sobs in the pillow.  Cathy sat down beside her on
the edge of the bed and just gently stroked her hair.  There was nothing
else she could think of to do.  Finally, Vangie looked up and tried to
smile.  "I'm sorry, darling," she said.  "It's most certainly not you. 
It's me!  Cath, your comment cut me like a knife..."

   "Oh, Mother!" Cathy exclaimed, "Nothing could have been further from my
thoughts.  I...  I didn't realize how much I've missed you.  I certainly
didn't want to hurt you.  I'll try not to..."

   "You'll try _nothing,_ young lady!  If you had let me finish, I was
about to say that it hurt because it was so damned true!" Now Vangie did
smile and said, "Cath, if you don't mind too much, would you please stand
up again so I cn get a good look at you?  I broke down before I could catch
more than a glimpse."

   Cathy stood up and looked at her mother with a quizzical look on her
face.  Vangie got off the bed and studied her daughter carefully.  To
Cathy's surprise, her mother even cradled one of her breasts and squeezed
it gently, then teased its nipple into a full erection.

   Vangie was utterly amazed at what she saw.  Cathy's carriage was like a
queen's.  She held her head up, her back straight, and the nipples of her
proud young breasts pointed upward.  Her skin was like golden satin.  What
she was seeing confirmed what she had glimpsed in the television pictures:
Cathy's body was perfect!  She just shook her head and asked, "Cathy, how
did you do it?  As self-centered as I was, I think even I would have
noticed it if you were as beautiful a few years ago as you are now."

   Cathy smiled warmly and said, "Mom, it's two things.  First, it's the
girls at work.  We work out all the time to try to get in shape and stay
there.  Of course, we use the senior officers of the Division -- Cindy,
April, Kathy, and Kelly -- as the models we try to emulate.  They are utter
perfection!" She grinned and asked, "Can you imagine?  The top brass
includes two whites, a black and an Oriental.  And they are the nicest,
most beautiful people I've ever met -- anywhere!  The second is Cindy.  I'm
her slave and have been since New Year's.  She has _really_ been working
me! Now I'm up to her weight and performance levels and am going to stay
there.  Do you like my body, Mother?"

   "Darling," she replied softly, "you're outrageously lovely. 
Incidentally, what do you do about your tan?  You have an all-over golden
color that's beautiful.  Obviously it's the sun." Then she grinned and
added, shaking her head, "You have to be the only girl on the face of the
earth whose pubic hair has sun streaks in it!" Changing the subject she
asked, "Could I borrow a pair of pajamas or a nightie or something for
tonight?  I don't have anything -- absolutely nothing at all -- and it's
far too late to buy anything now."

   "Mother," Cathy replied, reddening slightly, "I haven't worn anything to
bed since the week I joined the bank.  That was November 1.  Frankly, I
completely forgot that people use sleepwear.  I'm sleeping this way.  Do
you mind sleeping with me when I'm like this?  You can wear your bra and
panties to bed, if you want to." Then she added, "There's a toothbrush,
toothpaste, a comb and a brush in the bathroom for you, though.  Will that
help?"

   Vangie shook her head and went into the bathroom.  She came out a few
minutes later and stood where Cathy had been standing.  Cathy was now in
bed under the covers.  Her mother said, "Pretty bad, isn't it?" Standing
there, she again began to cry.

   Cathy slid out of the bed and then took her mother in her arms.  "What's
wrong now?" she asked.  "Why the tears?"

   "Because I'm such a mess!" she cried.  "Just look at me and then look at
yourself.  Cathy, my figure?  I'm fat, I have a pot, my ass is too large
and flabby, and my thighs look like a...  I don't know what, but it's
awful! My skin has all the color and attraction of a dead fish!  My
hair..." With a sardonic laugh she said, "In the bathroom I looked at it
and realized I don't even know what its natural color is!  Would you
believe that?  It's true.  Cath, I was looking at my pubic hair and then at
the hair on my head.  Usually the pubic hair is a darker shade of the same
color.  But look at me."

   Unlike Cathy, Vangie had a large patch of pubic hair, much of which was
gray.  She continued, "I don't know what color the hair on my head is but I
don't think it's graying...  yet!  Now look at you," she continued.  "I
always thought that brown hair was yucky.  Tonight I looked at yours very
carefully.  Darling, it's utterly exquisite!  I've never seen such life,
body and vibrant color!  You're so beautiful, my darling.  By the way, how
are you in bed with Ken?  Is he good?"

   "Mother," she answered hesitantly, "I don't know.  We...  I...  Mother,"
she blurted, "I'm still a virgin!" With that Cathy blushed beet-red with
embarrassment.

   This time her mother's jaw really dropped.  She said, "But Cath, you
can't be...  I mean, no girl today..." She stopped and said softly, "Honey,
I give up.  I'm hopelessly lost.  Would you like to tell me about it?"

   "I would love to, Mom," she replied with a loving smile.  "But could we
get in bed now?  I'm cold, and...  and..."

   "And what?" Vangie asked softly.

   "Could you hold me, Mom?  In the dark?  That way you won't see it when I
blush with embarrassment."

   The two women slid under the covers and turned out the lights.  Vangie
didn't know what to do, but she took her daughter in her arms.  She was
pleased and surprised to feel Cathy snuggle as close to her as she could
and hold her in her arms.  Vangie felt the wonderful sensation of her soft
breasts being crushed by her daughter's firm ones, and could even feel
their pubic hair intertwined.  Cathy's body smelled so sweet and fresh.

   Then she said, "Mom, I guess this is what I have always missed.  I guess
it's one reason I was drawn to Chicago Trust.  You see, I went there in the
first place because the word around was that it was one of only a handful
of places that would hire an English major.  Then I had an interview with
Kelly and it was all over!

   "Mom, it's like a huge, very funny family.  They love each other, and
they all _worship_ Cindy.  Anyway, Kelly is like an older sister to me. 
And beautiful?  You talk about my hair?  You should see hers!  It's autumn
russet with fiery red highlights.  Her eyes are the emerald green of
Ireland.  And her body?  She's five feet ten -- a very big girl -- but with
a body any man would kill for.

   "But Mom, in spite of that -- or maybe because of it -- I can ask her
anything at all.  Usually, I get teased but I always get an answer, too.  I
guess I've become a hopeless tease, also.  One thing I love about Ken is he
instantly knows when I'm teasing him -- which is most of the time -- and
when I'm being serious.  He's even more perceptive than that, though.  He
always answers the real question I want answered but am usually too
embarrassed even to ask."

   "Honey," her mother asked softly, "tell me about still being a virgin.
You could have knocked me over with a feather.  I thought your generation's
girls all lost their virginity at the age of ten or something.  Isn't this
the age of promiscuity?"

   "I guess so, Mother, but I don't think it's right.  Do you want to know
something funny?  Of the four of us playing yesterday, three are virgins.
The fourth, April, is a mother.  She has the most exquisite little
two-year-old boy who has a smile like sunshine.  Nevertheless, she has had
sex with only one man in her life and that's the boy's father, Ron Jackson.
They're getting married next week, too.  Can you believe it?  Four girls in
their twenties who have had sexual experience with only one man _among all
four!_

   "And Mom, that's not the funniest thing.  The funniest is that Kelly
worked her way through school as a stripper and continued working right
through last summer.  But she's not only a virgin, she had never even let a
man touch her until New Year's Eve when she let Kevin explore her upper
body.  No one had ever even felt her tit!" she exclaimed.  Then she added
in a voice so soft Vangie almost missed it, "No one had touched me at all
until this month, either."

   Cathy could feel her mother's head shake and could feel tears running
down her cheek.  Carefully -- remembering Cathy's rib -- Vangie held her
daughter tight and murmured, "Why, Cathy?  How did I get so lucky? 
Darling, I grew up in a much less permissive age than you did but I blush
to think of how many men and boys knew their way around Vangie Pierce's
body before your father married me.  And after his death it was even worse.
Why, Cath?  Is it AIDS?  VD?...  Oops, I guess its STD now, isn't it:
'Sexually transmitted diseases' are supposed to sound much better than
syphilis or clap.  Regardless of the terminology, they're the same
diseases, though.  But that's not it, is it?"

   Cathy snuggled even closer and whispered, "Mom, you know about breaking
in a car?  I guess I feel the same way.  I want Ken to break me in his way.
I want everything about me to be clean and fresh and new for him.  For some
reason, I used to think that I was a one-man woman.  After meeting Ken, I'm
certain I am." Her voice became a little louder as she continued, "The
funny thing is that people think of virginity as synonymous with prudery.
Let me tell you that Kelly, Sue, and I are the most un-prudish virgins
alive.  Maybe you could see that in what we were wearing at the game
yesterday."

   Then she went on to tell Vangie what happened in the shower.  Her mother
was aghast.  "Do you mean to say you let Ken masturbate you to orgasm... 
_in public!_ With other people watching?"

   "Sure did.  They thought it was a great idea so they made their men do
them, too.  The greatest, though, was Ken cuming all over my body.  I just
spread it around with my hands and it was great.  What a waste, though! 
Whenever we do it again, it's going in my mouth, my cunt or my ass, not
down the drain." She grinned in the darkness and added, "It's much too
valuable to waste!"

   "Your...  _mouth?"_ Vangie said aghast.  "Your _ass!_ But...  But... 
nice girls don't...  I mean, you spread your legs, and..." Even though it
was dark, Vangie could feel Cathy's head nodding vigorously.  She said,
"You mean that you...  you would..."

   "Mother, wait until you see Cindy or Jan!  It's the most beautiful thing
I've ever seen.  I was under Cindy's cunt while Dan was taking her in the
ass.  It was great for me because there was nothing to hold back her love
juices that were just pouring from her cunt into my mouth.  Of course, they
were going all over the place, too.  My hair, my eyes...  I just spread it
over my body."

   "But...  But you said you're a virgin!  How could you..."

   "No man's cock has ever been in my cunt, mother.  For that matter, not
in my ass, either.  I did take Dan in my mouth in a game I was playing with
Cindy." Vangie heard a teasing note in her daughter's voice as she
continued, "She wouldn't let me swallow more than the first spurt, though.
So I sprayed the rest all over my body and Cindy licked it off.  It was
heavenly to feel her small tongue moving all over my body!  I would have
loved to take Ken in my mouth yesterday and almost did.  It almost killed
me, but I made up my mind to wait for the wedding.

   "Mom, I'm beginning to feel pretty good about myself and my body.  Ken
really loves me!  And he's an Adonis!  His cock and balls are the same size
as those larger-than-life Greek statues at the Met!  He's going to kill me,
but I can't wait!  I hope he rips me in half entering me.  I really do!"

   Vangie was quiet in the bed just thinking about what she had just
learned.  It was clear that her daughter's behavior was in a pattern that
was totally foreign to her.  Clearly, there was no cock teasing here --
there was just an intense personal honesty and a tremendous love for Ken
along with a desire to demonstrate that love in any way she possibly could.

   Finally, Vangie gave her daughter a squeeze and said, "That's all very
well for you, Daughter, but what about me?  What am I going to do?"

   Cathy was already half asleep but she whispered, "I have an idea, Mom.
We'll try it out in the morning."*Chapter 46*

   Evangeline Collins was not used to getting up before noon at the
earliest so she was still sound asleep when Cathy shook her at seven
o'clock.  Bleary-eyed, she looked confused for a moment and then remembered
where she was.  She rolled on her back, stretched luxuriantly and then
winked at her daughter.  "Cathy, that was the best night I can remember
spending.  You were in my arms all night long, weren't you?"

   "Did you mind, Mom?" Cathy asked.

   Tears appeared at the corners of Vangie's eyes as she said, "Yes, my
darling, I did mind." Cathy looked hurt but Vangie smiled warmly and shook
her head saying, "Daughter, let me finish!  What I minded was that it's
taken over twenty years for it to happen.  Would you believe, last night
was the first time _in your entire life_ I held you in my arms?  It was. 
Honey, when you were a little baby, I even had a wet nurse for you."

   She shook her head and continued, "Her name was Colleen Callahan.  Her
husband had been killed in the Army while she was expecting their first
child.  In order to support herself and her baby without a full-time job,
she applied to be your wet nurse.  I remember it all, now.  I made that
poor young woman strip to the waist and I handled her milk-laden breasts
like she was a cow.  She just blushed and took it.  Once in a while after I
hired her -- when I remembered -- I would call her in to inspect her tits."

   Now tears were pouring from Vangie's eyes as she said, "Maybe that was
it, though.  Maybe it was her milk that made you the incredibly wonderful
person you are, Cath." Vangie made up her mind to call her attorney and ask
him to try to locate Colleen Callahan and give her $100,000 as a gift.  It
was a very small effort to try to make amends for her callousness years
before.

   Meanwhile, Cathy had made a phone call.  When the doorbell rang, she put
on one of the hotel's terry robes and ran to open it.  The room-service
waiter brought in a tray and set it on the coffee table while Cathy signed
the check.  As she had requested, the coffee was in two thermos containers.
Turning to her mother she said, "It's time to get to work.  Let's go." She
had shrugged out of the robe and carried the tray into Cindy and Dan's
room.

   As she expected -- but to Vangie's surprise -- Dan was making love to
Cindy.  She was on her back with her ankles loosely hooked around his neck
while he maintained a steady tempo driving his rock-hard cock into her
gaping vagina.  She had been making happy sounds as she felt him driving
into her.  Soon, they became small screams each time he reached full
penetration and stimulated her so-sensitive clit.  Then Vangie saw
something that was unbelievable.  With her loins pounding, Cindy achieved
her orgasm, but instead of releasing his load Dan kept going.  She realized
Cindy was in continuous orgasm and could see the muscles in the girl's
loins continually spasm as they tried to draw the milky fluid from Dan's
balls.  "What's going on?" she exclaimed.

   "What's it look like, Mom?  She's cuming.  The only thing is that they
can go on like this for fifteen minutes or more."

   "But that's physiologically impossible!" Vangie protested.

   "Oh?  Just watch!" Cathy replied.

   After about fifteen minutes Vangie could see Dan's enormous weapon begin
to throb as he came inside his love.  Cindy screamed, "Dan, I love you!"
and lost consciousness while Dan lowered his body to hers.

   When he regained his breath, he rolled off her body while Cathy, with a
wink at Dan, moved between Cindy's thighs and began lovingly to lap up the
mingled juices with her tongue.  When she felt Cindy begin to regain
consciousness, she bit down very gently on the girl's bare clit and
instantly triggered another orgasm.  This time the taste was different
since it was now only Cindy's own love juices she was licking up.

   Cindy moved her thighs together trapping Cathy between them.  Cathy
looked up with a grin while Cindy tried to look sad.  She said, "Are you
stealing your master's breakfast again, Slave Cathy?"

   "Yum!  I'm afraid so, Mistress," Cathy replied with a grin.  Then trying
unsuccessfully to look repentant, she asked, "Am I to be punished?"

   Cindy just shook her head and said, "Cathy, Dan needs to save his semen.
He's getting worn out, after all." She had moved up in the bed and was now
in her favorite position with her head on his shoulder.  Looking at him she
said, "You _are_ over the hill, aren't you, dear?" Then she looked
thoughtful and said, "You know, with any kind of luck one of our first
children will be a boy.  Then in just a few years he can take your place."
She licked her lips and said, "Just think!  A young stud of my very own!  I
just hope he inherits your physical equipment, darling."

   Dan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Over the hill?" Cindy grinned and
nodded her head rapidly.  "Are you sure?" Again Cindy nodded her head
vigorously.

   Cathy whispered to her mother, "Uh, oh!  Watch what happens now.  I can
see it coming: Cindy is going to get her ass handed to her!"

   Peremptorily, Dan said, "On your knees, woman!" Suddenly Cindy's eyes
widened in fear.  Vangie could see the look but didn't recognize the fear
nor did she know what to make of it.

   Frantically, Cindy looked at Cathy and said, "Slave Cathy, quickly!  Get
the whip." Cathy could only shake her head.  The whip was still in Chicago.
Turning back to Dan Cindy asked plaintively, "Please, Dan!  Please don't!"

   Dan just pointed to the bed and she moved to kneel beside him.  It was a
repeat of what had happened before, but even worse.  This time Dan would
select a part of her body to work on -- her breasts, her inner thighs, her
cunt -- and would take her to her crest but not allow her to go over.  Soon
she was screaming in anguish.  When he was working on her tits she soon
reached the point where she would scream in pain whenever he touched her
so-sensitive nipples.  Finally, she was crying for release.  She screamed,
"Dan, please stop!  I can't stand it any more.  You're killing me!"

   "Am I over the hill, Cindy?" he asked quietly.

   "Oh, God, no!  Oh, Dan, you're my love -- my everything.  I'm sorry, my
darling.  Never again!  Please!"

   "Are you sure?" he repeated.  By now Cindy had completely come apart. 
She could no longer even speak coherently.  Now she was just babbling as
her tears poured from her eyes in streams.  She had never experienced such
agony in her life and Dan knew it.  He said, "You may worship my cock then,
Cindy." She jumped over between his legs and began to lick and suck, then
carefully dried it with her hair after he had discharged into her mouth.

   During all the time she was doing it, he continued to keep her right on
the edge of release without letting her achieve it.  Then he rolled her on
her back and entered her.  Almost instantly, she came, achieving the
release that had been denied her.  Again he moved steadily in her and again
held her in orgasm while her loins throbbed, and again she passed out when
he finally came.

   This time Dan moved between her thighs and carefully licked up the flood
of mingled juices himself, then pulled her up in the bed and rested her
head against his shoulder.

   Turning to Cathy he said, "Slave Cathy, are you doing anything useful
this morning?" She grinned and quickly poured him a cup of coffee which he
took in his left hand while his right continued to caress Cindy's gorgeous
breast.  "While we're waiting, you may help yourselves as well." Cathy
grinned and poured coffee for her mother and herself.

   Cindy's eyes blinked open and she looked into Dan's.  She shook her head
sadly and asked, "Dan, what's wrong with me?  Little children quickly learn
what happens when they touch a hot stove.  Why am I such a slow learner?"

   "Darling," he replied with a wink, "it must be your Irish heritage.  We
seem to be congenitally unable to learn.  Of course, we occasionally turn
it to our advantage, but not too often." Without even looking, Cindy just
stuck out her right hand and Cathy put a coffee cup in it.  She had a sip
and just leaned back against Dan's shoulder while he pulled her even closer
against him.  She just wriggled and made happy noises deep inside her body.

   Then she looked past the end of the bed and saw Vangie standing there
holding her coffee cup.  The woman had finally recovered from the assault
on her senses.  She had never in her life seen or heard of anything like
what had just happened on the bed.  Turning to Cathy, Cindy asked, "Slave
Cathy, who is this?"

   Cathy grinned and said, "Mistress, I thought I might take advantage of
being in New Orleans, so early this morning I went down to the slave
auction.  I'm sorry, Mistress, but I must have arrived late.  This is all
that was left."

   She went to her mother and ran her fingers over her body saying,
"This... This _thing_ cost me ten dollars, Mistress, but even at that price
I think I was cheated.  You can see that she slumps, her tits are flabby,
her belly protrudes, she's obviously carrying too much weight on her hips,
ass and thighs and her color is atrocious.  Her skin is the color of the
belly of a dead fish!" Looking at her mother she asked, "Slave, what's your
name?"

   Cathy instantly found out where her gift for acting and mimicry came
from.  Her mother said, "I'm Slave Vangie, Mistress.  I'm forty-five years
old, so I'm too old for breeding purposes.  I can't cook; I don't know
anything about housekeeping, I have never held a baby, let alone taken care
of one..." She looked hopeful and added, "Maybe I could be developed enough
to work in the fields, though?  Would that be possible?"

   Cindy looked thoughtful and then winked at Vangie.  She said, "I have a
body slave who I have finally succeeded in training.  My sister-in-law,
though..."

   She scrambled to the phone and called Janice who was staying at another
hotel in town.  Fortunately, the Stewarts hadn't checked out yet, so Jan
answered the phone.  They talked quickly and then she hung up and called
room service to order breakfast for the four of them.  Then she looked at
Dan and said, "Darling, do you suppose you could find some other little
boys and go out and play this morning?  Or whatever it is little boys do
when the little girls aren't around?"

   Dan chuckled and then pulled her close, giving her a long and loving
kiss.  When he released her, Cindy's eyes were glazed with passion.  She
said, "Damn it, Burke, you cheat!  Why do you insist on doing that to me
all the time and turning me into a glob of warm mush!"

   Then he winked, got out of bed and went into the bathroom.  The women
put on the hotel bathrobes and were waiting when their breakfast arrived.
Vangie was surprised at the amount of food that was delivered, the fact
that Cathy ate it all, and was even more surprised to find that she did,
too.

   In the meantime, Dan had emerged from the bedroom fully dressed, saying
he was going to play in a golf match.  He kissed Cindy warmly and left the
suite.  Cindy muttered, "Damn that man!  Every time he does it I turn to
mush.  This has got to stop."

   Turning to Vangie she said, "Isn't the National Organization for Women
always talking about the need for women to have control over their bodies?
Why in hell can't I have control over mine?  He just destroys me time after
time after time." Then she told Vangie about going to a NOW meeting that
broke up when she told them how Dan regularly kept her in orgasm for
fifteen minutes at a time.  She finished by saying, "I went there to find
one of those women you hear about all the time: the type who are
'receptacles for a man's fluids.' You know the one: lay back and let the
man have his fun, and if she's really good, she can even read a book while
he's playing between her thighs.  Where in hell are they all?  Do you
know?"

   Vangie was giggling at Cindy's recital and Cathy was looking at her
mother.  Giggling, she thought, was totally out of character for her.  But
then she admitted that she no longer knew what was in character for her
mother.  As they were talking, the doorbell rang and Cathy jumped up to
welcome Janice Stewart.  Jan looked at the nude women and quickly shed her
own clothes.  Cindy yawned and said, "Vangie, this is my pregnant
sister-in-law, Janice Stewart."

   "Pregnant?" Vangie replied, "When did it happen?  Last night?  She can't
be even one month pregnant, for Heaven's sake."

   "I'm about halfway there," Jan replied.  "Can't you see how I'm
bulging?" The only physical signs were her slightly swollen breasts and
enlarging nipples.  There was only the slightest convexity showing in her
abdomen.

   Vangie just shook her head and said, "Wow!  You're carrying so
beautifully.  For that matter, Mrs.  Stewart, you're the most beautiful
woman I have ever seen!"

   Cindy said, "Jan...  former Mistress Jan...  my slave, Cathy, was down
at the slave auction this morning.  She thinks that she was taken...  and
I'm inclined to agree.  She paid a full ten dollars for this...  this
specimen.  Slave Vangie, present yourself to Mrs.  Stewart."

   Vangie didn't quite know what to do, but guessed.  She rose and stood in
front of Jan and said, "Mistress, I'm Slave Vangie.  I'm not young -- I'm
forty-five years old -- so I can't be used for breeding purposes.  I know
absolutely nothing about housekeeping.  I can't cook, and can't even mix a
drink." Cradling her breasts she said, "These are my breasts.  They are
soft and flabby.  Although I have only been naked for a few hours, lacking
their usual support, they hurt already."

   "Slaves don't have breasts," Cathy said harshly.  "They have tits or
boobs.  Which do you have, Slave Vangie?"

   "I have bags," she replied sadly.  "I'm afraid they're gone for good. 
They would have to be twice as good as they are for them to qualify as
tits." Turning around, she put her hands on her ass cheeks and said, "This
is my ass.  If anything, it's even worse than my bags.  My hips are loaded
with lard, as are my thighs.  My skin is smooth but has no color at all. 
My hair..." She began to cry as she continued, "...I don't even know what
its color is!  It's a mess.  My cunt is...  a mess.  My bush is sloppy --
it spreads all over my groin.  It's full of gray hair.  Even though I don't
know what my natural hair color is, but I don't think it's gray." Then with
her tears still flowing, she smiled crookedly and said, "Perhaps I could
become a field slave, Mistress.  Will you undertake my training?"

   "Sit down, Slave," Jan said kindly.  "Let's talk about it." She studied
Vangie Collins carefully and decided she liked what she saw.  There was
real spirit here.  Jan dropped the acting and put out her hand and said,
"Vangie, I'm Jan Stewart and I'm very happy to meet you.  Your daughter,
Cathy, has become one of my most favorite people even though I only met her
for the first time at Christmas.

   "Vangie, since she came from your loins it says something pretty good
about you.  Before we go further, though, I should tell you that until a
little over a year ago I was a prostitute in New York.  There was nothing,
no matter how disgusting or degrading, I wouldn't do or allow to be done to
me.  Have you seen Cindy's body?  Did she tell you what I did to her?"

   Vangie didn't say anything but looked puzzled.  Jan asked Cindy to show
her the scars from her beating.  She showed the marks with pride and
finished by saying, "Jan is really very good with a whip.  Look," she said
spreading her vaginal lips so the scar running through it was visible, "Jan
whipped me three times.  You can see that the first stroke was right in the
center of my slit while the next two were exactly one inch to each side."

   Jan cried and said through her sobs, "I almost killed her, Vangie.  With
blood pouring from her cunt she just got back on her feet and awaited the
next stroke from the whip.  She's the most courageous person I have ever
met." Looking at Vangie she said, "Are you sure you want anything to do
with a sadistic prostitute?"

   Before Vangie could reply Cindy spoke up and said, "There is another
side, Vangie.  One year ago I had no right to live.  I was the worst
disgrace posing as a human being on the face of the earth.  Trying to be as
objective as I can be, looking back I can't think of a single redeeming
quality.  Not one!  I was selfish, totally self-centered, amoral...  I was
even dating a fairy, for Christ's sake.  Would you believe it?  I can
recall telling Jan how considerate Jeffrey was because he would get reamed
in the ass before we went out so he could concentrate on the real me!"

   Now Cindy started to cry and ran to where Jan was sitting to hug her. 
She released her just enough to be able to speak and said, "As Jan's slave
I learned to cook -- before that I couldn't even boil water -- clean house,
and be useful for the first time in my life.  I learned it was fun to deal
with real people.  I also learned what married love could be.  The love
that Jan and Pete have for each other is the most beautiful thing I've ever
seen in my life.  It was because of them that I have Dan now.  Beyond that,
there are even some people who think I'm pretty nice.  I'm not sure what I
think of their judgment, but that's neither here nor there.  All I can say
is that I love Janice Stewart more than anyone alive with the exception of
Dan Burke.  I would cheerfully give my life for her.  So don't believe
everything she tells you."

   "We're going to be barred from every hotel in the United States," Jan
said wryly.  "If we're not flooding out the place with our love juices,
we're soaking the damned carpets with our tears.  I don't know any group of
women that spill so damned much fluid around a place as we do!" Then she
grinned and said, "Back to you, Vangie.  Tell me about yourself."

   Vangie was sitting in a side chair and pulled herself erect.  "My name
is Evangeline Pierce Collins," she said.  "Jan, I heard what you said.  You
paid for your graduate education by prostituting yourself.  It's not my
preferred choice of occupations, but you were earning money for your
education.  I've spent my entire life, since infancy, spending it.

   "My family was very wealthy.  I never did anything when I was small. 
Even though the second World War had just ended, if you had enough money
you weren't affected.  We did and we weren't." Tears started to flow as
memories came back.  "I remember we used to hire widows of men killed in
combat.  I used to terrorize them, threatening to have them fired.  We
attracted them and kept them by paying them what was for the time a great
deal of money.  They needed the money, and they put up with me.  I was a
bitch at the age of three and just got worse as I got older.

   "I had a private education.  Through prep school I was the walking,
talking illustration of the adage that if you had enough money you could
get away with murder.  We did and I did.  I can't even count the number of
times I should have been thrown out of school but my father always bought
me back in again.  I went to college but finally got thrown out -- I think
it was at the end of my sophomore year.  I can't recall what stunt caused
that to happen, but there were so many it doesn't matter, anyway.  And what
the hell -- school was getting in the way of my social life.

   "I married Steve Collins whose family was even richer than mine.  Since
we were both only children, I guess it's only appropriate that we had only
one of our own.  I had Cathy.  A child was something one produced to have
available to dust off and bring out every Christmas and Easter.  After all,
particularly at Christmas, children add a certain _je ne sais quoi_ to the
decor.  The rest of the time she was in the custody of nurses, maids,
governesses and so forth.

   "This morning, I remembered a woman I hired to be her wet nurse.  We run
to form in my family, I guess.  Her husband had been killed in the Army
while she was expecting her first child.  In order to avoid having to take
a full-time job and be away from her baby, she applied for a job as Cathy's
wet nurse.  My God!  Now I remember her standing in front of me, bare to
the waist, with tears trickling down her cheeks as I handled her as if she
were a cow!"

   Turning to Cindy she shook her head and said, "Martin, you said you were
a bitch and didn't deserve to live.  Well, lady, I can spot you hearts and
spades and beat you going away.  There is _nothing_ bad enough to say about
me.  How I was so lucky to have a daughter like Cathy is one of the great
miracles of our time.  She's everything I wasn't.  Maybe it was Colleen
Callahan, the girl who nursed Cathy.  I can remember seeing her and I cry,
remembering.  She cradled Cathy in her arms and offered her beautiful
milk-laden tit, then crooned to her as she nursed.  The poor woman!  She
had to use a nursing bottle with her own baby, of course, because there
wasn't nearly enough of her milk for hers and mine both...  and after all,
I owned her, didn't I?  Isn't that utterly disgusting?

   "Then Steve was killed a few years ago in a plane crash.  After that, my
behavior was a disgrace.  I would bed anything in pants.  Later, I heard
about a guy named Bradley who had even more money than we did and who had a
son.  I knew nothing about the boy...  or about Cathy, for that matter...
but I decided our families should merge.  Cathy finally walked out rather
than live with the flak I was giving her all the time.  Then yesterday
afternoon I find that she's engaged to marry Ken Bradley.

   "In the meantime, I had met Ed Bradley and...  and something happened.
We're both selfish as hell, but for some reason since we've been together
we've both been better." She held up her head and said, "That's Evangeline
Collins, Mrs.  Stewart, and it isn't very much or very good."

   Just then the doorbell rang again.  This time it was Jen Chapman along
with Connie Cartwright.  Before they could even leave the entry, the bell
rang again and it was Kathy Cartwright.  Cathy had answered the door. 
Going into the sitting room, the girls saw the others were nude so they
quickly shed their clothes as well.

   Seeing Connie Cartwright whose abdomen was now visibly swelling, Vangie
said, "Now here is a pregnant woman, Janice Stewart." Putting out her hand
she said, "I'm Vangie Collins."

   Connie took her hand in her firm grip and introduced herself.  Vangie
asked when the baby was due and Connie said, "Oh, in a month or so, I
guess. I'm really looking like a mess, aren't I?"

   Vangie's jaw dropped.  "You're kidding!  You can't be expecting that
soon!  What do you girls do, anyway?  You _are_ teasing, aren't you?"

   "Would you like to feel?  It's sort of funny with the passenger kicking
up a storm.  He or she is obviously getting tired of the cramped quarters
down there."

   Vangie stood behind Connie and, putting her arms around her, cradled her
abdomen.  As soon as she did, she could feel the movement inside.  "My God!
It's true, isn't it?  Connie Cartwright, I think I hate you.  I seem to
recall being a mess in the second month of my pregnancy and just getting
worse.  By the time I was ready to deliver I looked like a walking house.
Maybe that's another reason Cathy is an only child.  What do you girls do,
anyway?"

   She looked around at the group, softly whistled, and said, "No one would
believe this.  You're the most beautiful group of girls in the country.  No
wonder Cath insists on being tanned.  I feel like a freak being around all
of you golden girls."

   Then she was introduced to Jen and finally to Kathy Cartwright.  She
held Kathy's hands and just shook her head.  "Young lady, you're
perfection! I have never seen a girl like you.  Your breasts are so full
with such a gorgeously slim figure -- and those green eyes!" Then she
looked down at Kathy's bare mound and realized that Jen Chapman's was
hairless, also.  Finally, she looked down at her own pubic patch and said
to the group, "Do you all consult?  Never did I think I would ask it, but
what should I do with my pubic hair?  Cathy, Janice, and Cindy have the
most beautiful bushes I've ever seen.  You, Connie...  my God!  With your
tan and your hair, it's like tight curly white gold.  Then I see Jennifer
and Kathy who are bare.  Meanwhile, I'm a mess!  What should I do?"

   The girls studied Vangie's pubic area carefully.  She asked Jennifer why
she was bare.  Just then the doorbell rang yet again.  This time it was Ali
Clifford, who greeted Vangie and then the girls.  Again Vangie's jaw
dropped when she heard the girls call Ali, Mom.

   She asked and Ali said, "Oh, them.  Well, Jennifer is my husband's
daughter by his prior marriage.  I adopted her.  Janice, Connie, and Kathy
are all mine, though.  That was before I found out what fun it is to have
more sons, so in addition to Bill's two, Billy and Brian, I adopted Dan
Burke.  He's neat!"

   "What brings you over, Mom?" Jennifer asked.

   "Didn't you know?  There's a major golf match in progress.  They
organized two foursomes.  I understand Bill and Dan are playing against Ken
and Ed Bradley in one, while Chip Cartwright and Steve Chapman are playing
against Bill Cartwright and Pete Stewart in the other.  So I came looking
for a hen party.  When I came in, you were engrossed in something.  What
was it?"

   They explained about the discussion regarding Vangie's pubic hair and
Ali grinned.  "Ask Jennifer.  She's the expert."

   Jen smiled and answered Vangie's earlier question: "I did it because my
boss wanted my mound bare for my show.  I was a nude dancer on Sunset Strip
in LA.  Anyway, Mom did it for me and I've kept it like this ever since.  I
guess I really like it now, and I know Steve does.  How do you like its
appearance?"

   "It looks absolutely beautiful on both you and Kathy.  I guess I'd like
to be bare.  How do you do it, though?"

   "With an infernal machine that I even brought down here with me.  I have
it back in my room," Jen replied.  Then tears came to her eyes as she
continued, "Mrs.  Collins, there's something you should know.  Ali did it
for me after I had tried my best to destroy her marriage to my father.  I
found out later that it was the same as killing her.  She can't live apart
from my dad, nor he away from her.  Anyway, in spite of that she removed my
pubic hair -- the most disgusting job imaginable -- and said she loved me.
And she does!" Turning to Ali she said, "Mom, you're experienced.  Want to
try again?"

   Before Ali could reply Cathy interjected, "She's my mother, Jen.  I'll
do it for her, if you and Ali will tell me what to do.  But Mom, are you
sure it's what you want?  I think you'll look beautiful, though, with a
bare crotch."

   Jen quickly dressed and ran back to her room to retrieve the hair
remover.  When she returned, she also had a pair of scissors and said,
"Vangie, the first thing you need to do is go in the bathroom and cut your
hair as short as you can with the scissors.  This machine pulls out the
rest.  I have to warn you, though: It's going to hurt like hell!  Are you
sure you want to go through with it?"

   Vangie just nodded, took the scissors and went to the bathroom.  Cathy
followed her and said, "Mom, sit on the side of the tub with your legs as
far apart as possible.  I'll do it." She proceeded to trim all the pubic
hair.  Both women laughed at its crew-cut appearance.  Going out to the
bedroom, Ali had her lie on the edge of the bed with one foot on the floor
and the other spread wide on the bed.  Jen went off and found a piece of
rubber.

   When she gave it to the woman, Vangie asked what it was for.  "I told
you it's going to hurt," Jen replied.  "Believe me, it will.  You'll need
something to bite on to keep from screaming your head off."

   Vangie looked skeptical but took the piece of rubber.  Meanwhile, Ali
was giving Cathy detailed instructions on using the machine.  Finally all
preparations were made and Cathy started in.  It was slow going.  It took
scarcely an instant for Vangie to put the rubber in her mouth.  Several
times, seeing the awful pain her mother was suffering, Cathy was going to
stop but each time Vangie insisted she continue.  The girls were gathered
around watching with interest and sympathy: The woman was obviously in
agony.

   Finally, it was over.  With tears still pouring down her face, Vangie
tried to smile anyway.  "How does it look?" she asked.  "It feels strange
-- but sort of nice."

   "Mom, it looks neat!" Cathy replied.  "In a couple of senses of the
word, in fact."

   Meanwhile, Ali had been running the bathtub.  The other women left the
room while Cathy helped her mother into the tub and saw her sigh with
pleasure as the warm water washed over her torn-up loins.  Cathy carefully
washed her mother's body to get off the sweat that had been pouring off her
body during her ordeal.  Finally, she helped her from the tub, dried her
off, and helped her back to the bed that had been turned down for her. 
When she was lying on her back, Cathy carefully spread an anaesthetic
ointment over the sensitive area and heard her mother moan with pleasure
and relief as she did.  Then she kissed her softly on the lips, turned out
the lights and left the room, leaving her mother asleep.*Chapter 47*

   When Dan reached the country club in Metarie, he found Ken and Edgar
Bradley waiting for him.  A few minutes later they were joined by Bill
Clifford.  Ed Bradley looked at him in amazement and shook his head.  He
said, "Bill, excuse me for asking, but how old are you?"

   "I'm fifty-one," he replied with a smile.  "Why do you ask?"

   "I thought you were," Ed replied.  "But you look like you're in your
early thirties."

   Just then the Cartwright brothers joined them.  Bill had overheard Ed's
remark and said with a grin, "If you saw him nude, you would swear he's in
his twenties.  And all he does is bitch about Ali interfering with his
sleep.  I guess it's just as well, though, because his wife looks like
she's about twenty." Looking at Bill he said, "How is my mother-in-law, by
the way?"

   Bill just shook his head and introduced the men to the Bradleys.  Then
he picked up on the question and shook his head.  "Ed, I'm sure you'll meet
my wife, Ali, later today.  I guess I should warn you about her.  You see,
she _does_ look like she's about twenty.  Hell, the first time Jan Stewart
met her she was certain that Ali was younger than she was...  and wait
until you see my daughter, Janice Stewart!  She looks like a dream come
true and is only twenty-five.

   "Anyway, Ali is now expecting a baby, so if I seem to float around the
course today it's only because I am.  I can't tell you how happy she's made
me!  You'll soon see how happy she is herself.  She's positively joyous,
and when Allison Clifford is joyous she can light up a whole city by
herself."

   They were soon joined by Peter Stewart and went to the locker room to
change.  Bill Cartwright made a point of the fact that his brother, Chip,
was paying for everything that day for the whole group.  He pointed out
that Chip's loyalty to his home team, the Raiders, had gotten the better of
his good sense, so the expenses of the golf outing were on him.

   Chip looked sad and said, "Thanks one hell of a lot, Brother.  Look, I'm
poor!  And my wife will be losing her job when our baby arrives.  Then what
am I going to do?  How will we live?  Bill, you and Kathy both have jobs,
not to mention the fact that you have more money than me, anyway.  Hell,
that doesn't even count your military pension!  You're rich!  You pay."

   "I'd love to, Chip, and I would, but your sister-in-law, Kathy, vetoed
the idea.  She asked me how else will you ever learn if you aren't made to
pay for your mistakes?  I didn't have an answer for her.  And Chip, you
know her!  _Nothing_ can get Kathy Cartwright to change direction when she
makes up her mind!"

   They continued to joke and went out to the first tee.  The foursome with
the Bradleys went off first.  Ken Bradley, who was a very good golfer,
whistled softly as he watched Bill and Dan tee off.  Both hit tee shots
that were very long and right down the center of the fairway.  He said
softly, "Dad, I hope you brought a lot of money with you.  Seeing those two
suggests we're about to get a very expensive education in the game of
golf."

   As they walked the course, Ed asked Bill about the Cartwrights.  Bill
told him about the money that Chip had made from investments after their
parents died while Bill was still imprisoned in Vietnam.  He said, "You
heard the byplay involving Kathy?  That's Bill's wife, of course.  When she
was _ten years old_ she was enslaved and used to help in torturing Bill. 
She saved his life.  They met again after fourteen years apart last
September and were married almost instantly." He grinned and said, "And
don't pay a lot of attention to Chip's bleating about money.  I guess he's
down to his last half-billion dollars or so.  I think his income is in the
range of a million dollars -- _a week!_ He'll manage to cover the expenses
today...  somehow."

   The golf match was the best Ken had ever played in.  Bill Clifford was a
near-scratch player and Dan Burke was also very good.  He couldn't help
teasing Dan, though.  "When do you ever have a chance to play golf, Dan?"
he asked.  "Cathy tells me you spend all the time away from work in bed
with Cindy.  How can you maintain your game?"

   Dan grinned and replied, "That may be so, because that woman is
insatiable.  The result is I get a lot of exercise.  Hell, the power of a
golf swing is all in the body turn, right?  With Cindy, I get all kinds of
lower-body exercise." When the match was over, the Clifford-Burke team had
won, 3 and 2.  They went into the grill to wait for the other foursome.

   When they were seated, Ken asked, "Dad, if you'll pardon my saying so,
you've changed.  I think you're a lot nicer now.  What happened?  You seem
so much more...  relaxed.  As an example, last night when you remembered
you didn't have a place to stay, you asked Vangie to join you on a park
bench.  Before, you would have blown your stack.  The fact that it might
have been your own fault would have been beside the point.  There's more,
though.  I really think you would have slept in the park and she would have
been with you.  What happened?"

   "You're right, son," Ed replied.  "Too right, in fact.  I have been a
shit virtually all my life.  What happened?  I guess I met Vangie.  The
truth is I really don't know what did happen.  She claims to be a bitch,
and I guess she may have been.  But do you know what?  The two of us
together seem to neutralize each other's poisons somehow.  Under all of
that camouflage she's really a wonderful person."

   He looked at Ken and put out his hand.  Ken was puzzled but extended his
own and his father took it in a strong grip.  "Son," he said, "I can't tell
you how proud you make me feel.  Not that I had a damned thing to do with
it except for providing some genes, I guess.  And Cathy!  She's an utter
dream!  You're the luckiest man alive to get her, and I'm sure you know I
would say the same thing if she didn't have ten cents!  You really do love
her, don't you?"

   "More than life itself, Dad.  By the way, did you know she's a virgin?
She really is." Ed Bradley's jaw dropped.

   Just then the others came in from the course and they all ordered drinks
and then had lunch.  Ed and Ken Bradley really enjoyed themselves.  They
found that the men were among the most interesting group of people they had
ever encountered.  And except for kidding about money, you would never know
they had any at all, let alone being among the richest men in the country.

   Ken started to tease Pete Stewart about Harvard and MIT.  Pete raised an
eyebrow and said, "You better knock off that shit!  From what I hear, I may
be having your mother-in-law staying with me as a hostage." Then his face
fell and he said, "Uh, oh!  That won't work.  There's that wonderful old
good news-bad news joke.  The good news is your mother-in-law went off a
cliff.  The bad news is she was driving your new sports car when she did. I
guess that's not much of a threat."

   Then Pete turned to Ed and said, "Could I give you a piece of advice? 
I'm being serious now, although you're not going to believe it after you
hear what I'm going to say." He looked straight at the elder Bradley and
said, "I urge you to start working out at a gym or club or something.  You
can talk about it with Bill Clifford.  You and he are about the same size
and the same age.  I'm sure he can give you some good advice.  The reason
is you are not going to recognize Vangie when she completes the program
with Janice.  I won't spoil it by telling you how she'll change, but I'm
sure she will." Turning to Bill Clifford he asked, "Dad, do you agree?"

   "I sure do, Pete," Bill Clifford replied.  "Ed, I think I've lost about
twenty years in age since I married Ali due to all the exercise I've been
getting.  Incidentally, it's because of her, but only indirectly.  I think
of Ali as perfection but she's always working to make some tiny facet of
her body even better.  She's all muscle covered by the world's smoothest
skin.  She has hair like golden silk and eyes that are as blue as the
Pacific Ocean.  Since she's always tanned -- all over, by the way -- I tell
her she's a vision in shades of gold!  And she is.

   "Ed, I think Vangie will be like that, too, and very soon.  You don't
have to do anything, and I'm sure she would never say anything, but I think
you would feel a hell of a lot better if you did." Making the question
general, he asked, "What do the rest of you guys think?  Your wives are all
in the same boat."

   By the time they were finished, Ed was convinced that it was something
he had to do.  Then he received a big surprise when Ken said, "Dad, I'll
work out with you for this week, anyway.  I need to be in better shape for
Cathy on our wedding day.  I'm not kidding, either.  You saw her.  What do
you think?"

   "I think you're one of the luckiest men in the world, is what I think,"
Ed replied.  "But I already told you that.  Ken, she seems to be the
personification of female physical perfection."

   That evening they rejoined the girls for what became a Clifford family
party.  Vangie had joked that she had been able to send the clothes she was
wearing on Sunday out to the cleaners because she wore none during the day
on Monday.  She was still in a state of shock after learning that Ali
Clifford was expecting a baby.  At the party, she took Ed off into a corner
to talk to him alone.  When Ken and Cathy saw them go, they squeezed each
other's hand.

   Vangie was holding both of Ed's hands in hers and was standing close,
just looking up at him.  She was almost as tall as her daughter at five
feet seven, while at six feet two he was one inch shorter than his son. 
She just looked up at his face and seemed to be memorizing it.

   Finally she said, "Darling, I did something today you need to know
about. I sold myself into slavery to Janice Stewart.  I'll be her house
slave beginning immediately.  It may kill me, but I don't think it will.  I
think it will make me.

   "But, Ed, there's something else," she said, taking a folded paper from
her purse.  "This is my unrestricted power of attorney giving you total
authority over my assets.  My attorney's name is listed, too.  He'll give
you all the other information you need.  Darling, my money is yours.  You
can do with it as you will." Bradley was stunned at what Vangie had just
done.  She had signed over to him everything she owned.

   "I don't know how long this will take," she continued.  "I guess a
couple of months, maybe more.  Ed, we won't be able to communicate until
its over.  Will you wait for me?  You don't have to, and I have no right
even to ask.  I just want you to know, Ed, that I love you very much." Her
eyes filled with tears as she said, "I want to be the wife for you that I
never was for Steve.  I want to be good for you and good to you.  I want
you to make love to me in ways no man has ever taken me before.  Would
you...  Could you...  wait?"

   He pulled her close and hugged her tightly.  Then he lifted her chin and
kissed her.  It was the best kiss either of them had ever had.  There were
bells and they could feel the electricity flow between them.

   When he eased his hold on her, she sighed deeply and said, "Darling, I
think it's already started.  Do you know why that kiss was so good?  For
the first time in my life I tried to give myself to someone: you.  And I
think you were giving yourself to me, too, weren't you?" Ed just nodded. 
"Darling," she said, "we're going to share our grandchildren, regardless.
Will you consider my application to be your wife, as well?  I don't want an
answer now.  I'll ask you again after I finish my servitude.  We'll be
together at the wedding next week, but aside from that you won't see me or
hear from me until it's over.  But, Ed, you'll never be out of my heart."
She just looked up at him and said nothing but he could see tears starting
to flow down her cheeks.

   "Darling, of course I'll wait," he replied.  "I hope it doesn't last too
long though.  I'm really going to miss you, you know." Then he just looked
in her eyes and said softly, "Vangie, I love you very much.  Like you, I
never felt like this before.  While I'm sorry I can't have more children by
you, I think we're going to have a wonderful time with a lot of
grandchildren." Then he looked concerned and added, "Ken says he wants a
very big family and Cathy does, too.  Vangie, I love your daughter very
much.  She isn't doing it just because Ken wants children, is she?  I'll
speak to him if she doesn't.  I don't want anything to happen to that
girl." He pulled her close, kissed her again, and then they just stood in
each other's arms holding on tight.  In whispers, she assured him that
Cathy really did want a lot of children.

   Cathy and Ken had been watching their parents from a distance.  Finally,
Cathy shook her head and said, "Ken, my heart bleeds for her.  It really
does.  She looks so vulnerable!" Looking up at him she said, "Darling, I
love my mother now.  Isn't that a hell of a thing to say?"

   "I love my dad, too, darling.  I know exactly what you mean." Looking
into her eyes he said, "I can hardly wait for Saturday!"*Chapter 48*

   The wedding ceremony and the reception that followed was the biggest
social event in Chicago in years.  Although each of the girls had been
planning for her own small wedding, in the event there was a multiple
wedding in the cathedral: Cindy married Dan, Cathy married Ken, Kelly
married Kevin, Susan married Mike, and April married Ron.  When the couples
were lined up at the altar, everyone -- even the professional photographers
-- agreed that they were the most beautiful girls they had ever seen.  The
day was one filled with vignettes.

   * * *

   Cathy was dressing in Cindy's apartment.  It had been funny with two
brides dressing in a single unit.  She had just put on a pair of white
bikinis and was pondering her gown when the doorbell rang.  She looked
through the peephole and opened it for her mother.  Although it had been
less than a week since they had been together in New Orleans, her mother
already looked different.  Vangie was beautifully dressed as the mother of
the bride.

   Returning to her bedroom, Vangie said, "Darling, could I look at you
this once?  I only found my daughter five days ago and I'm losing her
already.  Cathy, I can't imagine a more beautiful bride than you are today.
Just think!  Tonight you'll be with Ken.  Are you eager?"

   Cathy went to her mother, set herself down on her lap and hugged her. 
Then she eased away and said, "Mother, there's something you should know. I
have no birth-control devices at all, and Ken promised he won't have any,
either.  Does that bother you?"

   "My darling daughter, nothing could thrill me more!  It sounds like I
may be a grandmother pretty soon, though." She smiled warmly and added,
"Honey, I think you're going to prove to be very fertile.  That doesn't
bother you, does it?"

   "Isn't that what it's all about, Mom?  Raising a family?" Then her face
fell and she said, "Mother, I'm scared about tonight!  I think it would be
better if I were more experienced."

   "Don't worry, honey," Vangie said.  "It won't hurt too much.  Honest!"

   Cathy shook her head rapidly and said, "Mom, that's not the problem. 
I'm afraid Ken is going to be disappointed.  I really don't know what to
do!" Then she brightened and added, "Of course, it could be much worse.  If
it hadn't been for the last month at Cindy's, I wouldn't know _anything!_
Speaking of which, how are you making out with Jan?  You look good, but I
can't really see the difference."

   "I think I'll survive," Vangie replied with a grin.  "I understand what
you mean about lovemaking now, though.  Those two are simply beautiful
together.  You can't see it, but I'm only wearing a fraction of the makeup
I used to, and if today weren't your wedding, I wouldn't be wearing any at
all.  It's funny, too.  They're treating me the way they treated Cindy on
the first day -- I sleep on the floor in the kitchen.  But I end the day so
tired, though, it doesn't even matter.  I think I could fall asleep curled
up in the oven."

   Then she shook her head and said, "Darling Cathy, I want to apologize to
you again for being such a god-awful mother to you.  Now that you're about
to marry a terrific guy and go off together, I find out how wonderful you
are." Her tears were flowing as she concluded, "God!  You had to put up
with an awfully sorry excuse for a mother!"

   Cathy, still sitting on Vangie's lap, put her arms around her and hugged
her tightly saying, "Regardless, you're my mother and I love you very much!
Honest, Mom, I do.  I won't comment on anything else.  All I will say is
that I'm the fruit of your loins.  I have to love you the same way I have
to breathe.  I really do."

   Vangie's tears had stopped as she looked at her daughter with
incredulity.  "You really mean that, don't you?" she said.  "God, thank
you! I certainly don't deserve the love of such a wonderful person, but
I'll take anything I can get." She grinned and said, "Now, lady, you're not
getting any lighter, you know.  And you're wrecking my nice new
mother-of-the-bride dress!"

   Cathy winked, jumped up and finished her dressing.

   * * *

   Breaking with tradition, Cindy insisted that her new mother, Mary, ride
in the limousine with her father to the church.  Mary looked at Cindy and
just shook her head but with her eyes gleaming.  "Darling," she said,
"You're utterly exquisite today.  I have never seen a woman look so happy
in my life!"

   Don couldn't resist the opportunity to tease his daughter for the last
time.  "Honey," he said, "there are two things that concern me.  First,
you're so nervous.  Second, will you make me a promise?"

   Cindy was completely relaxed and knew she looked it.  Raising an eyebrow
she asked, "Promise?"

   "No quickie at the altar rail?  Promise?" he asked with his eyes
dancing.

   "Pooh!" she exclaimed, "You're no fun!  Of course you're a banker so
what can you expect?" Then she daintily stuck out her tongue and then
grinned.

   As they neared the church, she took her father in her arms and hugged
him tightly.  She said, "Dad, I think I said it before, but I want you to
know I meant it: A girl couldn't have a better father than you.  Will you
kiss your single daughter one last time?"

   "Aren't you afraid I'll spoil your makeup?" he teased, but took her into
his arms and kissed her soundly.  Then she also got a very warm kiss from
Mary as the limousine pulled up to the church.

   * * *

   Standing in the vestibule of the church, April looked down at Ronnie. 
The little boy was being entrusted with no less than five wedding rings
which were on a little pillow he was to carry.  He looked up at his mother
and said, "Mommy, you look so beautiful!  Will Daddy be living with us from
now on?"

   Tears were in the corners of April's eyes as she nodded and said, "Yes,
he will, Ronnie.  Are you happy?" The boy just beamed his sunshine smile.

   April looked up at John Smith standing beside her.  He was escorting her
down the aisle acting in place of her dead father, and she could see he was
nervous.  Smiling warmly she said, "John, thank you so much for what you're
doing today.  I very know it's very hard on you, but I want you to know how
much I appreciate it!"

   John was jerked out of his reverie.  He was genuinely shocked by April's
words.  He shook his head and said warmly, "April Jefferson, you don't
understand one damned thing!  Do you know what I was thinking?  I was
thinking about the honor extended to me of escorting the most beautiful
young woman in the world down the aisle on my arm.  A girl who's the
daughter of one of our nation's heros, the daughter of a genuine queen, and
a princess in her own right.  And who am I?  A dumb ex-jock and ex-addict.
I was wondering how I ever got so lucky?"

   April looked up at him and said softly, "John, I want to thank you for
what you've done for my mother.  I used to hear her crying in an agony of
wanting.  Now I still hear her cry," she said with a warm smile, "but now
it's the joy of satisfied passion.  It's what I see and hear with Cindy and
the Stewarts.  It's the sound of a woman's fulfillment."

   In spite of her smile, tears trickled from her eyes as she added, "She
loves you very much, John Smith, and I want you to know that I do, too.  I
never knew my father, but I'm sure, wherever he is, he's going to be very
proud to see me go down the aisle on the arm of a member of the Pro
Football Hall of Fame...  a gentle giant who I dearly love.  Thank you,
Dad!"

   Smith was genuinely astonished.  He looked down at April and could see
the warmth and the tears in her eyes.  Slowly he bent down and kissed her
softly full on the mouth and then held her tightly.  He whispered, "April
Jefferson, you have just made me the happiest man on the face of the earth!
That you could even speak of me in the same breath as your father is the
nicest thing you could ever do.  April, I love you very much...  nearly as
much as I love your mother." Then he carefully wiped the tears from her
eyes and said, "A woman couldn't possibly look more beautiful than you do
today.  I know you'll be very happy!"

   * * *

   At the altar, Mary lifted back Cindy's veil and kissed her sweetly. 
Then she gave Cindy's hand to Dan and returned to the pew.  Cindy looked at
Dan for the first time that day and her heart leaped.  _Why do I feel this
way?_ she wondered.  _It's not like I haven't been sleeping with him
constantly.  Why?_ Dan was in a morning suit and looked incredibly
handsome. _In fact,_ she thought, _I have never seen him look so good!_ He
took her hand and squeezed it, telling her he understood.  There was
intense love and gratitude in the look she gave him as they went, hand in
hand, up to the altar for the Mass and their exchange of wedding vows.

   * * *

   When the ceremony was over, there was an impromptu reception in the
vestibule of the Cathedral for those who were unable to attend the formal
reception.  Cathy was standing beside Ken and next to Vangie and Ed,
looking over the crowd.  She realized that most of the Bears -- certainly
all who were still in the Chicago area -- had attended.  There were also a
great many people she recognized as customers of the Special Lending
Division who had come to see the wedding of most of the members of the
unit's senior management.

   Cathy was feeling warm and wonderful, thinking of what was to come that
night.  Her earlier fears had been allayed when she saw the love in Ken's
eyes when they were at the altar.  Then she heard a woman's voice with a
wonderful Irish lilt in her speech say, "Excuse me?"

   She jerked herself back to the present and saw a beautiful auburn-haired
woman standing in front of her.  She realized the woman was nearly as tall
as she was.  When she had Cathy's attention, she extended her hand and
said, "My name is Colleen Callahan.  You don't know me, Mrs.  Bradley, but
I knew you when you were just a baby.  I wanted to come and give you an
Irish blessing for your wedding.  You're such a beautiful bride!"

   Cathy turned to her mother and said, "Mom, here's a woman you should
greet.  She knew me when I was just a baby.  Her name is Colleen Callahan."
As she said it, Cathy knew the name was familiar -- a name she had heard
for the first time very recently but she couldn't place it.

   Vangie was talking to Ed Bradley but spun around when she heard the
name. Seeing the woman, she let out a cry, ran to her and hugged her
tightly.  Tears started to flow as she kissed the woman and just held her
murmuring, "Colleen!  It's been so long!  I was talking about you just a
few days ago." She moved back, held the woman at arms length and looked at
her.

   Colleen Callahan was a tall, truly beautiful woman with wavy auburn hair
that was longer than shoulder length, emerald-green eyes and a beautiful
figure.  However, there were worry lines around her eyes.  Her clothes were
very inexpensive, but Vangie realized that they were very tasteful and very
well cared-for.  Moreover, she had a flair for color and accents that she
used to get the greatest mileage from what she had.

   As she held her and looked into her beautiful green eyes, she shook her
head sadly.  "Colleen, would you believe it?  This is the first time I
realized you have green eyes?  All I remember now was my disgusting
behavior towards you: having you strip to the waist to inspect your tits
like some cow!" Vangie looked up and saw another young woman -- a young
Colleen -- standing in the background.  "Who is this, Colly?  It can only
be your daughter." Again tears flowed as she added, "Would you believe it?
I don't even know her name!  She lived with us for two years but I could
only think of her as competition for your milk!"

   Turning towards Cathy, Vangie said, "Darling, I want you to meet the
woman who, more than anyone, is responsible for you being the way you are.
Honey, Colleen was your nurse for the first two years of your life.  She
fed you, changed you and loved you!"

   Cathy didn't understand her reaction.  She went to the beautiful woman
and hugged her while she could feel her tears start to flow.  Meanwhile,
Vangie had gone to the other young woman and said, "Welcome!  You have to
be Colleen's daughter.  You lived with me and I saw you grow from infancy,
but I don't even know your name."

   The girl extended her hand and smiled, but Vangie could see there was no
warmth in it.  She said, "How do you do, Mrs.  Collins.  I'm Maureen
Callahan, and I'm very pleased to meet you."

   Vangie ignored the extended hand and took the young woman in her arms
and hugged her tightly.  She whispered in her ear, "Young lady, it's
apparent that you're a great deal more objective than your mother is.  You
_know_ how shabbily I treated her.  Darling, all I can ask is that you'll
give me the chance to earn your forgiveness." Stepping back, she held the
girl's hands in hers and looked into her eyes whispering, "Will you? 
Please?  Maureen, I'm not asking for forgiveness.  I'm only asking for the
chance to try to earn it.  Is that asking too much?"

   Maureen Callahan was completely taken aback.  Although her mother had
never spoken ill of Vangie Collins, the girl had pieced together enough of
the events during her infancy to have developed an abiding hatred for the
woman.  She had followed Mrs.  Collins in the society pages and national
magazines even after they had moved from New York to Illinois.  Everything
she had ever seen or read confirmed her opinion that Vangie Collins was a
selfish airhead who cared nothing for anyone else.  Yet this woman's
behavior today was totally out of the pattern she had observed.  She looked
at her and saw incredible love in her eyes.  There was something else.  She
could see the pleading there, too, as the woman just looked at her and
waited.

   Maureen smiled -- it was a real smile, this time -- and said, "Mrs. 
Collins, there is absolutely nothing to forgive.  My mother has told me
thousands of times how you took us in when she was penniless with a newborn
infant and took care of us.  She told me that, without you, we might never
have made it.  How could I possibly dislike you?"

   Shaking her head, Vangie smiled wryly and said, "Because you recognize
the truth behind what your mother was saying.  You know that I was the most
selfish excuse for a human being on two feet.  I suspect that even though
you were only a tiny infant, you knew that your mother was being treated
like an animal...  a human cow.  You know that your mother was being far
too forgiving to me, for whatever reasons.  You were more objective and far
more accurate in your assessment."

   She continued to study the girl closely and saw something in her eyes
and bearing.  "There's something else, isn't there?  Your mother wants to
do something that you don't approve of.  What is it, Maureen?"

   The girl's eyes widened but then she temporized.  "I didn't think you
were so perceptive, Mrs.  Collins," she said coolly.  Then she exclaimed,
"I told her we don't need any of your damned money!"

   Vangie let the subject drop and turned towards Cathy.  Colleen was
holding her at arms length and was just looking at her.  As she watched,
Cathy moved close and just hugged the older woman.  She whispered, "Mom,
I'm so scared!  Tonight is going to be just awful."

   "What's wrong, darling?" Colleen asked softly.  "He won't hurt you.  But
you're not..."

   "A virgin?  Yes, I am.  But that's not it!  I'm going to disappoint him.
I'm just so plain!" Cathy cried.

   "Plain?  You?  Catherine Collins, I'm ashamed of you!  Have you no eyes,
child?  You're the most beautiful woman in the world, and Ken Bradley looks
like he can make you very happy.  He appears to be very well built,"
Colleen said.

   "Oh, God!  Mom, he's like one of those Greek gods you see in the museum.
He's absolutely gorgeous!  That's the problem.  I'll disappoint him," Cathy
cried.

   Colleen just shook her head and gave Cathy a beautifully wrapped gift.
The girl slipped off the ribbon and opened it finding a beautifully-made
sampler with a Gaelic blessing beautifully stitched and illuminated.  It
was the finest piece of needlework she had ever seen.  With her eyes moist
she said softly, "You made this yourself, didn't you?" The woman just
nodded shyly.  Cathy showed it to Ken who was by her side and said,
"Darling, look at what we just received.  This is utterly priceless!"

   Then she looked at the woman and her expression changed.  She murmured
something in Gaelic and Colleen's eyes widened.  There was enormous love in
Cathy's smile as she said, "I learned that from you, didn't I?  It comes
back from my babyhood.  You're still wearing the perfume you wore then,
because you still smell of heather and herbs and clean!"

   Her eyes widened and she asked, "Did you try to get me to eat something
yucky while you let me play with your tit?  You wouldn't let me suckle
until I ate?  Then I gobbled the slop down, whatever it was, so I could get
what I really wanted: your glorious milk...  so warm and fresh and
wonderful...  directly from your glorious tit!  Heaven was having your
glorious nipple in my mouth!"

   Colleen's mouth had formed into a very surprised "O" as she listened to
the bride.  Then she said, "Cathy, you couldn't possibly remember that!"

   "But it's true, isn't it?  You would dangle your nipple to get me to
eat?" The woman reluctantly nodded.  "And you did teach me that little
Gaelic song...  a lullaby, isn't it?  Rather, I guess you sang it to me
over and over." Remarkably, memories of the infancy came back, stimulated
by her olfactory memory.  "Once we were out someplace in public...  church,
maybe...?  and I started to scream.  You opened your dress exposing your
breasts so I could have your luscious tit in spite of all the people who
were looking.  You did, didn't you?" Colleen blushed, but nodded and smiled
warmly.

   Vangie had been listening to the exchange.  Then she said, "Cathy, I
heard you call Mrs.  Callahan, Mom.  You sure got that right.  Thinking
about it, I was a surrogate mother.  I carried you, delivered you, and then
left you in the hands of your real mother: the woman who nurtured you,
cared for you, and loved you." Turning to Colleen, she said brightly in
spite of the tears in her eyes, "Come on!  You two will ride with us.  Your
daughter is going to be late for her own wedding reception."

   "But we can't possibly, Mrs.  Collins," Colleen protested.  "We weren't
invited.  We're not dressed."

   "If you call me Mrs.  Collins one more time, Colleen Callahan, I'll kill
you!  It's Vangie, damn it, or Slave Vangie, or anything else you care for.
I am _not_ Mrs.  Collins to the woman who is the real mother of my
daughter. And, damn it, you _will_ attend your daughter's wedding
reception. Now let's move it!" With great reluctance the Callahan women
joined Vangie in her limousine.

   * * *

   Because there were five brides and grooms, the reception was very
different from most.  When everyone was seated April tapped on her glass
for attention and rose to her feet.  She looked beautiful as she waited for
quiet.  When she had the people's attention, she said, "Ladies and
gentlemen, I would like to propose a toast to the person who, alone, is
totally responsible for the event today.  Starting with myself, I was a new
receptionist at Chicago Trust -- and not a very good one, at that -- when I
was offered the job of being a credit analyst to a senior vice president.
This person trained me, coached me, cajoled me and finally persuaded me
that I could do the job.  Because of her, I was able finally to reconcile
with Ronald Jackson, the love of my life and the father of my son, Ronnie.
Today I became Mrs.  Ronald Jackson.

   "Then we come to Susan and Mike Cassidy.  Because of the help and
training the officer gave me, I became a vice president of the bank.  As a
direct result I met a wonderful person, Emily Amelia Hardwick, who met me
because she had heard of the lending program we were running.  My mother
became her heir and then needed a secretary with some knowledge of art. 
She hired Susan Bradford.  Then Susan met Mike for the first time at our
apartment.  Right then I knew by looking in Mike's eyes -- he looked like a
pole-axed steer -- that it was all over for him.  And it was.  Now Susan
has him roped, hog-tied and branded.

   "Next we have Kelly Cavanaugh.  The officer I mentioned encountered
Kelly McBride who had just been fired from her job as a personnel officer
in the bank.  She immediately rehired her...  as a lending officer in our
division.  It seems that Kelly had some experience in steel mills.  She
managed the biggest loan the division has ever made and one of the biggest
the bank has ever done.  Recognizing that a metallurgist specializing in
electric steel-making was essential, she married Kevin Cavanaugh in order
to keep her eye on him.  She was told that the requirements of her job
didn't extend to matrimony, but what the hell.  The Irish always overdo
things!" There was an explosion of laughter and April waited for it to die
down.  April giggled when she looked at Kelly who had her eyes crossed and
was sticking out her tongue in her direction.

   "Finally, we have Cathy and Ken Bradley.  Cathy claims that the officer
for whom she works has taught her everything she needs to know to be a
housekeeper, wife, and...  hopefully...  a mother.  Further, had it not
been for the workout the officer gave Cathy in her capacity as house slave,
she probably never would have met Ken Bradley.  This is one case in which
you _can_ do pretty well on a blind date.

   "Ladies and gentlemen, I tried to show that there is one person to whom
we all owe our future happiness.  That person is, of course, Cynthia Martin
Burke.  I can say only one thing more.  I would cheerfully give my life for
Cindy Burke and would consider it a privilege to do so.  I adore the woman.
She embodies everything I ever hope to be.  She has served as a model not
only to me but to everyone else in our Division.

   "Please join me in a toast to a wonderful person and extend our best
wishes for her continued happiness with the love of her life and new
husband, Dan Burke.  To Cynthia Martin Burke!" She raised her glass and
smiled as she saw Cindy blushing scarlet and trying to hide in Dan's
shoulder.  He wouldn't allow it.  Rather, he stood with his glass to salute
his bride.  Amidst great shouts and cheers, the toast was drunk.

   Then Cindy rose to her feet.  She looked incredibly beautiful in her
white bridal gown which set off her golden tan, her golden hair and her
brilliant blue eyes.  Raising her glass, she said, "Thank you, April.  You
were lying through your teeth and I'll get even, but thank you anyway. 
However, if anything you said is true, the credit doesn't belong to me. 
Rather, it belongs to the woman who made me.  Please join me in offering a
toast to the person who forced me to join the human race, Janice Carson
Stewart.

   "Without Jan Stewart, I shudder to think of where I would be and what I
would be right now.  I don't know exactly where, but I do know I wouldn't
be Mrs.  Daniel Burke.  None of the things to which April referred could
have ever happened if it were not for Janice Stewart.  I was going to say
more, but I won't.  All I'll say is, thank you, Jan!  Thank you with my
whole heart and soul.  I love you, Sis!" She raised her glass and toasted
Jan who was looking down at her plate with tears running down her cheeks.

   * * *

   Vangie was sitting between Maureen and Colleen Callahan at the
reception. Looking at Colleen, she asked, "Colly, Maureen said you had a
fight.  You wanted to ask for something but she doesn't want you to.  Do
you want to tell me about it?"

   Vangie could see tears in the woman's eyes as she said, "Yes, I do, Mrs.
Collins.  Could you lend me some money?  It's for Maureen.  We managed to
get her through school somehow, but now payments on her student loans are
due.  She hasn't been able to get a job yet, but I'm sure she will.  We
need a great deal of money, though.  We need five hundred dollars!"

   Vangie's face remained impassive even though the woman's words were
tearing her heart out.  The woman's head was upright and she was looking
her straight in the eye in spite of the tears rolling down her cheeks. 
Clearly, it was torturing Colleen to ask for help.

   "What happened to your husband's insurance settlement?  Is that money
all gone?" she asked, keeping her face impassive.

   The woman just shook her head.  "I never received any money," she said
softly.  "It never came.  There was some problem or other, so it was never
paid."

   Vangie rose and went around the table to where Ed was sitting and
whispered in his ear.  "Darling, I need a check.  Because of my... 
situation, I don't have access to any money right now.  I need a check for
$100,000 payable to Colleen Callahan."

   Ed had been listening to the talk.  Although he hadn't been filled in on
the background, his heart was torn by the plea he had just heard.  He had
gathered that this woman's husband had been killed in action in the Army
years earlier _but she had never received any money from the government!_
He just nodded, pulled out his checkbook, scribbled the check and gave it
to Vangie without a word.  She returned to her seat with the check folded
in her hand.  Then she asked very quietly, "Colly, how have you been
supporting yourself since you left us?  My God!  That was nearly twenty
years ago, now."

   Before her mother could answer, Maureen said, "She's been working as a
topless waitress and as a stripper, Mrs.  Collins.  It pays well and it
permitted her to be home with me." Tears began to flow from her eyes as she
continued, "I didn't even know it until a short time ago.  Can you imagine?
She would get home as late as four in the morning after performing in front
of a bunch of slobbering drunks, but still be out of bed at six to get me
up, give me breakfast and get me off to school.  The waitressing didn't
begin until I was in college.  She would always be waiting for me when I
got home from school to ask how my day had been and to help with my
homework.  Can you imagine?  My mother, a stripper!  It just tore her up
inside and it still does."

   Maureen's head was up straight and there was fire in her emerald-green
eyes as she said, "Mrs.  Collins, we don't need your money and don't want
it!  I just got a job stripping, and if my mother can do it, I sure as hell
can, too.  It pays all the money we need.  Thank you for not laughing at
us." Rising to her feet she said, "Mother, I think we should go now."

   Vangie rose to her feet quicker than Colleen could, took Maureen in her
arms and held her tightly.  The girl's self-control, which was hanging by a
thread, suddenly snapped.  She started to bawl and Vangie just held her
closer, stroking her hair and comforting her.  Gently, as she eased her
back into her chair, she could feel the young girl's shoulders shaking from
her sobs.

   Finally, with an effort of will, Maureen regained control and eased
away. There was an odd look in her eyes as she whispered, "Thank you, Mrs.
Collins."

   Vangie asked if they could please stay for a few more minutes.  There
was someone she needed to see.  They agreed -- Maureen, with reluctance --
and she went over to where Jan was sitting.  In just a few sentences she
explained the situation.  Jan quickly agreed and pointed out that Pete was
about to go off on a three-week business trip to Europe and the Far East so
it would work out perfectly.  She gave Vangie's ass a sharp spank and
grinned saying, "It's getting tighter."

   Vangie just stuck out the tip of her tongue and quickly returned to the
table where Ed and the Callahan women were waiting.

   With a big smile she said, "I have a proposition for you two.  You see,
I'm in training under Jan Stewart.  You heard Cindy Burke say that she
gives her the credit for bringing her into the human race.  Anyway, after
warming up with Cindy she's now facing a Herculean challenge: me.  She
needs all the help she can get, particularly now that she's pregnant. 
Anyway, here's my proposition.  I'll pay you one hundred thousand dollars
if you both will stay with us out in Deerfield for the next three weeks or
so and help Jan with my training.  Will you?  Please?"

   Maureen's jaw dropped.  "I beg your pardon!" she gasped.  "Did I hear
you say one hundred _thousand dollars?_ For three weeks?"

   "I knew your hearing was good.  That's exactly what I said.  Will you?
Incidentally, I have the check for you now," Vangie said, passing the check
to Colleen.

   The woman just looked at it, then crumpled up and began to bawl.  This
time Vangie took the woman in her arms and held her tightly.  It was
obvious to her that Colleen had been as tight as a coiled spring inside and
the spring had just snapped.  The woman completely let go.  Vangie just
continued to hold her as years of pain and suffering washed away in a flood
of tears.  Finally, there were no more tears left.

   Slowly she eased away from Vangie looking ashamed.  "I'm _so_ sorry!"
she exclaimed.  "I didn't mean..."

   "To wreck my dress?" Vangie interjected with a warm grin.  "Well, you
did." She looked down at her dress which now was tear stained from both
women.  "You can pay me the price of the dress from the money I just gave
you.  And can I interpret the waterworks that just flooded out the place to
be some strange Irish way of saying yes?"

   Colleen had been looking at Vangie closely.  She just nodded her head
and said in a broad Irish brogue, "Sure, and it is!  Vangie Collins, I was
right and you were wrong.  I remember you handling my breasts when I
applied for the job as your nurse.  Your touch was so very tender, in spite
of what you say.  You're a wonderful person who has done a fine job of
keeping it a great secret for years!  Particularly from yourself." Then she
smiled and it was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.  In spite of
the wreckage of her tears, Vangie realized that Colleen Callahan was an
incredibly beautiful woman.*Chapter 49*

   Ken closed the door to the suite and looked at his bride.  Cathy was
looking hesitant...  and, he suddenly realized, fearful.  She stood with
her back straight and her head up, just looking at him.  Ken thought she
was the most beautiful bride who had ever lived as she stood there in her
bridal gown.

   In a break with common practice, the bridal parties had not changed into
street clothes before leaving the wedding reception.  Since they were all
spending their wedding night in suites in nearby hotels, they decided to go
to their hotels while still in their bridal finery.  Cathy had blushed when
they entered the lobby of the Water Tower Hyatt and were immediately
recognized from the Super Bowl telecast of the week before.  All the people
around the lobby began to softly applaud.  Fortunately, the check-in
process had been completed earlier in the day so they were immediately
escorted to their suite by the assistant manager on duty.  They had the
best suite in the hotel and found a platter of caviar -- a gift from the
hotel -- along with two chilled bottles of Dom Perignon that Ken had
ordered.

   "What's wrong, darling?" he asked softly.  "Why do you look frightened?
You're the most courageous girl alive.  You would charge hell with a fire
extinguisher.  What's wrong?"

   She gave him a wry little smile and ran to his arms.  He held her tight
and could feel her body shaking.  Finally she whispered, "Darling, I have
an answer to my dilemma.  I just know you're going to be terribly
disappointed with me when we get to bed, so tomorrow I'll call Jan Stewart.
I'm sure she knows some girls who are...  more experienced and who can make
you happy in bed.  We...  We could have auditions or something.  How would
that be?"

   Ken just stroked her hair and breathed in the intoxicating scent of this
glorious girl who was now his wife.  Tipping up her head, he gently but
thoroughly kissed her.  As he did, he again felt the electricity flow
between them.  Easing away from her he winked, and then said with a small
grin, "Lady, this has been a very expensive day for me.  I spent over ten
bucks on this suit alone!  Can I see what I got for all that money?"

   It seemed to have been the right thing to say.  Daintily, she stuck out
the tip of her tongue and then spun around so that her back was to him. 
"The least you can do is help out, mister.  There's a zipper back there
somewheres you can pull.  You _do_ know how zippers work, don't you,
mister?"

   Finding the zipper, he gently pulled it down, fascinated to find that it
ran down almost to her shapely buttocks.  Then he carefully undid the hook
at the top of the dress allowing it to gape open in the back.  Since the
dress was strapless, Cathy just let it drop to the floor, stepped out of
it, and then turned to face him.  Now all she was wearing were her shoes,
white stockings, a white garter belt and a white bikini.  She looked at him
with a question in her eyes.  He just whistled softly and held out his
arms. With a little squeal she ran to him.

   Lifting Cathy off the ground he carried her to the sofa and sat down
with her sitting across his lap.  Then he slowly ran his fingers over her
body, feeling her satin skin and the ripple of her muscles responding to
his touch.  Then, while he worked on her garter belt, Cathy reached over,
retrieved one of the bottles of champagne and started to open it.  She was
stopped several times by the exquisite feeling of his fingers moving on her
sensitive inner thighs and around her body.  Finally he had her stockings
and the garter belt off, leaving only her bikini.  He had never seen a more
beautiful girl in his life.

   Carefully, Cathy poured two glasses of champagne.  Giving one to Ken,
she raised hers and said, "To you, Kenneth Jackson Bradley: I give you
myself -- body and soul -- to do with as you wish.  Ken, I exist to try to
make you happy in any way I possibly can.  You're my love and my life!"
Looking at him over the top of her glass, she tossed off the champagne and
broke the glass in the suite's fireplace.  Then she reached out to him and
he just held her tight.

   Finally he asked, "Darling, why are you so afraid I won't be happy?"

   "Because I don't know _anything!"_ she wailed.  "If I hadn't been
staying with Cindy, I wouldn't even know where your gorgeous cock should
_go!"_

   "What about me?" he asked softly.

   "You?  What about you?" Cathy was truly puzzled.  She had no idea what
he was driving at.

   "Lady, there was a girl in my arms about a week ago.  She played with my
cock and caused me to shoot my cum all over her glorious body.  Does that
sound like anyone you know?"

   She smiled and said, "Darling, that was only the second time in my life
I have ever touched a naked man.  You're even more impressive than Dan
Burke -- and that's truly high praise indeed."

   "And you're the first naked woman I've _ever_ touched," he said softly.
He looked into her beautiful gray eyes and watched for her reaction.

   It came immediately.  Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.  "But... 
But...  But, Ken, you can't!  You're a man!" she exclaimed, genuinely
confused.

   "I noticed that a few years ago," he replied dryly.  "Nevertheless,
you're the first and only."

   She had been studying his face and finally believed him.  He wasn't
teasing her at all.  What he said was true.  She looked at him and asked,
"But why, Ken?  My God!  There must have been thousands of women trying to
get you into bed with them.  I believe you, darling, but it's almost
impossible.  Why?"

   "For the same reason you're a virgin, Cathy.  I think I'm a one-woman
guy.  You're my woman.  I wanted to be sure I was as clean and pure as I
could be when we married." Then he grinned and added, "Of course, I was
expecting to get a woman who could show me what to do, though."

   "Then...  Then you're untouched?  I mean really _untouched?"_ she asked.

   "Sure am.  Now what are you going to do about it, lady?  What in hell
did you think I hired you for?  You're supposed to give me a guided tour."
He reached out, cradled one of her beautiful breasts, and in the gentlest
way possible, squeezed it.

   She mewed with pleasure and writhed in his arms.  Then she pretended to
glare at him and said, "That, mister, is a tit.  I have two of them, as you
may have noticed.  And, buddy, I'm not at all breakable.  If you want to
squeeze it, squeeze it!  Then see what happens."

   He squeezed it and then stroked it.  Instantly her nipples grew as hard
as pebbles.  He bent down, took one in his mouth, then bit down softly and
then harder.  She cried out and he instantly let go but then felt her
holding his head in place.  "Please don't stop!  It feels so wonderful,"
she cried.  He continued to nibble and then moved to her other tit and
repeated it.  Finally, she let him lift his head.  When he did he found
that she had an intensely warm look on her face.

   He raised an eyebrow and she grinned.  "Now put your finger in my cunt,
darling," she said softly.  "That's what you touched last week.  Then tell
me what you find.  Incidentally, there's a hole there that you can put your
finger in.  You might like that, too." Gently he inserted his forefinger
into her very tight little cunt.  The minute he touched her he realized how
wet she was and he looked at her quizzically.

   She giggled and said, "You thought I was teasing, didn't you?  I wasn't.
Darling, when you're near me...  let alone touching me...  I start to run
rivers!" Then she glared at him and asked, "And what's that...  that
thing...  that's sticking me in the ass?  Can't I ever sit on you
comfortably?"

   He grinned and shook his head.  "It's something I carry with me, lady,"
he replied.  "I think it's used with women, somehow, but I'm not really
sure how."

   She put her arms around him and crushed her lips to his.  Then she said,
"Fair is fair.  If I have to be bare, what about you?  May I undress you,
darling?  Then maybe we can find out what's been sticking into me."

   "Of course, honey," he said with a grin.  "I think this is going to be
very funny, though.  It took me hours to figure out how this monkey suit
worked, so let it be a challenge to you.  You get to keep anything you
find."

   Responding to the challenge, Cathy shifted position to straddle him on
the sofa.  One after another she figured out how the pieces of the morning
suit were attached and how to remove them.

   Ken couldn't resist.  He cradled her tits and then started to stimulate
her clit.  "Stop that!" she exclaimed.  "You're just cheating, now.  You
didn't think I could get you out of this cage you're in, did you?  And when
I start to win, you resort to underhanded tactics." She grinned and leaned
her head back as she just enjoyed the glorious sensation he was creating in
her cunt.  Then she kissed him on the nose and said, "And it is
underhanded, too.  Your hand is under my cunt.  I hope it drowns!" By now
she had his jacket, tie, vest and shirt off.  The rest was easy except he
wouldn't even cooperate by standing up.

   Cathy just glared at him, unfastened the waistband of his trousers,
stood up while still holding the ends of his pants legs and then yanked. 
It almost dumped him on the floor but instead the pants finally came off.
Then he did stand up and allowed her carefully to drop his shorts revealing
his huge erection.

   Now she was on her knees in front of him and just looked at it with
desire in her eyes.  "Is this the grand prize, darling?" she asked.  "Oh
God, Ken, it's so massive and beautiful.  I can only hope I'm worthy." He
just shook his head, bent over, picked her up and carried her into the
bedroom.

   When he had her laid out on the bed he began stroking her body and
kissing it.  Hearing a giggle, he looked up and saw Cathy grinning at him.
"What's so funny?" he asked, feeling a little hurt.

   "Us, my darling," she replied softly.  "Do you realize that this is what
thirteen-year-olds do these days?  Honey, I guess we're hopelessly
retarded!"

   "Remember what George Bernard Shaw said: 'Youth is such a marvelous time
of life.  What a shame to waste it on the young!' Honey, there is no way
you were as smooth and firm and full and golden when you were thirteen!" he
replied.  "Darling, you were certainly worth waiting for.  But oh, God,
you're so perfectly full and ripe now!"

   He went back to his kissing and could feel her body writhe on the bed in
a rising agony of her wanting.  Finally, she could take it no more.  She
dove down and captured his raging cock in her hands and encircled it with
her mouth.  Now they were lying head to foot and he began to kiss and lick
her cunt.

   Cathy had seen Cindy take Dan in her mouth on occasions too numerous to
count so she had a good idea what she should do.  Moving her head up and
down on his cock, she tasted the first of his cum.  When she squeezed his
loaded sac, he exploded in her mouth.  She was prepared and swallowed every
succulent drop.  As she was about to lick off the last drop from his tip,
she could feel her loins quiver just before she exploded in response to his
oral stimulation.  Just as carefully, he licked up every drop of her
sweetness.  Then he moved away and grinned at her.

   "What's so funny, now?" she asked.

   "Darling," he replied, "that was something I had to do.  I need to know
if a virgin cunt tastes any different from an experienced one." Then his
expression changed to one of intense love as he added, "Honey, you're not
going to be a virgin much longer.  Do you mind?"

   "You won't be either, honey," she replied with a grin.  "If you don't
mind losing yours, I certainly don't mind losing mine.  The fact is, it's
been a terrible pain in the cunt!"

   Her cunt was still awash in the flow of her fluids.  Although she had
exploded and filled his mouth with her love juices, she was still flowing
freely in anticipation of his entry.  To his surprise, she scrambled out of
bed and padded back into the sitting room, reappearing moments later with
the platter of caviar in one hand while she wrestled with the champagne in
its ice bucket with the other.  She retrieved the glasses and poured one
for each of them.  After a sip she asked, "What do you think?"

   "Think about what?" he asked, puzzled.

   "This is something I learned from Ali Clifford.  She says that Dom
Perignon is perfect for washing down a man's cum.  And it is!  How is it
with my love juices?"

   He seemed to ponder the question for a moment and then said, "Lady, your
juices are vintage...  certainly a twenty year.  I love them plain,
although the champagne does add a bit of sparkle." He looked concerned and
asked, "Could you carbonate yours, do you suppose?"

   She just shook her head and grinned wryly, then very carefully began to
make caviar canapes for the two of them.  As she knelt on the bed with her
weight back on her heels, Ken was propped up at the head of the bed just
looking at her.  He realized again that her skin was an all-over golden
color.  Moreover, she appeared to be totally unaware of her nudity, and
totally lacking in self-consciousness as she made the lovely tidbits and
fed them to him.

   Finally he said, "Darling, you are utterly exquisite.  Your figure is
absolute perfection.  Did you know that?"

   She stuck the tip of her tongue out at him.  "No, I didn't, but you
don't, either.  How in hell could you know?  You just finished telling me
you had no experience with women," she argued.

   She giggled when he stuck his tongue out at her.  "That shows what you
don't know," he said proudly.  "I went to a strip show once!  The girls in
the show didn't show me much.  But then last Saturday, in the shower... 
now _those_ were bodies!"

   The expression on her face changed.  "The time has come, darling," she
said softly.  "It's about time you made me a woman.  Would...  Could... 
Would it be all right if I did it to myself?  Would you mind?"

   Instead of answering, he pulled her down on top of him and kissed her
softly and then with increasing urgency.  Meanwhile, he caressed her back,
her asscheeks, and spread her legs so he could stroke her inner thighs.

   Cathy surrendered to his touch and mashed her body down on his.  She
began to writhe on top of him from the rising torment from her cunt.  Then
she slid her body down on his until she encountered his raging cock. 
Kneeling astride him, she positioned it at the mouth of her vagina and
slowly eased down on it.  The feeling was like nothing she had ever
imagined.  She thought her cunt was small and his cock was gigantic. 
Nevertheless, taking advantage of the lubricating fluids flowing from her
vagina, she began to work it deeper and deeper inside herself.  Finally,
she could feel it in hard contact with her hymen.  She began to gently move
up and down on his rigid shaft, each time stopping when it hit.  Finally
she felt her cunt was as stretched and slick as it could be.  Then she
stopped and leaned forward to kiss him on the lips.  As he held her, he ran
his tongue into her mouth like a snake.

   She could feel the electricity flow between them as she said, "Darling,
I guess this is it!" With that she raised herself up so the head of his
cock was just inside her and dropped her full weight down on it.

   _"Argh!"_ she screamed as she felt a moment of intense pain and a
ripping sensation, but then felt herself slide down much farther on the
impaling shaft.  She stopped and looked down at her groin.  "Look, darling,
it's done!  And I did it all by myself."

   Ken looked down and could see her blood flowing from around his shaft as
she began to work his cock even deeper inside her.  Finally, with a yelp of
joy, she felt him in all the way to his root.  Again she stopped and lay on
top of him enjoying the wonderful sensation.  Ken knew what she was doing.
He gently stroked her body and pulled the bedcovers over them.  She just
mewed with pleasure as he gently stroked her body, then lifted her chin
enough to be able to kiss her.

   She lay with her cheek on his hairy chest and whispered, "Darling, could
we spend the rest of our lives just like this?  With you just impaling me
on your glorious weapon?" She lifted her head enough for him to see the
impish grin on her face as she said, "Penis envy?  Bullshit!  It's cock
envy!  A huge piece of steel reaming my insides in a way I could never even
imagine!  Oh Lord, thank you for giving me a husband who is a god."

   Then she threw off the covers and began slowly to rise and fall on his
weapon.  Now she began to use the knowledge she had picked up watching Dan
and Cindy.  She could feel her passion rising and then she came.  Still she
didn't stop or change tempo.  Instead she kept climbing higher and higher
hills, only changing her rhythm when she felt him close to his release. 
Each time she slowed enough so that his need for ejaculation subsided and
then she moved again.  Finally, she reached the point she never thought she
ever would: She was now in near-constant orgasm.  Sweat was streaming off
her body, she screamed each time she achieved full penetration, and all of
her feeling was concentrated in her loins.  She could no longer control it.
She could feel the massive cock inside her begin to throb so she buried it
to the hilt.  The first searing jolt of his cum put her over the edge.  She
could feel her loins spasm in a frenzy of motion while her vagina pulsated
to try to empty his balls as she lost consciousness from the sensory
overload.

   When she regained consciousness her head was resting against Ken's right
shoulder and his right hand was cupping her tit.  When she looked up at
him, Ken could see concern in her beautiful face.  "Was...  Was it okay?"
she asked.  "At least for the first time?  Oh, darling, I want everything
to be perfect for you and I'm not.  I don't think I'm even adequate," she
wailed.

   He pulled her face down and kissed her soundly on the lips, hearing the
sigh and the wonderful happy noises she made as he did.  "Feel your cunt,
darling," he asked softly.  "Tell me what you feel."

   She did and then looked puzzled.  "It's...  It's dry!  Ken, how could it
be?  I...  I think I came, but...  but what happened to it all?" Then she
felt the bed and her eyes widened.  "Was I that bad, Kenneth Bradley?" she
asked accusingly.  "Was I so awful that you could change the bed while I
was out cold?"

   She melted under the look of adoration he gave her.  "Darling, you were
utter perfection.  The answer is, yes you were out cold.  Yes, I changed
the bed, and yes, I ate out your glorious cunt -- love juices, blood, cum
and all.  It...  It made an interesting cocktail.  The blood added just the
right touch of salt..."

   * * *

   Susan Cassidy was resting with her head on Mike's shoulder as he rested
with his back against the headboard of the bed.  Idly, she touched her
blood now starting to dry on the sheet between them, showing where her
virginity had come to an end.  "Were you disappointed, darling?" she asked
him.  "I...  There was really nothing to it, was there?  Thank you for
being so gentle when you took me." Suddenly her face crumpled and she began
to bawl.

   "What's wrong, darling?" Mike asked softly.  "What did I do?"

   "Nothing at all," she wailed.  "It's what I did to you!"

   "And what did you do to me?"

   "I forced you to marry me under false pretenses," she cried.  "You
thought I would only sleep with you if you married me.  I said that, but it
was a terrible lie!  Michael Cassidy, if you had even touched me, I would
have stripped off my clothes and spread my legs...  regardless of where we
might have been.  Do you remember the first night we met?  I showed you the
painting of Kerry and me.  I was trying to be so cool because I knew that
if you had the nerve to pull down the zipper on my dress, I would have been
on my back on the floor with my legs spread wide to welcome you.  I was a
cheat and a tease.  The fact is, darling, towards you I'm utterly
shameless. I took advantage of you!"

   "You sure did," he said softly.  "You made me the happiest man in the
world in spite of myself.  You're making me into something worthwhile --
why, I don't know -- and you're forcing me to become a real quarterback. 
Susan, you sure did take advantage of me and I hope you keep doing it
forever!" Then he grinned at her and said, "Speaking of making things..."

   "Yes?" she asked with a lascivious smile.

   "Spread your legs, woman!  You're supposed to be making a baby."

   Susan slid down from the headboard and spread her legs, then ran her
finger up her slit and put it in his mouth.  "You were ssaying...?"

   * * *

   "Why did you do it?" Kevin asked softly.  They were in bed with her head
resting on his shoulder.  There was only one small light on in the room
that Kelly insisted remain on.

   "Do what?" she asked, pretending innocence.  She knew exactly what he
meant.

   "The strip show," he replied.  "You had that gown made specially for the
occasion, didn't you?"

   "Did you mind, darling?" she asked.  "You're right, of course.  The
answer is what I said to you months ago: I dreamed of stripping for you
alone and then having you take me." She stretched, revealing her body for
the masterpiece that it was.  Then she kissed him softly and said, "It was
everything I hoped it would be...  and so much more!" She molded her body
to his and closed her eyes.

   It was only much later at night that Kevin felt her squeeze his hand. 
When he opened his eyes he saw her eyes focused on him.  "About being a
brood mare?" she asked with a sensuous smile.  "Where's the stallion?" He
moved between her thighs and soon she was spending in torrents, flooding
the enormous cock embedded in her cunt.

   * * *

   Ron could feel April's silky hair spilling over his shoulder as he
cradled her magnificent tit in his hand.  Even though it was dark in the
room, he knew that she was awake and looking at him because of her soft
breath on his shoulder.  "How was it, darling?  she asked.  "Was it good
for you?"

   "April Jackson, you know damned well that if it had been any better, I'd
be dead!  Why didn't you tell me a woman could be so much fun in bed?  My
God, what idiots we are!  April, I didn't know the first damned thing about
loving a woman."

   "Why didn't you ever ask?" she replied with a soft, lascivious chuckle.
"Darling, will the next one be a boy or a girl?  And are you sure you like
brandy?  Maybe bourbon, or cognac, or..."

   He rolled between her muscular thighs and entered her again.  She
gasped, and then began to conform her movements to his in the darkness.

   * * *

   "I can't believe it," Cindy murmured.  "We've been doing it for months,
but this...  Dan, it's never been like this.  Why?"

   He kissed her softly and felt her move on his massive erection that
impaled her.  "I think it's because you threw out your pills today, Cin. 
Now it's for real.  We're trying to make a baby.  Are you glad?"

   She just screamed in ecstasy.*Chapter 50*

   While they were waiting in the Red Carpet Club to board their United
Airlines flight to Hawaii the next morning, Ken looked at Cathy with a
sheepish expression on his face.  She leaned over and kissed him softly
saying, "I think it's wonderful, darling."

   "Wonderful?" he asked, showing his surprise.  "What's wonderful?"

   "You being selected to play in the Pro Bowl in Honolulu next week," she
replied calmly.

   His jaw dropped and he just shook his head.  "But...  But how could you
possibly know that?" he asked.  "Coach Ditka only asked me yesterday
morning."

   "I know, dear," she said, smiling sweetly, "But he asked me the night
before if it would be all right for him to invite you.  He was so sweet! 
He knew we were going to be on Maui on our honeymoon.  When he called, he
congratulated me, talked about the Super Bowl, and then the television
interview with Bob Costas.  Finally I said I would love to see you play in
the Pro Bowl.  He asked how I knew it was the reason for his call.  I told
him what other reason could there be, knowing that as coach of the Super
Bowl team he would be coaching the NFC team in the Pro Bowl.  Of course,
I'd like it better if you were All Pro, instead of just playing in the Pro
Bowl."

   She smiled and shook her head.  "It's funny, I guess.  That has to be
the only football game of the year that everyone wants to be picked for,
but no one wants to actually play in."

   "Catherine Bradley, you're too much!" he exclaimed with a grin.

   "No, I'm not," she replied with a cute grin.  "I'm not very much at all.
If I were, your balls would be drained dry by now and they're not nearly."
Her grin changed to a look of incredible love as she added, "I love you so
very much, my husband!" He just kissed her softly and held her tight.

   They were wrapped in each other's arms, utterly oblivious to the looks
directed their way by the other passengers in the clubroom, when they heard
someone standing nearby clearing his throat.  When Ken released Cathy and
looked up, his eyes were still glazed.  He found that a ramp supervisor was
standing there and said he had been asked to escort them out to their
aircraft.  Ken raised an eyebrow, but then extended his hands to help Cathy
to her feet.  As he did he was amused thinking that his wife had less need
of help to do anything than any female alive.  Nevertheless, she smiled
gratefully as he did.

   * * *

   Virginia Adams, the senior flight attendant on the United 747 flight,
nonstop from Chicago to Honolulu, was reviewing the passenger manifest. 
She paid particular attention to a Special VIP notation on two first-class
passengers, Mr.  & Mrs.  K.  Bradley.  Noting the seat assignments, she
quickly checked to make sure the reclining mechanism on each seat worked
correctly and checked the seatback pockets and the area around the seats to
be sure it was as clean as possible.

   Returning to the doorway, she was in time to greet the Bradleys as they
were escorted down the jetway by the ramp supervisor.  As they came towards
her, she was pleased that she had done the last-minute checking. 
Obviously, the Bradleys were important people.  They came on board the
aircraft and the supervisor said, "Mrs.  Adams, I would like you to meet
Mr. and Mrs.  Bradley.  They will be with you on the flight out to Hawaii
today."

   Cathy saw the woman's jaw drop.  She said, "But you...  you're... 
you're Cathy Collins, aren't you?"

   "That was yesterday," Cathy said with a warm smile as she extended her
hand.  Today I'm Mrs.  Kenneth Jackson Bradley, and I couldn't be happier."

   Ginny Adams had looked over the entertainment that was being offered in
flight that day.  Often, during the football season the feature film is
preceded by a short film reviewing NFL highlights of the previous week's
games.  She knew the film they were carrying had Super Bowl highlights, but
also included an interview done by Bob Costas.  It was a part of his
pre-game show expanded with additional footage that had not been available
when the pre-Super Bowl show aired.  She shook hands with the Bradleys and
showed them to their seats.

   Before leaving to return to her position at the door she asked
diffidently, "Mrs.  Bradley, there's a film we're showing today that you
might be interested in.  Would...  Could I announce that you and Mr. 
Bradley are on this flight?  I know that you're considered very important
to the airline, but..."

   Cathy smiled warmly.  "Of course you can," she replied, "but I don't
know why on earth you would want to.  There's one condition, though.  The
name is Cathy, and my husband's name is Ken.  If you feel you have to make
an announcement, it's Ken and Cathy Bradley.  Okay?" Ginny Adams grinned
and quickly agreed.

   After taking off from O'Hare International Airport, the giant plane was
climbing towards its cruising altitude.  Ginny had already spoken to the
plane's captain and received his permission to change the film schedule
slightly.  Before takeoff she ran the usual video tape covering seat belts
and emergency exits.  The entertainment tape with the NFL game as its
leader normally followed the meal service.

   Today, though, as soon as the plane's wheels were up, she activated the
cabin PA system and announced that they would be showing highlights of the
Super Bowl.  Further, she said that they were fortunate to have with them
one of the stars of the champion Chicago Bears, Ken Bradley, and his wife
of just one day, Cathy Collins Bradley.  She concluded her remarks by
saying, "This will mean more to you after you see this tape."

   The cabin was darkened and the tape began to roll.  Cathy's mouth formed
an "O" when she saw that the film was prefaced by Bob Costas.  He talked
about the game -- now history -- and commented that they now knew something
they had not fully appreciated at the time: the importance to the Chicago
Bears of the weekly touch football games against the women.  Then he showed
what he called "the greatest single play in the history of football,"
Cathy's catch off Ken's fingertips.  There was also the shot showing Sue's
passing technique compared to Mike's and to the top passers in the history
of football, as well as comparisons of style and speed in getting the kick
away between Cathy and both placekickers and punters.  Finally, there was a
shot Cathy had never seen before.

   Costas said, "I want you to watch this play carefully.  It's a routine
play from late in the game.  Cathy Collins is lined up as a flanker.  Now
she appears to be tired.  A defensive back would conclude, 'It's late in
the game, she's a decoy on the play, but she's too tired, too cold and too
wet even to go through the motions.' Now you see her almost jog down the
field for a few steps.  Now watch: It looks like she kicked in the
afterburner right here and blows right by Ken Bradley.  She takes another
pass right on her fingertips and flies in for a touchdown.  Nice play,
right?"

   Now the camera was on Costas as the play faded off the screen. 
Answering his own rhetorical question, he said, "Wrong!  You see, on the
girls' prior play from scrimmage, you'll see her block Ken Bradley and
spring April Jefferson for a touchdown.  You see him accidentally kick her
in the ribs and you can see her wince as he helps her to her feet.  He
cracked one of her ribs on the play.  She scored that last touchdown --
running with world-class speed -- while playing with a cracked rib!"

   Again, the game film faded from the screen leaving Costas alone on
camera.  He shook his head and said, "That's why the Bears killed the
Raiders.  Not only were the Raiders relatively easy after playing those
women, no one plays with the intensity that they do.  They're strictly
amateurs.  I should say that they're playing for the love of the game.  I
know better, though.  They're playing for the love of the people they're
playing against.  For example, Cathy Collins will probably be married to
Ken Bradley by the time you see this tape.  Cathy and Ken: May you be
blessed with children who have just a small fraction of the brains,
ability, and courage you two display.  Congratulations!"

   The tape ended and the cabin lights came up.  Ginny Adams said, "Now you
all see what I was talking about.  Cathy and Ken, on behalf of United
Airlines and all of its people, I would like to second the comments Bob
Costas just made.  We wish you a long and happy life together.  And,
please, another Super Bowl for the Bears next year!" She paused and said,
"I guess I should apologize to any Raiders fans onboard.  If I forgot to
say it before, this is a Chicago-based flight crew!"

   Ken just hugged Cathy and kissed her warmly.  Drinks had just been
served in first class when Ginny Adams came to their seats.  Cathy looked
up at her and said, "The answer is yes, Mrs.  Adams.  Now what's the
question?"

   Ginny reddened and said, "I'm sorry Mrs.  Bradley,..."

   "It's Cathy, remember?" Cathy reminded her.

   The woman grinned and said, "Cathy, there's a girl in the back we're
flying out to Hawaii.  Have you ever heard of the organization that tries
to fulfil the last wish of dying children?  Well, she's one of them.  She's
a fourteen-year-old girl named Kristin Crowley.  The doctors give her less
than three months to live.  They don't know exactly what's wrong, but the
poor kid is wasting away.  Although she's five feet seven, she can't weigh
even 80 pounds.  She indicated she wanted to see Hawaii, so the
organization is paying for her trip as her final wish.  She asked if she
could meet you.  Would you permit it?" she asked with a warm smile.  "I
think it would mean a lot to her."

   Cathy squeezed Ken's hand and said, "Of course!  My God, the poor thing.
Can you imagine not even being fifteen years old and finding out that your
life is over?  Is there anything else we could do for her?  Anything at
all?"

   Ginny Adams just shook her head slowly.  "Bob Costas really got it
right, didn't he?" she said.  "You really are very special!  I want you to
know that we consider it a real privilege to have you with us today.  As
far as doing something for Kristin, maybe you could give her an autograph
or something?" Cathy and Ken just nodded and Ginny went back for the girl.

   The first time Cathy glimpsed Kristin Crowley her stomach turned over.
The poor girl was a walking skeleton.  She was wearing a nondescript
sweater and skirt but they looked like they were hanging on a scarecrow
made from only a few sticks.  Ginny brought her to the seats -- Ken was
sitting on the aisle while Cathy had the window -- and Cathy leaned across
Ken with her hand outstretched.  The girl took it in her own and Cathy
cringed, realizing it was like shaking hands with a skeleton.  All she
could feel was bone.  There seemed to be no flesh on her hand at all; there
was only bone covered with skin.

   The girl's hair was blonde or brown but whatever its color, it just hung
limp and lifeless around her shoulders, while her skin had the gray pallor
of death.  Then Cathy saw the girl's eyes.  They were the most incredible
blue Cathy had ever seen.  Now set deep in their skeletal sockets, they
were so dark, they were almost a royal purple.  The other feature was that
there was fire blazing behind them.

   After they had shaken hands, Ginny said, "Mrs.  Bradley, this is Kristin
Crowley.  She says she has become a fan of yours since she saw the Super
Bowl last week." Having made the introduction, she was standing behind the
girl and indicated in pantomime that she wanted to speak to Cathy.

   "Before you get too comfortable, Kristin, would you let me out of here
for a moment?  Why don't you sit in my seat and look out the window?  We're
flying over some interesting cloud formations." She climbed out of the seat
and Kristin took her place.  She walked toward the first-class lavatories
and then let Ginny catch up to her when they were out of the girl's
earshot. She looked at the woman attentively and waited.

   "Cathy, I don't know what to say.  Did you notice her eyes?  They're the
only part of her that even looks alive.  Did you see it?"

   "Indeed I did," Cathy replied.  "There's a fire that's still burning
inside.  That girl is trying to make it still!" Tears came to her eyes as
she said it.  Then she saw that Ginny was shaking her head.

   "That's exactly it, Cathy!  When she boarded the flight her eyes were at
least as dead as the rest of her.  When she saw the tape, she started to
show some life, but she was still out of it when I asked if she might like
to meet you.  That's when the fire appeared.  What should we do, do you
suppose?"

   "The center-section aisle seat is free," Cathy noted.  She reached in
her purse and took out her checkbook.  "What's the fare difference between
what she's paying and first class?  I'll give you a check and she can ride
in Ken's seat.  He can take the seat across the aisle.  How does that
sound?"

   The attendant shook her head and said, "It sounds like Cathy Collins, is
what it sounds like.  The fact is that Kristin is flying free.  United is
covering it." She smiled and added, "And since it's kind of hard to board
additional passengers while we're cruising at 41,000 feet on a nonstop
flight, it's safe to say that the aisle seat will stay empty for this trip.
It will go as an involuntary upgrade to first class." She extended her hand
and said, "Cathy, this has been a real pleasure.  You're certainly a
wonderful human being!" Then her face showed concern and she asked, "But
what about you?  How's your rib?  You certainly don't act injured."

   "I guess I'm quick to heal," she replied with a grin.  "I survived my
wedding night and the loss of my virginity without a qualm, so I guess it's
fine now.  But thank you for asking."

   "You were a virgin until _last night?"_ Ginny exclaimed.  "My God!  I
guess I didn't know the half of it.  Let's play it by ear, shall we?"

   When she returned to her seat she quickly whispered to Ken what she had
in mind.  He did her one better.  To Kristin's surprise, Ken picked her up,
sat down in the window seat and placed her across his lap.  She was
surprised, but then instantly very pleased.  In spite of her condition, she
actually looked happy.

   "There's a parking charge for sitting on my lap, though, Kris," he said.
"Do people call you Kris, by the way, or do you prefer something else.

   The girl positively beamed.  Again, though, Cathy cringed because the
girl's smile was so akin to a skeleton's.  Then she said in a beautifully
modulated soft voice, "They don't, Mr.  Bradley, but it really sounds neat.
Please do call me Kris.  But what's the parking charge?"

   "It's a kiss," he replied.  "But you better be careful and not make it
too good.  We only got married yesterday and I think Cathy could get pretty
jealous."

   The girl smiled.  It was the first genuinely happy smile they had seen.
She put her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the lips.  Then she
pulled away saying, "I guess I had better try to put on some weight in a
hurry.  Kissing me must be like kissing a skeleton!" In spite of the truth
in her words, Ken had sensed real love in her childish kiss.  Then she
said, "Could...  Would it be possible for me to get Mrs.  Bradley's
autograph, though, before I have to go back to my seat?"

   "Kris," Cathy said softly, "This is your seat.  It's been changed. 
You'll be flying up here with us.  I...  I hope you don't mind?"

   Suddenly Kris beamed.  "Me?  Up here?  With you?  Oh, Mrs.  Bradley! 
That will be wonderful!"

   "Kris, would you please do us both a favor?  Neither Ken nor I are that
much older than you are.  Would you please call him Ken and me Cathy. 
Please?"

   The girl was struck virtually speechless.  Then Cathy had an idea.  She
pushed the attendant call button and Ginny came at a run.  Kris was talking
to Ken so she was not paying attention as Cathy spoke to the stewardess
quickly.  Ginny just smiled and nodded.  She left and was back a few
moments later with a big platter of hors d'oeuvres that she set on the tiny
table separating the two first-class seats.  Ken picked one up and fed it
to Kris.  The girl just wriggled in his lap with excitement and ate it.  He
began to play a game with her.  When she went to take a bite, he yanked it
back out of her reach.  Cathy smiled warmly at Ken and winked when Kris'
attention was diverted.  She formed the words, "You're a terrific guy! 
Thank you!" He just returned the wink and continued his game.

   Again Cathy excused herself and met an elated Ginny Adams who was
talking to the plane's captain.  She performed the introductions and
Captain Harding said, "Mrs.  Bradley...  Cathy...  I can't thank you and
your husband enough.  Mrs.  Adams has just told me what you're doing for
that poor girl...  and on your honeymoon, too.  Well, I was impressed with
what I saw on the Super Bowl broadcast last week, but it's apparent that
Bob Costas doesn't know the half of it.  I guess you heard what Mrs.  Adams
said about welcoming you on our flight?  After what you're doing now, all I
can say is truer words have never been spoken.  It is indeed a privilege
for us to have you both with us today!"

   "I have a favor to ask," Cathy said diffidently.  "What, exactly, are
the arrangements for that poor girl in Hawaii?  Do you know?"

   The two crew members looked at each other and shook their heads.  Ginny
replied, "I don't know what the specific arrangements for Kristin are, but
I do know how it generally works.  We provide transportation, a hotel
provides a room and meals, the tourist board gets involved...  You know the
drill.  Normally an adult -- the mother or father -- comes along, too.  But
because Kristin is alone, I don't know what they'll do with her.  But why
do you ask?"

   Cathy swallowed hard.  She hadn't even said a word to Ken, but she
thought she knew him pretty well.  She straightened her back and said, "Ken
and I would like Kris to stay with us.  We have a suite at the hotel on
Maui and will be out in the islands for at least three weeks.  I know it's
an imposition and it may not even be possible, but could you radio ahead to
Honolulu and get permission?  Or wherever you have to get permission from?"

   The woman's jaw dropped as she heard Cathy's proposal.  Turning to
Harding she said, "Captain, this girl is out of her mind!  She and Ken
Bradley were only married yesterday, and she was a _virgin_ on her wedding
night!  Could you imagine having a kid on your honeymoon?  It's absurd!"

   Harding had been listening to Ginny but watching Cathy.  "Mrs.  Adams,"
he replied, "Normally I would agree with you, but I think this situation is
different.  I watched the Super Bowl last week.  Do you know what I saw?  I
saw a truly remarkable human being, and I don't mean just in an athletic
sense." He looked at Cathy and said, "If you really want to, I can
guarantee the full cooperation of United Airlines.  But are you sure you
really want to do it?"

   Cathy nodded her head and said, "I'm sure!" _Oh God!_ she thought,
_Ken's going to have my head!  And that's only if I'm lucky!  Catherine
Collins Bradley, will you ever learn to keep your big mouth shut?_ Harding
headed back up to the flight deck to send the messages while she returned
to her seat.

   Kris was smiling more freely now and still sitting across Ken's lap.  He
was continuing the game of feeding her and she seemed to be having a
wonderful time.  _Here goes nothing!_ Cathy thought as she sat down again.
Kris looked up and smiled warmly as she did.  "Kris, what do they have
planned for you in Hawaii?  Do you know?" Cathy asked.

   "Not really, Mrs.  Bradley...  oops!  I mean Cathy." The girl's face
seemed to fall as she continued, "I guess...  That's a lie!  I _know_ I
haven't been doing much of anything for over a year.  All I know is I'm
scheduled to be out there for four days.  But why do you ask?"

   "Because Ken and I would like you to stay with us instead, Kris.  We're
going to be out here for at least three weeks just soaking up the sun and
playing.  Ken will be off for a while practicing for the Pro Bowl.  We can
see the game and Heaven knows, you could use some sun.  Would you like to
be with us?"

   Reluctantly, Cathy looked up at Ken expecting to see an expression of
amazement on his face -- or much worse.  Instead he gave Kris a gentle hug,
winked at her, and said, "Cathy and I talked about it before the stewardess
brought you up here, Kris, and we would love to have you join us.  It could
be a lot of fun for you.  Would you care to put up with us?  We have a
suite overlooking the ocean that I think you'll really like."

   The girl's jaw had dropped and she was shaking her head rapidly. 
"That's impossible!  I heard Mrs.  Adams.  She said you're out here on your
honeymoon.  The idea of having a little twerp on a honeymoon has to be the
most ridiculous thing in the world!" She turned and kissed Ken warmly and
then leaned over to kiss Cathy, too.  She said, "It's the nicest thing
anyone has ever done for me, though.  Thank you for inviting me, but you
can see that it's quite impossible."

   Cathy could feel the lump in her throat listening to this dying child.
She realized that, although Kris was only fourteen, she had a maturity far
beyond her years.  She reached out and took the girl's skeletal hands in
hers and mentally winced as she held them.  She said, "Kris, you must!  I
have this big lug for the rest of our lives...  and we're planning on
living a long, long time.  Please help us?  We want you to stay with us
very much.  I think it will be fun.  Please?"

   The girl looked at Cathy and studied her eyes, then repeated the process
with Ken.  She slowly shook her head from side to side and murmured softly,
"I don't believe you two!  I just don't.  No one could do what you're
offering to do, but you're both serious, aren't you?  You really want me to
stay with you." Again she shook her head but then smiled a wondrous smile
saying, "Well, if you two are nuts, I might as well be, too.  Okay, Cathy
and Ken, I would be happy to stay with you on your _honeymoon,_ for gosh
sakes.  No!  I'll be ecstatic to stay with you.

   "I can't tell you how you make me feel right now.  I feel...  I feel
like things that are dead inside me are starting to come back to life."
Then she leaned back against Ken's arms and closed her eyes.  They thought
she had gone to sleep, but she continued to speak with her eyes closed. 
"It was terrible," she said.  "Mom, Dad, my brother, Steve, and I were
coming home from a football game.  It was a night game and I guess I fell
asleep in the car.  The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital and my
family were all dead.  I think I heard it was a drunken driver, but I'm not
too sure.  You see, I really died that night, too.  It just took awhile for
my body to get the message."

   She opened her eyes and they saw they were gleaming with tears.  She
said, "It's one hell of a responsibility you're taking on, you know? 
You're trying to bring me back from the dead.  But I guess it's too late to
back out now." She smiled softly and said, "Cathy, could you do me a
tremendous favor?"

   "Of course, Kris!" she replied quickly.  "Anything.  What do you want?"

   "Would you...  Could you...  brush my hair?  I Know I look like a
walking skeleton, only I'm even more ugly than that.  Of course, you and
Ken...  well, you're just the most perfect people the good Lord ever
created!  It's going to take awhile to get back in shape, but maybe my hair
could look a little better for a start."

   Cathy could feel her own tears slowly running down her cheeks.  With a
lump in her throat she said, "Of course, Kris, but...  but, look.  I happen
to know that there are few things my husband loves more than brushing a
woman's hair.  Would you allow him to?  Or at least to start on it?"

   Kris actually jumped with surprise and turned quickly to look at Ken. 
His head was nodding vigorously.  He winked and said, "Could I try, Kris?
Please?"

   When Ginny Adams came in response to Cathy's call, her eyes widened in
amazement as she saw the life in Kristin's face and heard the request.  A
few minutes later she was back with all of the things the girl had left at
her seat.  They found an unused hair brush in her carry-on bag.  Ken took
it and began to gently brush the girl's hair.  Remarkably, it began to
shine with golden glints and appeared to take on some body.  When she
finally decided that Ken really did like brushing it, she began to make
happy sounds as the brush ran through her hair in a near-sensuous fashion.
As he was finishing, the cart came around with the meal service.  Ken still
wouldn't allow her off his lap.  He insisted on feeding her as if she were
only four instead of fourteen.

   Kris knew he was teasing her but she loved it.  It was very slow going
because her stomach had shrunk so much.  She could only eat very small
bites and had to chew them excessively.  There was more than enough time
for Ken to eat his own meal and still feed her at the same time.  When the
meal was over, he carried her to the seat across the aisle, reclined it to
its near-horizontal position, put a pillow under her head and covered her
with a blanket.  Then he softly kissed her full on the lips.  When he did,
her hand reached around his neck to hold him while she returned his kiss
with love.  He whispered, "Good night, darling.  Sleep tight." Then he
returned to his seat, while Cathy had retaken her original seat by the
window.

   "Darling," he said, "that was probably the nicest wedding present a guy
has ever received.  You know something?  We may be making a difference with
that girl.  She's actually taking an interest in things again.  I think
she's going to make it, thanks to my wonderful wife." He looked at her and
added, "Darling, I've been thinking about it and decided that marrying you
quickly was the smartest thing I have ever done in my life.  The more I get
to know you, the more wonderful you become.  On the other hand, if you had
waited even three months and got to know what I'm really like, I wouldn't
have had a chance.  My only chance -- and it worked -- was to marry you
before you could find out the truth!"

   "You're really not mad," Cathy asked skeptically.  "Any other man would
be hanging his wife by her hair or by her cunt!  Are you absolutely sure?"

   "Of course I'm sure.  Know something else?  I think I heard you say to
someone that we see the world in similar ways.  You're right, of course,"
he said with a loving smile.  "That's what you did, wasn't it?  You thought
it was the right thing to do and you bet on your judgment that I would see
it the same way.  Right?"

   She leaned over and kissed him warmly.  She was still locked in his
embrace when Ginny Adams came by and whispered, "Knock off that shit, would
you _please!_ What do you think this is, anyway?  There's an innocent young
girl trying to sleep right across the aisle." Then she grinned and said,
"In spite of what you think, I _was_ young once, too.  Look, this plane is
set up for trans-Pacific service.  It carries a relief-crew berth below and
forward.  How about if you two go and renew acquaintances while I watch
Sleeping Beauty?  Want to?"

   "Oh, Ginny, could we?" Cathy replied eagerly.  "But won't you get into
trouble with the Captain or something?"

   Ginny laughed and said, "With Captain Harding?  Surely, you jest!  He
would give Cathy Bradley _anything_ up to and including this nice shiny new
Boeing 747 on request." She grinned and said, "Come on!  I'll show you
where to go." Then she shook her head and said, "Incidentally, it's all set
for you to have Kris stay with you.  However, her doctor at the Mayo Clinic
asked for you to call him.  There's a phone on the bulkhead forward if you
want to call him now."

   Cathy made the call.  The doctor told her that the doctors had been
unable to find anything physically wrong with Kristin Crowley.  They
decided that she just didn't want to go on living.  "Mrs.  Bradley," he
said, "I think it has something to do with the whole family thing.  Her
father and mother were both on the faculty of a small school here in
Minnesota, Carleton College.  They only joined the faculty that fall and
had only been in town about a month.  There is no other family left alive,
and because of the move, the family had no close friends in this area,
either.  She just wants to die and she was doing a very good job of making
it happen."

   "Doctor," Cathy said, "there's something you should know, then.  I
graduated from Carleton last June.  Now I remember a family that had been
wiped out in the fall of my senior year.  Was Mrs.  Crowley on the English
faculty?"

   "I think she was," the doctor replied.  "Why do you ask?"

   "Because I had her for a course.  Of course, it had only met a couple of
times before she was killed, but I remember thinking that she was a
tremendous addition to our faculty.  She was smart as hell, really knew her
field, and was a remarkably effective teacher because she struck me as a
very warm and happy person.  And she was Kristin's mother!  The poor kid."
She thought for a moment and then asked, "Doctor, there's one more thing.
You should know that my husband and I are on our honeymoon.  Should... 
Would...  Sex?..."

   She heard laughter at the other end of the phone.  "Mrs.  Bradley, what
is sex?  It's basically the creation of new life, isn't it?  If she saw you
two together, I don't think it could possibly hurt and could help.  Is that
what you were getting at?"

   Cathy said that was exactly what she was concerned about and thanked him
for his understanding.

   He added, "This isn't going to sound too professional, Mrs.  Bradley,
but I saw you and your husband on the Super Bowl broadcast last week.  I
remember thinking how beautiful you are, how handsome he is, and how much
in love you both are.  Frankly, I think being around a handsome, loving
couple like you two could do that girl a world of good.  Good luck!"

   She thanked him for the flattering comments and then hung up, found Ken,
and followed Virginia Adams to the bunk room.  Ginny winked salaciously as
she carefully closed the compartment door.*Chapter 51*

   After changing planes at Honolulu, they went on to Maui, picked up their
reserved rental car and drove to Kapalua on the northwest corner of the
island.  Kris was sound asleep when they arrived so Ken carried her in his
arms up to their suite, realizing as he did how little she weighed.  After
Cathy pulled down the bedcovers for her in the suite's second bedroom, he
gently laid her on the bed and left the room.  Cathy sat on the bedside and
began to undress her.  It was not surprising that the girl's clothes fit
like a scarecrow's -- no one produced clothing for skeletons.  When the
clothes were off her -- she was so painfully light, Cathy had no trouble
moving or lifting her -- she nearly got sick.  She thought for a moment and
ran for Ken.

   When he returned to the bedroom, he looked at the girl and almost cried.
There was nothing there except skin over bone.  Obviously, the body had
metabolized virtually all of its muscle mass to use as nutrient.  She did
have the tiniest protrusion caused by her belly being filled with the food
she had been eating almost constantly while she had been awake.  He just
shook his head and retreated from the room.  Cathy carefully covered the
nude body, kissed her softly, and withdrew.

   That night their lovemaking reached new heights.  When she was lying
with her head on his shoulder, she looked at him and shook her head sadly.
"Darling, you don't have a cock.  You have a huge piece of steel pipe that
utterly reams my insides." She looked at him and smiled wryly, "Does that
mean I'll always be leaking, do you suppose?  Will I be so stretched down
there I won't be able to hold anything in?" Then she answered her own
question: "Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough because I only exist to
have you in my cunt, my darling.  Isn't that an awful thing to say?  But
it's really true."
Ken just held her tight and asked, "Seriously, Cathy, how are you
feeling?  I do worry.  I guess I am pretty big and I couldn't bear to hurt

you."

   She leaned over and curled his toes with her kiss.  "Darling, you're the
maiden's dream.  My feelings and sensations are so exquisite...  and you're
learning so fast how to control me and control yourself...  that you're a
dream come true.  Right now I hurt so deliciously in my groin.  The muscles
there all ache, I feel stretched, I hurt, but I wouldn't trade it for
anything.  Nothing!  Darling, I adore you." He kissed her and then turned
out the light.

   Much later, Cathy became aware in the deepest reaches of her sleep that
someone else was in the bed beside her.  She felt the sweetest kiss on her
lips then snuggled even closer to Ken and fell back into her deep sleep.

   The next morning she squeezed Ken's hand that was cupping her breast. 
He was awake instantly and rolled over between her thighs and soon was
entering her already-soaking cunt.  When he reached his deepest
penetration, she raised her legs, put them around his neck and loosely
linked her ankles together.  She screamed each time she felt his huge balls
smack into her bottom.  His cock felt so long inside her she was sure his
tip had reached her stomach.  All she felt were his very long and steady
strokes when he almost completely withdrew and then buried his shaft to the
hilt.

   When her arms started to flail she was dimly aware of striking something
on the bed but at that point she was beyond caring about anything other
than the glorious sensations in her cunt.  She came and came again, and yet
again, finally reaching the continuous orgasm that was almost unheard of in
the world but standard behavior among her friends.  Finally she could feel
Ken's cock begin to throb.  Fighting it, she was determined to retain
consciousness so she could feel her vagina working to milk him of every
drop of his wonderful warm fluid.  He came in a flood and she screamed at
his cuming and her own massive explosion that he triggered.  Although
everything turned gray, she didn't pass out.  Rather, she could feel the
wonderful sensation of her loins pulsating in an effort to drain him dry.
Finally, when he collapsed on top of her, she hugged him tightly and
caressed his back.

   Ken moved down between her thighs and began to lick up the mixture of
succulent juices she was leaking out on the bed.  The sensation of his
tongue and his teasing of her clit almost instantly triggered more small
orgasms.  Finally, he crawled back to the top of the bed and put her head
on his shoulder once again.

   They both jumped when they heard, "That was _so_ beautiful!" Kristin
lifted her head out from under the covers and said, "No wonder they call it
making love.  Can...  Will...  If I get better and grow up, will a man do
that to me someday, do you suppose?" Amazingly, they saw her grin and say,
"If the doctors had told me I could have that to look forward to, I might
not have pulled out the IV tubes all the time." Then the girl crawled out
from under the covers and knelt on the bed, looking first at Cathy and then
at Ken.

   She just shook her head and said, "Cathy, you're a goddess!  I have
never seen such a perfect body.  May...  May I touch you?  Please?"

   Cathy didn't know what to expect but said, "Of course, Kris.  Touch
away."

   The girl moved close, still kneeling on the bed, and ran her fingertips
over Cathy's body in the lightest, most tender way imaginable.  She dwelt
particularly on her breasts as she cupped them, stroked them, and felt her
nipples.  The sensation caused Cathy to wriggle even closer against Ken. 
She murmured, "You're hired, Kris.  You can just keep doing what you're
doing forever and ever.  It feels absolutely delicious!"

   The girl was much more tentative with Ken.  All she could bring herself
to do was to run her fingers gently through the hair on his chest.  As she
did, she exclaimed at its coarseness.  Cathy said, "Honey, that's...  Hell,
I'll show you what that's for."

   She climbed on Ken and lay face-down on his chest.  Then, raising
herself enough so that only her nipples were in contact with his chest
hair, she began slowly to rotate her chest.  The contact between her
nipples and his hair soon had her nipples in pulsating, highly sensitive
erections.

   "Are you finished playing, yet?" Ken asked in a bored tone of voice. 
Looking at him, she could see his eyes were dancing as he asked.

   She just stuck out the tip of her tongue and said acidly, "Since you
ask, the answer is no!  I'm still having fun."

   Kris just shook her head in amazement.  Finally she said, "Cathy, that
really does look like it's a lot of fun.  Is it really?"

   "Sure is," she replied.  "Kris, it's a way we have of sensitizing our
tits by causing our nipples to become as hard as little pebbles through the
friction against the man's coarse chest hair.  Then she stopped, lowered
herself to Ken's chest, leaned down, kissed him passionately, and then
said, "But as for you, young lady, what you just saw could send Ken and me
to prison for contributing to the delinquency of a minor or something. 
Maybe it's child abuse.  All I know is you're not supposed to be in here
when he's doing those things with me." Then she looked at Kris strangely
and said, "Did you come in here in the middle of the night?  And kiss me?"

   "I guess so," the girl admitted.  "I didn't mean to wake you up, though.
I'm sorry if I did."

   "You didn't.  I was still asleep.  Except I have this dim memory of a
wonderful kiss in the middle of the night.  Why did you come in, Kris?"

   "Because I've been alone for so long," the girl replied sadly.  "I guess
that's all there is to it."

   As Kristin knelt on the bed the extent of her starvation was painfully
apparent.  It was easy to count each rib.  In her forearms there was a
distinct separation between the two bones, while her thigh was not much
bigger than her femur bone itself.  It didn't appear that the tall girl
weighed even 70 pounds.  Of course, she had no breasts.  There was just a
small patch of light-brown pubic hair.  Cathy was close to tears just
looking at the girl.  She took the opportunity to tell Kris that she had
had her mother as a teacher at Carleton.  Then she said, "Kris, you need to
eat and just keep eating.  I don't think it matters what you eat as long as
you do.  What would you like to have for breakfast?"

   "How would it be if I have two of whatever you two are having?  Would
that make you feel better?  I know the object is to stuff me, roast me, and
serve me instead of a leg of lamb for Easter." She grinned wryly and said,
"Your work is cut out for you, though.  I don't think there's enough of me
now even to make a light snack for Ken...  and that's only if he gnawed on
all the bones."

   "Damn!" Cathy exclaimed while squeezing Ken's hand.  "How do you suppose
she found out about Easter?" Kris then leaned forward and softly kissed
Cathy full on the lips.

   * * *

   On Tuesday Ken flew over to Oahu to join the NFC All Pro team to
practice for the Pro Bowl.  The girls were going over the next day.  In the
meantime, based on arrangements made before the wedding, the girls were all
going to meet on the nude beach since Mike, Kevin, and Ron were all
appearing in the Pro Bowl, too.

   Kris entered Cathy's bedroom and just stood there.  Cathy looked at her
and started to laugh.  The girl had crossed her eyes, had her tongue
sticking out of the corner of her mouth, and was scratching an armpit like
a monkey.  "What do you think you're doing, young lady?" Cathy asked.

   "Cath, I really did a job, didn't I?  I just took a look at myself in
the mirror and almost threw up.  Could we turn them all backward to face
the wall, do you suppose?" The girl's face fell and she ran to Cathy's
arms. "How can you and Ken stand to look at me?" she whispered.  "You two
have bodies that belong in a museum.  But me?  Good grief!  Look, could I
just stay in the room and read a book or something?  Having to look at me
meets any sane person's definition of cruel and unusual punishment!"

   "It serves you right!" Cathy said sternly.  "Maybe you might learn
something.  As you said, you did it, so you live with it!  Maybe it might
encourage you to do something about it." Cathy took the girl back in her
arms and said, "That was terribly unfair, wasn't it?  You were working out
in the club yesterday and I don't know how you did what you did.  You
weren't moving much weight but you were moving some.  With what, I don't
know, but you were.  Kris, you have no muscles.  How did you do it?"

   The girl grinned and said with a question in her voice, "With tendons? I
guess it's about the only thing I hadn't metabolized yet."

   Cathy was intrigued at the change in Kris in less than two days. 
Looking at her she wanted to cry, and yet what emerged was a girl with a
delightful sense of humor.  Moreover, she was clearly very smart.  She had
learned that Kris had become a self-taught expert in the mechanics of
starvation.  Cathy had been in tears as the girl had told her earlier in
the morning of clinically evaluating her own physical destruction.  Her
comment about the IV was also painfully true.  Now Cathy knew exactly how
she had done it and how she had convinced the medical people -- even the
experts at Mayo -- that she was suffering from some unknown disease.  She
had systematically defeated all of their efforts to introduce nutrients
into her body.

   When Kris realized that Cathy was not going to let her stay in the room
she grinned and said, "Okay, then, but I'll get even!  Instead of an Easter
feast, I'll only provide some sun-dried skin and bones." She stuck out her
tongue and said, "But that's your problem!" and scampered out of the room.

   Again, Cathy just shook her head.  She really couldn't understand how
the girl could move, let alone run.

   They were both wearing the hotel's white terry robes when they went to
the beach.  Before leaving the room Cathy made sure she had a supply of the
most protective sun screen available to cover Kris's body.  Again, there
was Kris's sardonic humor: "Don't worry about it, Cath.  There are only a
couple of square inches left.  And heck, if I lie on my side, I completely
disappear!"

   Cathy found most of the other girls were already on the beach, waiting.
She introduced the girl to Kelly, Sue and April.  When she looked at April,
she couldn't resist teasing her.  "And what, exactly, are you doing out
here?  I thought that was the big advantage of your permanent tan?"

   April just grinned and stuck out her tongue.  "Are you going to
introduce me, too?" she asked.  Putting out her hand she said, "Kristin,
I'm April Jackson.  I'm the affirmative-action girl around here." She
looked at Kris and just shook her head.  "Well, I guess there's always the
exception that proves the rule," she said thoughtfully.  "You've heard the
line, 'a woman can't ever be too thin?' Kris, I think you just proved them
wrong.  Honey, you definitely took your diet too far!" When she saw tears
flowing from the girl's eyes, April took her in her arms and just hugged
her.

   "Mrs.  Jackson, you're too much!" Kris said softly.  "I can feel your
breasts against my ribs.  It must feel awful to you, but they feel so
wonderful to me.  You...  You're so...  full!"

   "Ridiculously overdeveloped is the phrase you were searching for," Cindy
said as she joined the group.  "And you're much too polite for this crowd,
Kris.  The word is tits, as in big tits.  I'm Cindy Burke, Kris, and I'm
very happy to meet you.  But with respect to what April was saying, aren't
you nearly there with your diet?  I mean...  You could possibly spare
another pound or two, but..."

   "Can I just please apologize to all of you right now?" Kris said, moving
away from April.  Tears began to flow from her eyes, but her head was still
up straight as she continued, "If I had ever seen women like you...  the
love in your eyes, the look of...  fulfillment!  My God, I have never seen
a happier group of women in my life!  I know what torture it is for you to
have to look at me.  I really wanted just to stay in the room so I wouldn't
have to inflict myself on you, but Cathy insisted.  And she's so much
stronger than I am now, there wasn't anything I could do.  She's a bully,
too.  Anyway, I'm truly happy to meet you all." There was not a dry eye in
the group as they listened to the poor girl's words.

   Cathy carefully put sun screen on Kris's very pale body.  The girls
talked about the trip and their first experience with their husbands. 
Kelly, as usual, was the comedienne.  "Just think!" she said, "I can use
that glorious bed tonight...  to sleep!"

   The girls all laughed.  They soaked up the sun and swam.  Kris just
watched and listened.  She had never encountered a group of people like
them before.  They were uniformly beautiful, athletic, and funny.  The
teasing among them was continuous.  She found she loved just lying on her
towel and listening to them.  Remarkably, they were all as much at home in
the water as they were on land.  They moved with incredible power and grace
through the water, reminding her of playful porpoises.  They seemed to be
just as fast, as graceful, and as full of fun.

   Finally, she rose from her towel and with some trepidation, went towards
the water herself.  Although she was concerned about a lack of buoyancy --
there was no fat at all on her body -- she went in anyway.  Cathy was
swimming well out from the shore with the other girls when she saw Kris
coming down the beach toward the water.  She powered her way toward the
beach and then caught a wave that she used to body-surf the rest of the way
in.  Pulling her hair away from her face, she waded over to where Kris had
been watching open-mouthed.  "What's so strange?" Cathy asked.

   "You!" the girl replied.  "You came in on that wave using your body as a
surfboard.  How did you do it?"

   Looking back at the surf, Cathy shook her head and grinned.  "I have no
idea," she replied "But it seemed like a good way to get back to shore
fast. And it was!" Then she grinned and added, "It's a good thing this is
the nude beach.  If I'd been wearing a bikini that wave would have taken it
off, anyway!" Then she looked at Kris and said, "Now, the reason for my
visit: What in hell do you think you're doing?  We have an investment in
you now.  You go in the water in your condition and you'll get yourself
killed!"
"No I won't," was the reply, "but I do feel a lot better about going in
with you close by." With that, Kris dove head-first into an incoming wave.
Cathy had her heart in her throat until she saw Kris emerge, shake her head
and pull her hair back.  Then, miraculously, she actually began to swim. 
Cathy dove in again and swam out to join her.  When she reached the girl,
Kris was smiling brightly and said, "Cath, this water is _wonderful!_ I

could spend the rest of my life in it!"

   They stayed at the beach for hours and then returned to their rooms. 
The next day they all flew over to Oahu and went out to the University of
Hawaii football stadium where the Pro Bowl teams were practicing.  In
response to a strange call to Sue from Mike Ditka, they all brought short
shorts.*Chapter 52*

   The girls were all wearing sun dresses when they went out on the field
to watch the practice.  "Where are your uniforms?" were the first words
Ditka spoke to them.  "Didn't you get the word?  Now get your tails into
the women's locker and change, damn it.  You'll find turf shoes that fit at
your lockers."

   The girls were startled but followed an assistant trainer to a room with
a sign saying, NFC Women's Lockers.  Going in, they found a locker room
with each of their names above a locker.  Cindy had come along for laughs
since Dan had some kind of business to take care of in Honolulu, but she
wasn't laughing when she saw a name tag that read, Cynthia Burke, over it.
She put on her shorts and the special shoes with a tread adapted to the
requirements of the artificial turf on the stadium floor.  There were also
Chicago Bears T-shirts for them to wear along with their white shorts. 
They changed and returned to the field and Mike Ditka.

   While he was waiting for them, he was talking to Kris who was sitting on
the bench, watching.  Ken Bradley had quickly filled Ditka in on Kris's
condition and background.  Cathy felt a lump in her throat as she saw the
coach, a member of the Hall of Fame as a tight end, talking quietly to the
poor girl.  Kris had a look of adoration in her eyes.

   He left Kris and joined her.  "Coach Ditka, that was awfully nice of
you. Did you see the look in her eyes?  She absolutely adores you!"

   "Me!" he exclaimed in surprise.  "Cathy, you have to be thinking of
three other people.  No one could be that stupid!  Everyone knows I eat
little kids for breakfast." Then he looked embarrassed and said, "And
besides, I have a daughter that age myself.  The poor kid!" Cathy winked at
him and he said, "Now, Bradley, get your tail over there with the kickers.
This is the day I get revenge.  We all know you can kick barefoot, but I
fixed you!  Today you have to wear shoes!"

   Cathy walked over to where the punter and the placekicker were
practicing and just stood watching them.  The punter, Sean Landeta from the
Giants, saw her and recognized her from the TV coverage of the Super Bowl.
Thinking he would have some fun, he motioned her over and asked if she
would like to take a couple of snaps.  Cathy swallowed hard, thinking that
this was like a real game.  They even had a special center -- termed a long
snapper -- to center the ball.  He was centering from the fifteen yard
line, while she was positioned at the goal line.  Earlier she noticed that
the wind -- the normal Hawaiian trade winds -- was blowing steadily from
the east and she was kicking into it.  Because of the wind, the kick
returners -- there were two of them -- were side by side at about the
forty-five yard line.

   Taking the first snap, she boomed the ball in the same way she had ten
days earlier.  She looked up and saw them racing backward as the nose of
the ball turned down to give her punt extra distance.  It landed at the
opposite forty yard line and continued to roll.  The Giant punter just
shook his head thinking anyone can get lucky once in a while.  She
continued to take the snaps and continued to boom the ball.  After a few
minutes the special-teams coach came over and introduced himself.  He, too,
was from the New York Giants.  They moved up the field as he asked them to
try putting some out of bounds.  The center positioned himself at the
thirty-five yard line and they positioned themselves at mid-field.  Sean
Landeta, went first.  His kicks went out of bounds between the five- and
fifteen-yard lines, although four rolled into the end zone for touchbacks.

   When Cathy took her turn, she put eight straight out of bounds between
the goal line and the five.  Most hit first on the field and bounced out,
while one hit right on the sideline and the rest were low enough for an
official to easily spot the point where the ball went out of bounds. 
Landeta's head was down as he went to the sidelines.  Then she was asked to
do some placekicking.  She started off at extra-point range and moved
steadily backwards up the field.  Cathy found she loved the physical and
mental challenge of kicking.  She didn't miss until the line of scrimmage
was at mid-field, when a gust of wind took the ball just to the left of the
upright.  Finally, they changed direction and she started kicking with the
wind at her back.  This time she made three straight field goals from sixty
yards away.  By this time sweat was pouring from her body and she jogged
over to the sideline to get some Gatorade.

   Meanwhile, Ditka was having some fun with his defensive secondary.  He
drafted Cindy into the game over her violent objection that she had never
touched a football in her life.  He just said that was tough.  Since she
was Cindy and they were Cindy's Slaves, she could damn well play football.

   When the girls were taken by Ditka to where the defense was practicing,
Ron Jackson saw them coming and grinned.  "Guys," he said, "there's no
reason why I should have all the fun.  Since I've done this before, I'm
just going to watch!" With that he signaled for a backup to come in for him
while he went to the sidelines to introduce himself to Kristin, the girl he
had heard so much about.

   After introducing himself he suggested they go up in the stands a bit to
get a better view of the field.  He was going to carry her, but incredibly
she climbed high up into the stands by herself.  Sitting next to her, he
told her what was happening on the field.  "The girls are lined up in a
slot-left formation.  Kelly's on the line and April is inside her and
behind.  Cindy is on the right.  Now we'll see what happens."

   What happened was that Kelly went down ten yards and angled right,
taking the cornerback with her.  Meanwhile, April, following Kelly down,
turned on a burst of speed straight down the field when Kelly cut over. 
Sue had apparently had her eyes locked on Cindy on the right side, but then
unleashed a pass that caught April in full stride as she went in for the
touchdown.  The remaining defender was left in her wake.  He hadn't been
able to keep up with her.

   Ron was laughing as he watched his teammates from the other NFC teams
run ragged by the girls.  When Cathy finished her kicking and joined as a
fourth receiver, it just got worse.  With the wind or into the wind, long,
medium or short, it made no difference.  Susan just picked them apart. 
When they played very deep, she completed passes in front of them.  But
when they cheated up toward the line, she burned them deep.  Cindy screamed
with joy when she caught her first touchdown pass.  She proved to be as
fast, quick, and sure-handed as the others.  Together with Sue's passing,
they just overwhelmed the secondary.  When Ditka blew the whistle and
called for the defense to come over, Ron jogged down from the stands to
join them.  He had been teased for most of the previous day for being
unable to pass defend against a few girls.  When he joined the group, his
first words were, "That was fun, wasn't it?  There were just a few girls,
after all."

   When practice was over, Ditka received a surprise.  Both his kicker and
punter had left the team.  He called Mike McCaskey and then the League
office.  When they objected to his plan, he pointed out that Cathy was a
party to a League contract as a result of a payment provision Ken had
inserted in his.  With the greatest reluctance his plan was approved.  The
girls were sitting on the sidelines soaking up the sun with their men when
Ditka joined them.  There was a malicious smile on his face when he looked
at Cathy and said, "Bradley, now I really get even!  Guess who's kicking
for us on Monday?"

   "Landeta and Mike Cofer," she replied, puzzled.  "Who else would? 
They're the only two you have on the squad."

   "Wrong!" he said gleefully.  "I have you!  They both just quit, so
you're doing all the kicking.  Now get your tail in the locker room.  We
have to get you a full uniform and only have a couple of days to get it. 
The League office just approved it and our equipment supplier can't wait to
get your measurements in order to produce a pro football uniform in what
may be the smallest sizes in history." He gave Cindy a form indicating
specifically which measurements were required and exactly where they were
to be taken.

   She looked it over quickly and then said, "Coach, I have one question.
It asks for cup size.  What's that?  Cupping her breast with her hand she
added, "Do you mean?..." Then moving it to her groin, "Or?..." The girls
roared with laughter as Ditka turned beet-red.

   When their laughter died down, he got -- albeit ruefully -- the last
word: "Can't I even win _one?_ Sometime?"
They took Cathy's measurements and gave them to Ditka who immediately
sent a fax message to the uniform company.  The whole group had dinner
together that night with Kris continuing to eat as much as she could.  With
the cooperation of the hotels, they had made arrangements for a
refrigerated cooler to be packed with food for Kris each day so she could
nibble all day long.  With her still-shrunken stomach, it was easier for

her that way.

   * * *

   The kickoff for the Pro Bowl was scheduled for three in the afternoon on
Monday.  Because of the six-hour time difference between Honolulu and the
East Coast, it was a nine o'clock television game.  The girls continued to
tease Cathy mercilessly as they helped her dress for the game.  She was
wearing a blue NFC jersey with the numeral one on the back, along with the
legend, C BRADLEY.  However, she was wearing a Chicago Bears helmet.  In
the Pro Bowl, the players wore team jerseys and pants but used their own
equipment and their own team helmets.

   Before leaving the locker room Kelly insisted on putting blacking under
Cathy's eyes to reduce the sun's glare.  As she did, she could feel Cathy
start to shake.  Looking at her she dropped the teasing and said, "Honey,
this is an incredible tribute to your skill.  Do you know why those guys
quit?  Because you were so damned much better than they were and they knew
it.  You'll do just great!"

   The NFC won the toss and elected to play with the wind at their back. 
The AFC elected to receive so Cathy trotted out to put the ball down on the
tee.  _Fortunately,_ she thought, _I've got the wind, so it shouldn't be
too bad._ Her kickoff was very high and very deep.  With the wind it was
carried beyond the end line on the fly so there was no chance of a runback.

   She sat beside Ken on the bench, and he kissed her softly and then
hungrily.  "I've never kissed a kicker before.  Do they all taste as good
as you?" he asked with a grin.

   "You better not try to find out," she warned him and then gave him
another kiss.

   Unbeknownst to them, the ABC coverage team had picked up and
tape-recorded their kiss.  Dan Dierdorf, a former offensive guard for the
Cardinals and one of the Monday Night Football announcers, had interviewed
Cathy before the game.  He didn't know what to make of her presence on the
team, but he could see that her warmup punts and kicks were assuredly not
jokes.  He had let out a low whistle as he watched them boom off her foot.

   During the first half, Mike Cassidy was the NFC quarterback and had his
two favorite receivers, Kevin Cavanaugh and Ken Bradley, on the field with
him.  Ken caught two touchdown passes and Kevin caught one.  The result was
the only kicking Cathy had to do were extra points which she made
perfectly. Each of her kicks precisely split the uprights.

   In the third quarter, though, with a new quarterback and new receivers
on the field, the NFC attack stalled.  The ball was on their own forty yard
line, fourth down and two, when Ditka waved her into the game.  She joined
the huddle and grinned as all the men within reach patted her bottom.  All
she said was, "Thanks, guys!" and grinned.  Back in deep punt formation,
she looked at her two wide-outs poised to dash down the field on punt
coverage.  Because the AFC did in the second half what the NFC did in the
first -- elected the wind at their backs -- Cathy was punting into it.  She
looked and decided the AFC had set up a punt return play, figuring she
couldn't kick it far into the wind.

   When the ball came back to her, she saw the defenders immediately drop
back to form a blocking line for the punt returner.  Two ends were charging
at her to try to rush her kick.  Instead of kicking though, she let out a
piercing whistle, ducked to her right to escape the onrushing lineman, and
fired a pass to the coverage man speeding downfield from the right side. 
He heard her shrill whistle, turned, and saw her pass about to settle into
his arms.  Because they were setting up for a runback, there was no AFC
player near him as he took her pass in full stride and sped down the field
untouched for the score.  Cathy was nearly buried under the bodies of her
teammates who pounded her after the touchdown.  She grinned and jogged down
the field and set up for the extra point.  Again, she split the uprights.

   Kicking off into the wind, she saw the AFC's deep receivers were playing
up.  She went to the men responsible for deep coverage on the runback,
whispered to them, and lined up to kick off.  Her kickoff was a beauty.  It
soared end-over-end high and deep down the field.  The receivers
backpedaled to receive it, but then realized it was going over their heads.
It was too late.  The ball hit on the goal line and was immediately covered
in the end zone by one of the NFC coverage men Cathy had whispered to. 
Again she jogged down the field to set up for the extra point attempt and
again put it through the uprights.

   Still on the field, she set up for the next kickoff.  This time the AFC
receivers were standing deep in the end zone in spite of the fact that she
was kicking into a steady twenty-knot wind.  It may have been that the NFC
special teams players were tiring by now, but they weren't as fast getting
down field nor as aggressive in picking off blockers.  Suddenly, Cathy saw
a hole open up between the blue NFC jerseys to her right.  Swallowing hard,
she flew towards the hole and was just in time to greet the ball carrier
coming through with a crushing open-field tackle at his ankles.  Cathy got
up and jogged off the field to thunderous cheering from all the spectators.

   "You _really_ know how to hurt a guy, don't you, Bradley?" was her
greeting from Mike Ditka.  "I send you out to do one simple little thing:
to kick the damned ball!  So what do you do?  You throw a 60-yard touchdown
pass, kick off for another, kick two extra points, and stop a sure
touchdown.  Christ, Bradley, what do you have to say for yourself?"

   "Sorry, Coach?" she replied with a strong question in her voice and a
grin on her face.

   He gave her a hug and then said, "Are you okay, Cathy?  That was one
thing that never occurred to me: that you might have to make a tackle.  Are
you all right?"

   "I wouldn't want to do it for a living, Coach, but I'm fine.  How was
the tackle, by the way?  That was another first for me."

   "About what I would have expected, Cathy.  Why are you always fishing
for compliments?  It was perfect, of course."

   In the last quarter of the game, Cathy added insult to injury.  The NFC
stopped an AFC drive on their own twenty-five yard line and their field
goal attempt into the wind failed.  The NFC took possession but were then
stopped at their own thirty-two yard line and were facing a
fourth-and-three situation.  Mike came over to Cathy and said, "Okay, kid.
Air it out.  Let's see a long one!"

   Ken gave her hand a squeeze and she ran out on the field to punt from
the twenty.  This time the AFC special team was taking no chances.  Cathy
noticed that there was coverage on both of her wide-outs and there were at
least three men positioned to come after her.  The ball came back and she
really got her leg into it just as she was hit from the side and knocked
down.  There were screams that even she could hear while she was on the
ground.  Fortunately, she wasn't hurt and the giant defensive end who had
run into her gave her a hand getting up and apologized profusely.  She
grinned and shook his hand.  To her surprise, the NFC defense started to
come out on the field, even though she knew there was at least a five-yard,
and possibly a fifteen-yard penalty against them for either running into,
or roughing, the kicker.

   She jogged off the field and was greeted by Ditka again.  "Damn it,
girl! Knock off this shit!" he growled.

   "What did I do this time, Coach?" she asked, genuinely bewildered this
time.  "You told me to air it out and I tried.  But shouldn't we still have
the ball?"

   Ditka laughed and shook his head.  "I give up!  Cathy, do you know where
your punt went?" She just shook her head.  Since she had been flat on her
back under a 300-pound end she had no idea.  "It went out-of-bounds on the
one!" Ditka exclaimed.  "The one-yard line, for Christ's sake!  That damned
kick was officially sixty-eight yards!  So we took the play, although
you're right.  There would have been a fifteen-yard penalty and a first
down, but what the hell!  Let's see how much they like going into the wind
starting from their one." An instant later, Ron Jackson, back in the game
at safety, picked off a pass at the AFC five and ran it in for an easy
touchdown.  "Bingo!" Ditka yelled and pounded Cathy on the back.  "What
coaching genius!  I ask you?"

   Her final play came with just two seconds remaining in the game.  The
NFC had the ball at the AFC forty-yard line.  Ditka came over and said,
"Want to air it out again?  Hell, you even have the wind." Cathy hadn't
even warmed up, but she ran out on the field and set her mark at the NFC
forty-eight yard line.  After taking a deep breath, she just kept her head
down.  As the holder took the snap, she moved forward, driving her leg
around like a whip.  She caught the ball cleanly from the hold.  The next
thing she knew, she was being lifted up high in the air by her holder, and
it was from her vantage point on his shoulder that she saw her kick split
the uprights with height to spare above the crossbar.  Her jubilant
teammates carried her off the field.  Then, to her utter consternation, she
found that she had been named the game's most valuable player and won a
series of prizes that went with the award.

   That night there was a victory banquet for the NFC players.  After
dinner, Mike Ditka rose and addressed the team.  The game had been an utter
rout, with the NFC winning by more than five touchdowns.  He said, "Guys, I
want to tell you how to be a coach.  First, you need players.  Cathy
Bradley, get your trim little bottom up here!"

   Cathy hurried up to the speakers' platform and he just looked at her and
asked, "Damn it, girl, don't you understand English?" Then he turned back
to the players and their guests and said, "Damn it!  She should.  She was
Phi Beta Kappa as an English major.  But she obviously doesn't know that
you kick with your leg and throw with your arm.  I guess she was confused.
Anyway, in the third period going into the wind I send her out to kick the
damned ball.  We were ahead, of course, but you could feel the momentum of
the game changing.  They had the wind and were coming at us.  So what
happens?  Cathy happens.  She completes a touchdown pass..." Turning to
Cathy, he asked, "Did I hear a shrill whistle?  Was that you?"

   Cathy used her teeth and let out another piercing whistle and then
asked, "You mean like that?" He nodded and shook his head in feigned
disgust.  "I guess it was, Coach.  But why do you ask?"

   "Why, Cathy?" he asked resignedly.

   "I'm sorry, Coach, but I was a little embarrassed.  I still am, as a
matter of fact.  You see, I went out there and saw a couple of things. 
First, their returner was cheating up pretty close.  Second, it was pretty
clear they were concentrating on getting a big runback off my punt.  I saw
their left end and he looked like he was more interested in making a block
on the runback than coming after me or holding up our coverage man. 
Anyway, we were in front and I thought our wide-out on the right side could
get free.  I had to whistle like that to try to get his attention, because
I didn't -- and still don't -- know his name.  Anyway, it seemed to work
okay."

   "And the following touchdown?" Ditka asked.

   "Oh, that was easy," she replied.  "I mean...  Well, there's no way a
woman could kick the ball deep into that wind so I saw their deep men
playing up again.  This time I did tell my guys what was happening and they
really flew down the field.  So when I put the ball on the goal line it was
really pretty easy."

   "And then the tackle?"

   "Well, I saw this hole open up between blue jerseys that was wide enough
to drive a truck through.  I mean...  Isn't tackling part of the game, too?
I hope I didn't get in anybody's way, but I thought he would have a long
runback if I didn't drop him, so I did."

   Ditka just nodded.  "See, guys, it's simple if you're a Phi Beta Kappa,
I guess.  She sees we're losing momentum so what does she do?  Instead of
politely kicking the ball and trotting back to her old coach like a good
little girl, she throws a touchdown pass.  Kicks the extra point.  Kicks
off to the goal line for a very tough touchdown -- Jones had to fall on the
ball all by himself.  Kicks the extra point.  Kicks off again.  This time
stops the ball carrier in his tracks just when he thinks there's nothing in
front of him but blue sky and the goal line...  except Cathy.  So much for
his dreams.

   "Is she finished?  Not Cathy.  I tell her to punt the damned ball.  'Air
it out,' I think I said.  What does she do?  She airs it out -- sixty-eight
damned official yards from scrimmage.  It goes out of bounds at the one! 
Then what?  One of her team -- sort of: Ron Jackson -- picks off a pass as
pretty as you please and walks in for another touchdown.  Then she ends it
with a sixty-two yard field goal -- one yard short of the all-time NFL
record -- that she makes with yards to spare.  All I think we can really
give her are three touchdowns, a field goal and a bunch of extra points. 
And for this they give her the MVP?  I mean...  Really!  It's obvious to me
that the judges were prejudiced against men."

   He grinned and put his arm around Cathy.  "Anyway, I want you all to
know that this joke was on me.  I know this woman has spirit, spunk, guts
and incredible ability, but even I didn't know how much.  What do you guys
think of our MVP?"

   There was a thunderous cheer from the members of the NFC Pro Bowl squad.
Then Ditka said, "Well, I guess the cat's really out of the bag now.  I
want to thank you all for playing so well and doing such a fine job of
representing your teams.  Unfortunately, now you all know how the Bears do
it.  We practice against these women.  We never beat them, of course, but
you guys are easy by comparison.  You know something?  I also learned today
what a hell of an offensive weapon a great kicker can be.  Now if we can
only get the League to let us sign her..."

   He grinned and waved at the now-cheering NFC squad and said, "Thank you
all very much and enjoy the rest of your vacation.  We'll see you all next
season!"*Chapter 53*

   Vangie was pounding on Colleen's shoulder and the two women were hugging
each other, oblivious to the fact that they were both nude.  They were in
the library at Jan's watching the Pro Bowl game and cheering for Cathy. 
Vangie winced as she sat down.  Her ass was black and blue from daily
sessions with Maureen and her paddle which had replaced the whip Jan had
used on Cindy.  When dinner was over each day, Vangie would give a
recitation of her day's mistakes and shortcomings.  Jan would determine the
number of punishment strokes and then she bent over while Maureen hit her
as hard as she could with the requisite number of blows.  When she
finished, Vangie would kiss the paddle and say, "Thank you, Mistress
Maureen, for helping me to be a better slave!"

   It was only through a special dispensation from Jan that she was
watching the Pro Bowl.  For the previous two weeks -- with the exception of
the wedding -- Evangeline had been worked from dawn to bedtime without a
break.  Although she was still sleeping on the floor in the kitchen, she
was scarcely aware of it.  When she lay on the floor and wrapped herself in
her blanket, it was more akin to losing consciousness than it was to
falling asleep.

   As she watched the game -- the first football game she had ever seen --
she was so proud of Cathy!  The announcing team of Al Michaels, Frank
Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf couldn't say enough about this remarkable woman.
Dierdorf had interviewed Cathy before the game and it was this interview
that sent Maureen scampering to rescue Vangie from the kitchen to see it.
She was amazed to see her daughter with the blacking under her eyes and
wearing football shoulder pads that raised her shirt nearly to her ears. 
Nevertheless, she looked exquisite.  She gaily spun around to show Dierdorf
how she had her hair pulled back in a pony tail and how well it fit under
her helmet.  She even put it on so he could see how it looked.

   During the game the announcers often referred to the interview and to
the touch football game played in the rain the day before the Super Bowl.
Then they showed Cathy and Ken kissing on the sidelines with the comment
that they were the only husband-and-wife combination in football history.
The tone of voice changed dramatically in the third quarter when Cathy came
on the field to punt but threw a perfect touchdown pass instead.  Then she
followed with the long kickoff over the receivers heads and then made the
tackle on the subsequent kickoff.  Dierdorf just whistled in amazement as
Cathy came knifing between blockers to take the ball carrier down with a
perfect open-field tackle at his ankles.  They saw what Cathy herself had
not seen: The ball carrier had to be helped off the field.  He was dazed
from hitting the ground so hard.

   Then there was her punt.  Vangie screamed when Cathy went down hard, but
then bounced up.  She noticed the opposing player even trying to brush off
her uniform and saw her grip his hand.  Dierdorf said, "Now that's real
sportsmanship!  Johnson got carried away, but he's too smart to go after
the punter deliberately.  He knows the man can get seriously injured, but
he also knows that it brings the ball back for a first down.  Cathy Bradley
knows it, too, and knows it was an accident.  She puts out her hand to
shake!  Now that's class!" They pointed out that, in spite of the biggest
rush of the game and one of the toughest of the season, Cathy got off a
sixty-eight-yard kick and put it out of bounds at the one.

   Vangie didn't really know what the announcer meant but it was obvious
that whatever it was, it was good.  Maureen did know and started to explain
the play.  Before she could though, on the next play Ron Jackson
intercepted the AFC pass and coasted in for a touchdown.  Finally, there
was the last-second field goal that was only one yard short of the all-time
NFL record for distance.  Vangie wrapped her arms around her friend and
said, "Colly, I'm so happy for her!  She was wonderful!" Suddenly her face
fell and she jumped off the sofa and left the room.

   When she returned, she had the paddle and she gave it to Maureen saying,
"Mistress Maureen, please give me ten strokes for rudeness and familiarity
toward Mistress Janice's guests." She bent over with her hands on her knees
and waited.  Her teeth were clenched because she didn't want to get
additional strokes for screaming.  She knew it was a real danger because
her ass still hurt so much from the evening's discipline.  She smiled to
herself thinking that it was getting even worse now that she had lost a lot
of weight and her asscheeks were so much more firm.  _Maureen certainly
knows how to use the paddle,_ she thought.  _She gets it flush on my entire
bottom!_ Vangie didn't know that by spreading the blow across the largest
area Maureen was reducing the impact -- and was doing it intentionally.

   The spanking began and it was agonizing!  When the full ten strokes had
been administered, Vangie kissed the paddle with tears of pain running
involuntarily down her cheeks and said, "Thank you, Mistress Maureen, for
helping me to be a better slave." Maureen noticed that although tears were
flowing from Vangie's eyes as she said it, she was actually smiling.  Then
the girl saw Vangie's eyes cloud over and she suddenly collapsed to the
floor.  Colleen was beside her in an instant, and feeling her forehead. 
She realized that Vangie was burning up with fever!  Maureen ran for Janice
while Colly went to the kitchen for a damp cloth.

   Jan joined them a moment later and felt Vangie's forehead.  She shook
her head and the two Callahan women lifted Vangie between them and carried
her upstairs to a vacant bedroom.  They didn't know it was Cindy's old
room. Jan pulled down the bedcovers and they lay Vangie on the bed.  Then
Jan called the doctor and learned that there was a vicious virus running
around the area.  Although it wasn't normally dangerous, it was frightening
in its manifestations.  It began with high fever and often went through a
series of cycles of fever and chills.  She was advised that if the patient
could take aspirin it would help with the fever; otherwise, just use cold
compresses.  To Jan's surprise, Maureen -- now known in the house as Mo --
asked to stay with her.  It was already well past midnight and the women
normally retired earlier.

   Mo, nude like the rest of the women, padded downstairs and took a cold
pack out of the freezer and put three more in to chill.  She brought it
back to the bedroom and put it across Vangie's forehead.  Then she just lay
on the bed reading a book and keeping an eye on the woman.  She couldn't
concentrate on her book so she turned off her little book light and just
lay there in the darkness.  The last week had been like nothing she had
ever experienced in her life.  She had hated Vangie Collins for as long as
she could remember.  And yet...  And yet...  the woman couldn't do enough
for her.

   The first morning she had awakened in her wonderfully comfortable bed
and found Vangie on her knees beside her bed just waiting with a glass of
orange juice and a pot of coffee.  When the question of discipline arose
and Jan said she was tired of swinging a paddle, Mo had volunteered.  She
had enjoyed it the first few times: She was getting even for her mother's
abasement.  But after hitting her, Vangie looked so sincere when she
thanked her for the discipline.  _She's not a masochist, is she?_ she
remembered wondering.  Now she was certain she was not.  It was something
else.  It was almost as if Vangie loved her...  _My God!  That's it!_ she
thought.  _Vangie really loves me -- and loves Mom!  She really does.  She
wants to be punished for what she did to my mother and loves it when I
wield the paddle._ With that thought, Mo dropped off to sleep.

   She was awakened later by cries from beside her in the bed.  Turning on
the light, she found Vangie huddled in a ball, shivering.  She looked like
she was freezing to death.  Mo turned out the light and moved close to the
woman beside her.  Taking her into her arms, Vangie's body felt like ice
with goose bumps all over it.  Mo thought for a moment, rolled Vangie onto
her back and then lay on top of her.  The combination of her weight and her
body warmth soon caused the older woman's shivers and teeth-chattering to
subside.  Mo rolled off her but kept her arms around her tightly.  She was
surprised when Vangie reached out and held her tightly, as well.

   The fever lasted through the next day.  At times, in spite of Maureen's
efforts to cool her forehead with ice-packs, she became delirious.  In the
first episode of delirium, Mo called to her mother who came running.  They
heard Vangie cry out to Colleen and beg her forgiveness, "I was so cruel!"
she screamed.  Then, in spite of being in delirium, she cried
uncontrollably.  Again, Mo got in bed and in spite of the woman's fever,
held her close.  The contact seemed to quiet the poor woman down and she
stroked Mo's body as she lay there.

   Later, in another episode, she was thanking Maureen for her beatings
saying, "It's my only hope, Maureen!  Don't you see?  You must punish me
for the things I did to your mother.  Thank you, darling, for hurting me!"
Janice heard that one and began to cry.  With the fever, Vangie's skin had
lost its tan and was looking pallid again.  As a result, the extent and
seriousness of the bruises on her buttocks were now apparent.

   "My God!" Jan exclaimed, "We've been killing that woman but she hasn't
made a sound."

   "No, she sure hasn't," Maureen said, "but look." She showed Jan how the
woman's lips had been repeatedly lacerated as she bit down on them to keep
from screaming.  "I noticed a strange sensation when she kissed me.  This
woman has been in constant agony, but doesn't even seem to mind." They
agreed that the paddle was now gone for good.

   The last episode before the fever broke for good came late Wednesday
night.  Vangie had been screaming in delirium again and Maureen once more
got into the bed with her.  In spite of the raging fever, having Mo's body
to hold seemed to calm the woman.  Then there was another episode of chills
and Maureen held her even closer.  By now it was very late and the girl
fell asleep still holding Vangie tightly in her arms.  As dawn was
beginning to lighten the room, Maureen felt soft fingertips smoothing her
hair and stroking her body in the most wonderfully gentle way.  She opened
her eyes and found herself looking into Vangie's gray eyes.  Now they were
clear and filled with love.  "Good morning, darling Maureen," she
whispered. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

   The girl just stroked Vangie's skin and could now feel her newly
developed muscles respond to her stroking.  She heard a wonderful sound of
pleasure coming from deep in the woman's body as she closed her eyes to
more thoroughly enjoy the sensation.  Then the woman's eyes opened and she
said, "Excuse me, darling, but I have to get up now."

   "And just where do you think you're going, Vangie Collins?" the girl
demanded.

   "To the kitchen to prepare breakfast, Mistress Maureen," she replied
with a wry smile.  "I am the resident slave, after all.  It's my job. 
Frankly, I have enough beatings in store without making it even worse than
it is already."

   "Evangeline Collins, you're staying in bed!" Maureen exclaimed.  "Those
are Mistress Janice's orders.  Good heavens, woman!  You damn near died!"
With that she straightened the covers, plumped up the pillow and pulled the
covers up under Vangie's chin.  She was still so weak that she didn't even
protest as her eyes closed.  Maureen bent over and kissed her full on the
lips but was surprised to feel the woman's hand behind her neck holding her
down.  The kiss was sweetly returned, and she heard Vangie whisper, "Thank
you, darling Maureen."

   Later in the day Janice was standing by the bed just watching her. 
Vangie was a puzzle to Jan.  Her progress in just two weeks had been little
short of incredible.  It was true that she couldn't even boil water when
she arrived, but now she was a more than passable cook and getting better
every day.  Her house-cleaning was already so good and so thorough it was
better than Cindy's and Cindy had certainly been a demon housekeeper. 
Finally, her physical development was remarkable and almost unbelievable in
view of her age.  Most of all, though, was her attitude.  Vangie was
unfailingly warm and kind and witty.  She was a joy to have around the
house.

   As she stood there, Vangie's eyes opened, and she saw Jan frowning at
her.  "Slave Vangie, did you communicate with someone outside the house
without authority?" Jan demanded.  She was holding a letter in her hand
that had arrived for Colleen that day.

   Vangie jumped out of bed and went to the closet.  She gave Jan the heavy
paddle and knelt on the floor with her ass high in the air.  From that
position she said, "Yes, Mistress, I did.  Of course there's no excuse for
such deliberate disobedience.  Will you administer discipline or should I
wait for Mistress Maureen?"

   "Get back in that bed where you belong, damn it!" Jan ordered.  "As for
the discipline, we'll think of something else.  We're afraid you may be
becoming a masochist.  Now, do you know anything about this letter?  It's
from the White House."

   "No, Mistress," Vangie replied with a frown.  "Honestly, I do not.  What
does it say?"

   "It's addressed to Colleen.  She has been invited to visit the White
House a week from today and asked to bring guests.  You and Maureen are
going.  In the meantime, my mother, Ali, demands that you and they appear
in Los Angeles.  You're all flying out tomorrow afternoon.  In the
meantime, you're ordered to rest!  Understand?"

   It was a commentary on Vangie's weakness that she just nodded and went
back to sleep.

   The next evening the three women were met at Los Angeles International
Airport by Ali Clifford.  They were driven in her limousine to the Beverly
Wilshire where there was a suite waiting for them.  The next morning Ali
took them to the film studio and an appointment with Henry Hall, the hair
stylist.

   Henry exclaimed over the gorgeous auburn hair that the Callahan women
both had.  They were both so close to Ginger's autumn russet, it was
impossible to differentiate among them.  He worked and established styles
for both of the women that were very similar but different.  Maureen's
looked younger, somehow, than her mother's.  Then he turned his attention
to Vangie.  Together with Ali, he studied the woman's roots and finally
they agreed on a shade of brown verging on gold that seemed to be her
natural color.  Planning to dye her hair back to its original color, he
began to work.

   Vangie was certainly experienced with hairdressers.  She had been going
to the very finest in New York for years, so being in a hairdresser's chair
was not an event.  She slept while Henry worked.  When he was finished and
her new style was combed out, he raised the seat back and turned the chair
so she could get a good look.  What he got was a shock as Vangie screamed
and then started to cry.

   Henry and Ali looked at each other in alarm.  Matching a hair color is
far more art than science and they couldn't be sure they were exactly on,
but they both felt they had to be very close.  This was a unique reaction
in Hall's professional experience.  He pointed out that it hadn't even
happened when a part required an actress to have her head shaved!  Vangie
was crying and shaking her head.  "I can't look like this!" she cried.  "I
look like a witch and that woman is beautiful.  What did you do to me?"

   "Damn it, Collins, if you don't like your looks, complain to God, not to
me!" Ali exclaimed, now understanding her reaction.  "Lady, what you see is
what you have...  no more and no less.  If you think that woman in the
mirror is beautiful, you have only yourself to blame!"

   Turning to Henry Ali said, "Well, that's one crisis taken care of. 
Incidentally, she's also one of the ten richest women in the world and it
looks like she may be flying in to see you from time to time.  Henry, she's
also a very dear friend and I would appreciate it if you would work with
her." She smiled warmly and said, "Now that I'm an expectant mother, I have
to get back home to get my rest."

   Henry whooped with joy, gathered Ali into his arms and kissed her
soundly.  She was his favorite person in the whole world.  Then he looked
at her and said, "Ali, when did it happen?  Last night?  You're the most
un-pregnant looking woman I have ever seen!"

   "I'll have you know, Henry Hall, that I'm about half way there already.
So there!" Then she smiled warmly, kissed him, and asked, "Henry, by any
chance do you ever style a baby's hair?"

   "For you, Ali, anything!" he said and smiled.  Then he added, "Ali
Clifford, a child of yours will be the most beautiful baby in the whole
damned world!"

   With that they all kissed Henry and went back to the airport and their
flight back to Chicago.

   To be continued...

   * * *

   Comments and constructive criticism are sincerely welcome.  Let me hear
from you.  morg105829@aol.com

   *Cynthia Martin* Copyright (c) 1991, 2001 by Morgan. 
<morg105829@aol.com>

   All rights reserved.  No part may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any electronic means, including photocopying, recording or by
any information and retrieval system, without the written permission of the
author.