Kelly
===== 



The sun was streaming through the windows and as morning moved
towards noon, the light shifted across the room slowly revealing
Kelly's nude body, lighting first her hair and then sliding like
a silent intruder over her eyes.  She brushed her hand across
her face trying to shoo away the invader, but it was too late. 
The light had stirred something in her subconscious and it
slowly turned on her other senses. Disoriented, Kelly, eyes
still closed, tried to place where she was and why Aaron Neville
was talking to her.

     "That's the way she loves, 
     That's the way she loves,
     That's ... the way ... she loves." 

Ah, that's what it is she thought.  Aaron was talking about
Brenda. That explained why there was a bright light in the room
and she was feeling warm all over.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly woke up slowly, content to let the fantasy continue.  She
had reached the point between sleep and consciousness where she
realized it was the stereo still playing from last night, and
the warm light was the sun touching her skin.  She had fallen
asleep in her chair after last night's break up with Mark.  With
a deep sigh, she opened her eyes and looked at the clock.

Jesus!  It was nearly 12:00.  With some effort she made the
move to get out of the chair, picked up her wine glass from last
night and tried to remember if she had more than three.  The
glass was half full, and she didn't have a headache, so she had
only had enough to chase the blues away.  Kelly grabbed an over
sized t-shirt from the bedroom, slipped it on and switched off
the stereo as she walked to the kitchen. Kelly dumped the wine
down the sink, rinsed the glass and put it in the dishwasher. 
She opened an ice-cold bottle of mineral water and gulped half
down before grabbing her morning supply of vitamins, natural
herbs and supplements.  This along with a couple pieces of raw
vegetables would be her normal breakfast, but since today was
Saturday, she decided to make something a bit more substantial.

 From her fridge she grabbed a couple of eggs and three strips
of turkey bacon.  Kelly liked to cook when time allowed for it,
and her stove was a deluxe model with a built in natural gas
grill which could, by placing the cover over it, be converted to
a griddle.  She fired up the burners and laid the healthy bacon
in the center, then, as soon as they started to sizzle, flipped
them, moved them to the side and cracked the eggs on the
cholesterol free grease spot.

With her spatula she broke the yolks and spread the eggs into a
large circular pattern while the bacon continued to do a slow
cook on the side. She grabbed the jar of "Taco Pete" salsa sauce
from the fridge, and poured it generously on the eggs as they
started to bubble. Returning the jar to the fridge, she started
rolling the eggs into an instant Spanish omelet.  After
carefully lifting the omelet from the griddle and snatching the
mock bacon, she quickly wiped down the griddle with a damp paper
towel.  In all it had taken her less than five minutes to create
a healthy breakfast.  She put the plate on the center island in
the kitchen where a couple of bar stools also stood. Something
was missing.

Orange juice!  While Kelly preferred to squeeze her own, it
wasn't practical most of the time and she relied on jugs of
"Tropicana" pure OJ with pulp.  A large glass was called for to
help counter the use of real eggs instead of the cholesterol
free substitute.  Kelly was a health nut, but an intelligent
one, and some things she would not give up.

As she dug into her breakfast she remembered she had smoked
quite a bit last night and took a couple of straight vitamin A
capsules to compensate. No bread with breakfast though.  As much
as she loved fresh bread, the carbs would be pushing it.

Kelly finished her breakfast with the radio tuned to the news
and was just sitting back finishing her juice when she heard the
back door open.  Kelly smiled.  She had not seen Gloria in a
week.

"Cha' you home already?" Gloria asked.  Her eyes spied the
roses on the counter.  "Did you come home for Mister Somebody?"
she asked not bothering to hide her disdain.

Kelly gave G a big smile and said, "Don't worry G.  You won't
be seeing Mark around anymore.  I broke it off last night."

"Good riddance to bad news girl," Gloria said turning the
kettle on for coffee.

"Let's not talk about him today okay G?" Kelly asked.  "I'm not
happy with the way things ended, but it is over for good." 
Kelly watched as G got a mug from the cupboard and grabbed the
jar of Blue Mountain instant coffee Kelly stocked just for her
friend.  Kelly had an espresso machine, a coffee maker and a
coffee bean grinder all for those who liked real coffee, but G
preferred to drink the instant stuff with lots of cream and
sugar.  The two friends sat and talked for nearly an hour. 
Gloria had come by to pick some herbs from the garden out back,
and to watch the latest Brad Pitt movie on one of Kelly's
premium channels.

Kelly laughed.  She knew about Gloria's infatuation with "Brad."

"It's a pity I won't be able to watch it with you G," Kelly
said, "But I have to get some exercise.  I'm going roller-
blading at the studio."

Kelly liked blading at the industrial park.  The roads were
pretty well deserted on the weekend and very well paved.  She
kept all of her gear stored at the studio for convenience.  No
use hauling it all around when Lakeview was the only place she
used it.  Besides, she usually had a quick shower there after
her workout.

"And I've got a few errands to run as well, so if I don't see
you later, we'll catch up later this week," Kelly said.

"You tell Mr. Todd me glad he be back," said Gloria.  She had a
soft spot for Todd and couldn't figure out why he and Kelly
never got together.  In her opinion they were made for each
other but instead her friend seemed to get involved in one
doomed relationship after another.

Kelly cleared away her dishes.  The dishwasher was not full
enough to bother running it yet.  She was sipping slowly on what
was left of her mineral water and writing a list of essentials
when the phone rang.

"Tony," she said a happy lift in her voice when she heard who
was calling.  "What brings you to our neck of the woods?"

Tony was an old friend with whom she'd had a fling a few years
back. It could never be more than just a fling because Tony was
a model and too much in love with himself to share with anyone
else, yet he was a damn good lay!

Tony explained he was on his way to a shoot in Florida and had
chosen to drive down.  "I don't like it Kelly," he said.  "All
the new security at the airports these days.  Besides, I figured
I could stop off and catch up with you before I head out.  Are
you free tonight?"

Kelly smiled.  Yes she was free, but she had to exercise first
and do a bit of shopping for vitamins.  "How's about I pick you
up later?" Kelly asked.  "I can cook you up something here and
we can ... talk."

Tony was justified in his self-admiration, even if it was a
vanity streak.  He worked out like a demon possessed and had a
magnificent body. At 6'3" and maybe 160 pounds he was a superb
specimen of a man with short dark curly hair and a complexion
that bordered between Greek and Italian. It was probably why he
disliked airports so much these days.  Profiling had become an
accepted practice.  Though she had not seen him in three years,
she had seen his recent pictures in GQ and in a few high-profile
ads.  It was just as well, Kelly thought, that he was
represented by another agency.  His ego was too big for her and
Todd's select group of models.

Tony readily agreed and they made arrangements.  "Hmmm," said
Kelly out loud, and blushed.  Things were starting to look up.

She went to her bedroom to change and for the second time in
less than 24 hours changed the sheets on the bed.

Kelly apologized to G for having to rush off, but Gloria just
brushed it off.  "I'll see you soon enough.  You be careful
girl.  You listen to what Gloria tells you.  You be careful."

Kelly nodded in understanding and made a mental note to pick up
a fresh supply of condoms.

Just the lightest touch of makeup after a quick facial scrub
and a thorough brushing of her teeth.  Kelly dressed modestly by
her standards.  Plain white slacks and a bright hand painted t-
shirt and running shoes.  One more stop in the kitchen where she
mixed up a small concoction for herself to help cleanse her
system of the meat she had eaten last night and her indulgence
this morning.  Three ounces of prune juice with two teaspoons of
soy lecithin granules and two of milled flax seed.  That should
purify her system she thought as she swallowed it down in one
gulp.  She made this up for Todd every week, and though he drank
it without question, he never asked what was in the mixture.

Kelly picked up her keys and grabbed her purse and cell phone
along with the vase of roses and headed out the door with a
final wave shouted to G,  "See you later!"

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly backed her two-year-old Artic Silver Hyundai Elantra out
of the garage.  No use in taking the Cherokee for driving around
town.

Her first stop was at Lakeview Lodge, the local nursing home.

Sheila was on duty at the main office as Kelly came through the
door. Sheila had modeled for Kelly and Todd for a uniform supply
catalog a couple of years back.  Like Todd said, use people who
wear them all the time and you will have a much more natural
model.  Sheila, who was in her late 20's, fit the bill nicely
and had managed to pay off her car loan with the money she
earned.  She still did the occasional catalog updates, but now
she saved the money for special vacations with her husband to
places like Hedonism III.

"How is she today Sheila?" Kelly asked when they got beyond the
usual pleasantries.

"Still healthy and active," Sheila said.  "Her memory is really
starting to slip, but she asked about you this week which is a
good sign."

Sheila and Kelly were talking about Muriel, a resident who had
celebrated her 100th birthday last year.  Her husband had died
long before Kelly was born, and her only son had died in the
Second World War.

Kelly had met Muriel on her first visit to the nursing home
shortly after she had moved to her house on Jane.  For most of
her adult life, Kelly had made it a habit to drop off flowers
she received from clients and admirers to the closest nursing
home hoping it would cheer someone's day, asking only that it
went to the woman who had the least amount of visitors.  When
she had first found Lakeview Lodge, bringing two-dozen white,
long stem roses, and had stated her request, it had been Sheila
who had pointed out Muriel and explained her unique situation. 
Muriel had moved in when the Lodge first opened. She was just in
her early eighties but could no longer take care of her own
needs.  Not one member of the staff could remember her ever
having had a visitor.  Kelly's heart had gone out to the woman
the first time and now made it a point to spend time visiting
with her when she could.

This was one of the things Kelly did out of pure enjoyment.
Kelly had been the one to throw Muriel's 100th birthday party
and had arranged for the Mayor to personally present her with a
certificate. Muriel had thanked him, calling him 'Sonny.'

Though three quarters of a century separated them, they were
more alike than different.  Neither had family.  Kelly had
literally been sold at the age of twelve to a disreputable agent
much like the actress Patty Duke had been.  She had gone to
court for, and won, her independence when she was fourteen and
had not had contact with her parents in the years in between. 
She understood the feelings of being alone in the world and
could empathize with the older woman.

Kelly shook the thoughts of being alone out of her head.  If
Muriel could make it on her own with just a little help from
caring individuals, then so could she, but she was starting to
see why the "James Gang" could be so motivated.  They were in
many ways a family of their own choosing.

Kelly said goodbye to Sheila and headed down the hall to
Muriel's room. She had almost cried on her third visit when she
saw the photo of herself beside the old pictures of Muriel's
husband and son. It was an old magazine picture taken from one
of her fashion shoots, but she had since replaced it with one of
Todd's favorites

Putting on her best smile she stuck the roses through the door
while hiding outside.

"Kelly!" shouted Muriel from in the room.  "I'm so glad to see
you.  I was worried when I heard the news," she said.

Kelly put the flowers on the dresser beside Muriel's bed and as
usual Muriel fussed over them.  "What news was that Grandma?"
Kelly asked. It was an honorary title, but one that pleased
Muriel to no end.

"I heard about this big party in some place called Woodstock
that all you young people were supposed to be at, and you ran
out of food and toilets and all kinds of bad things were
happening there."

At first Kelly thought Muriel was referring to the 25th
anniversary of the legendary concert and then realized by the
description Muriel was referring to the original Woodstock in
1969, long before Kelly was born.

"It's okay Grandma," Kelly said.  "I didn't go.  I had to work."

"That's my good girl," Muriel said.  "I even heard things were
so bad the kids were smoking the grass right from the ground. 
Why on earth would they do that?"

Kelly could barely contain her laughter, but answered with
deadpan face that she didn't understand it either.

For the better part of an hour Kelly and Muriel reminisced
about the strange ways of young people these days, with Muriel
referring to the ways of the early 70's.  Kelly was glad she had
some knowledge of the years preceding her birth.  Sheila was
right.  Muriel, though totally knowledgeable about the facts of
the era was lost in that particular decade at the moment.  They
talked about how the war was going in Vietnam and the protests,
and the newest scandal to hit the White House.  Watergate.

In many ways, Kelly enjoyed these trips in the past because
although for Muriel it was just happening now in her mind, it
was a history lesson for Kelly she could never get out of a
textbook.  Sadly though she had to leave.

"I'm sorry Grandma," Kelly said, "but I have to do some grocery
shopping and I have a date tonight."  As she gave the old lady a
kiss goodbye and a promise to try and get back sooner next time
and stay a bit longer, Muriel asked out of the blue, "Are you
going to marry this man sweetheart?  You need someone to love
you the way that you love others."

Stunned and shocked, Kelly just managed to get the words out...
"I'm working on it Grandma.  I love you." and slipped out the
door before the tears could start.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly maneuvered her car through the parking lot at the mall
and found a shady parking place close to the health food store. 
Kelly went in and wandered through the aisles of vitamins and
supplements. The staff knew her well and with a friendly
greeting to holler if she needed anything, they left her alone
to her shopping.

After a bit of browsing and reading, Kelly headed for the
manager. Together they double-checked her order.  She filled up
on both her own and Todd's needs for the next month.  Bulk jars
of multi-vitamins especially for the heart and blood.  Bottles
of vitamins A, C, and E. More yet of Garlic, Halibut oil, Celery
seed, Cayenne pepper and two cases of natural prune juice.  She
bought her lecithin granules by the pound bags and fresh milled
flak seed in airtight pouches. Ordering an additional ten cases
of bottled mineral water, she made arrangements to have it all
delivered to the studio on Monday.

Kelly signed for the purchase and left.  She walked the few
doors down to the drug store where she had her birth control
pills refilled and looked for a discreet container of quality
condoms.

The condoms she chose were in a round plastic container made to
look like a small stack of gold coins.  Verifying the
manufacturer, the date and the quality, she picked up four packs
each containing three condoms.  As she paid for her purchase she
said to the girl behind the checkout, "Wishful thinking or what?"

Finally, all done with her errands, and still with five hours
left before she had to pick up Tony, Kelly headed for the studio
to get her blades.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

While Kelly had been busy shopping, Todd had been busy as well.

With thoughts of Laura on his mind he had woken up to a
beautiful day. After breakfast he had jogged down to the lake
and back, spent a half hour with free weights and after a short
break had done a half hour with the advanced Tae-Bo video.  

"Damn!" he said as he looked in the mirror after his shower. "I
should have looked this good when I was still in university!"
Through the week Todd worked out at a local gym, but enjoyed his
own workout routine including running outdoors when the
industrial park was pretty well deserted.

As he waited for Laura to arrive, he emptied the A-12 magazines
of exposed film and reloaded them with fresh rolls of 120 high-
grade professional stock.  He hated being interrupted during a
shoot and had dozens of preloaded magazines so he could just pop
one off and slip another in its place.  The film from the Regan
shoot, on positive film designed for brochure printing, was
still locked up in an airtight vault in his dark room.  The
rolls from yesterday's shoot with Laura he put aside so she
could watch the entire process from start to finish.

With still an hour to go before Laura's much anticipated
arrival, he sat at his workbench with a can of compressed air
and cleaning solutions. He dismantled his two working Blads,
cleaning and checking everything right down to the Lithium
batteries and power winders.

He was repacking his cases when the doorbell rang.

Laura looked radiant in shorts and sandals and a loose fitting
T.  She also had a small overnight bag with her, Todd noticed,
and he smiled. Laura laughed.

"I thought if you didn't have any plans, and you extended the
same invitation I should be prepared," she said in the way of an
explanation.

"What about your mother?" Todd asked.

"It's covered," she said.  "My friend who set this all up has
her own apartment and I told my mom I would be spending the
night there.  I think she was so happy to see me smiling that I
could have just come right out and told her I was coming back
here to fuck your brains out and she wouldn't have blinked. 
Actually she might have called to thank you!"  Laura laughed
again.  Todd just lifted her up in his arms and kissed her
deeply.

"Even if I had plans," Todd said, "I would gladly change them
for a chance to spend an entire night with you."  He was pleased
to feel she had left her bra at home.

After a few minutes of affectionate and tender kissing, Todd
broke the embrace and said, "While I could do this for the rest
of the day and night with you, I really think we should make
some prints first.  What do you think?"

Laura giggled with glee and blushed remembering how far she had
gone with her posing the day before.  

"Let's," she said.  "I want to see how I looked for you!"

Todd smiled.  "Okay," he said, "but a few ground rules about
the dark room.  Do you want a soda or mineral water while I
explain them to you?"

Laura opted for a bottle of mineral water and Todd took one for
himself.  Sitting side by side on the same couch they had made
passionate love on the day before, Todd explained.

"These aren't rules I made for you Laura," Todd said.  "These
are ground rules for myself and anybody else that enters, though
not many people have been in there," he added.  "I never go in
after drinking, not even one beer.  No soft drinks, no smoking,
nothing except pure spring water that I keep in the fridge
inside.  This is my business and I can't afford to take any
chances with it.  Don't touch anything until I tell you, and
I'll tell you how to touch it.  I work with chemicals that
really aren't dangerous, but they can cause problems like
staining if not handled properly.  Those films are the only
record of a moment, and I can't go back, so every one must be
treated as the unique thing it is."

Laura nodded somberly and said, "that makes perfect sense to me
Todd."

Todd smiled again.  "Good," he said.  "Then let's drink up and
we can throw the film in the soup."

Laura looked at him oddly, and Todd laughed, explaining that's
what photographers called the mix of chemicals they used to
develop film. He got up and led Laura by the hand to a man-sized
opening set into the far wall.  It opened into a small circular
tube made of the same black plastic as the frame.  It hardly
seemed big enough for the two of them.

The lightproof door went from the floor to the ceiling and had
an opening about three feet wide and seven feet high.

"We step inside, and then spin the inside drum until it opens
on the inside."  He explained.  Seeing her puzzled look he said,
"Think of it as a rotating wall.  At no point can light ruin the
film inside."

Todd explained this to Laura as he demonstrated how the chamber
turned by giving it a spin effortlessly with one hand.  It spun
around silently on well-lubricated bearings.

"It's totally lightproof and the only access to the darkroom.
It's nearly like being inside the womb." He continued.  "It's a
very private place closed off from the outside world."

Laura rubbed herself against Todd, "Wow!  A 'womb' just to neck
in, our own secret world! Away from everything!"

Todd laughed. He could see Laura had grasped the idea.

"And we always flip this switch on to turn on the red light
above the door so people will know I am in here working."

Stepping inside, Todd gave the drum a gentle spin and the
silent heavy door opened to a strange world so much different
than the casual atmosphere of the studio or Todd's apartment. 
What Todd had not noticed while explaining the workings of the
door was that even though he had flipped the switch to turn the
red "BUSY" light on, the bulb was burned out.

As they emerged from the revolving door, Laura was surprised to
see it all lit up inside.  It looked very much like a
laboratory, all very neat and organized.

"I have a stereo in here we can listen to when the film has
been processed," he said, "but I leave it off till that point. 
I tend to get a bit intense when the film is most vulnerable to
accidental exposure.  I'm a bit of a stickler for doing things
by hand," he continued.  "No film transfer machines for me.  I
want to feel it going on the spools" indicating a stack of black
plastic contraptions.

"The smell might be overwhelming for a few seconds," he said,
"but I have a good ventilation system and it will clear up in
less than a minute."

"And finally," he said peeling off his t-shirt, "you should
take a look around now and get yourself oriented because in a
few minutes the regular lights go off and the safeties go on,
and they will only be on for a few minutes while I mix the soup.
While I load the film on the spools, we will be in total
darkness for about ten minutes. There's a flip down cover over
the regular light switch that is held in place by a clasp so
they don't get turned on by mistake.  You should also sit here,"
he said indicating a stainless steel lab stool.  "That way you
won't get tired or disoriented standing in the dark."

Laura took some time examining the darkroom.  Besides the
spools, there was a row of tall black canisters with funny lids,
like inverted funnels. As a matter of fact, Laura thought,
nearly everything in the room was black or an industrial dark
gray.  She noted the triple sink and the fridge and heavy steel
cabinets lined against one wall were either all heavy plastic or
stainless steel.  Overhead were giant round light fixtures with
what appeared to be orange bulbs inside them.  On same wall the
sinks were on, there was a huge contraption that she knew to be
an enlarger and behind it was something that appeared to be a
large hospital x-ray viewer, with large spring loaded clamps on
all four sides.

Then she saw the poster.  It was nearly life size.  She was
surprised she hadn't noticed it at once.  It was a picture of a
beautiful girl about her own age, topless with only the smallest
thong bottoms standing in the surf at some exotic beach.

Laura was speechless.  This girl was really beautiful.  Warm
brown hair highlighted by the sun and a gorgeous tan without the
hint of a tan line, a self-assured look of confidence nearly
overshadowed by the brightness and sexiness of her smile.  Full
sensual lips on a very kissable mouth, and a figure any women
would die for with small but well-defined breasts topped with
dark brown nipples that stood out and seemed to be in a state of
full arousal.  It was so erotic and sexy.  A look of smoldering
sensuality mixed a dash of mystique and yearning. Laura felt a
momentary pang of jealousy. Whoever she was, she obviously meant
a great deal to Todd.

Todd noticed Laura staring.  "That's Kelly, my partner," he
explained. "You'll be meeting with her if you decide you want to
try your hand at modeling as a career."  He kissed her tenderly.
"I have a feeling you'll be meeting her soon."

"This is her?" Laura exclaimed.  "The one you've never ...
umm..."

Todd laughed.  "That's right," he said.  "My best friend and
partner, who I have never had sex with."

"Jesus Todd," Laura said.  "I wouldn't be able to keep my hands
off of her if I was a man."  But as she said it, she felt
herself growing aroused. "It would be hard even for a woman,"
she thought. "God, she's beautiful."

"Well," said Todd, interrupting her fantasy, "if you're ready,
we'll hit the lights and start developing."

Laura nodded and sat down as Todd turned off the regular
lights, closing the safety catch, and flipped on the amber safe
lights Laura had noticed earlier.

The light in the room was a dark amber glow now with just
enough light to see the bottles of chemicals he pulled up from a
cabinet. Large Pyrex beakers and measuring cups appeared from
another cabinet.

"For you Laura, because you are so special, all fresh soup made
just for you."

She laughed with him not really understanding the cost of the
chemicals.  She noticed many of the switches had markings on
them now. "They must be covered in that glow in the dark stuff,"
she thought. Todd asked her to flip on the one marked 'Vent' and
she did. As he opened the first dark glass bottle she understood
what he meant by the smell.  Mixing up various chemicals, Todd
went through his routine and when finished returned the bottles
to the cabinet.  In front of him were six large eight cup Pyrex
measuring containers.  He slowly poured the contents of two into
two of the tall black tubes she had seen earlier.

"You don't want to spill this stuff on you," Todd said.
Checking to see they were sufficiently full, he put the two, now
empty, measuring cups into the far sink.  He stood the two tall
tubes back against the wall and laid the inserts he had removed
from them on their sides in front of him. Picking up eight of
the plastic spools, he said, "now for the fun part. This is when
everything we do is by touch, totally in the dark."  He placed
the rolls of film he had shot yesterday on the counter and
asking her if she was ready, he turned off the lights.

For the next ten minutes Laura listened as Todd worked
silently.  He unwrapped each roll of film that he then carefully
wound onto separate spools.  He was used to this but it always
gave him a thrill. When all the film was loaded on spools he
slipped them over spindles from the developing containers and
slowly lowered a spindle into each container. Checking to make
sure the top assemblies were on tight, he started the precision
clock whose numbers glowed eerily in the dark.  Not enough light
to see by, but the numbers were bright enough to help him find
it in the dark.  He had counted the seconds between immersing
the first spindle and the second and set the timer accordingly.

Laura had sat quietly, but with a devilish streak of bravery,
she had pulled off her own t-shirt in the dark.  When Todd
turned the safety lights back on, he was very pleasantly
surprised and gave her one of his big smiles and a hug that
lifted her off her the stool. The touch of skin against skin was
electric and they shared warm kisses as the clock ticked off the
seconds.  They had 7 minutes of quality time, and neither of
them wanted to miss out on the opportunity.  Todd only broke the
embrace long enough to place the developing containers into an
automatic rocking cradle so the chemicals would be sure to be
evenly distributed and all the film would be processed, then he
turned back to Laura's waiting arms.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd and Laura were lost in their own little world.  Their soft
moans of mutual pleasure masked the muffled sound of the back
door opening. While Todd was toying with Laura's puckered
nipples, and she was stroking his ass, Kelly entered the studio.

Pulling up and locking her Elantra at the rear door of the
studio, Kelly had unlocked the studio door and let herself in. 
She looked all around for Todd but he was nowhere to be seen. 
The light above the darkroom wasn't on, so she knew he wasn't in
there.  The upstairs was deserted as well.  She wrote a quick
post-it note and left it on the fridge saying she had come and
grabbed her gear to go blading.

She changed in one of the supply rooms in the back into spandex
shorts and a matching top.  Very carefully she fastened her
knee, elbow and wrist pads and made sure her helmet was on good
and tight before slipping on the blades, finally pulling on a
pair of kid-hide bicycling finger-gloves.  As much as she loved
to go roller blading, she was not going to take any chances with
her body - a habit she learned while modeling.

Kelly had learned how to blade for a sport shoot a few years
before she left that part of the business and loved the feel of
speed and the tone it gave her legs.  As usual the company had
given her all she had worn in the shoot, and except for
replacing the wheels twice a year, having switched from the
factory issue ABEC-3 to the ABEC-4 bearings, everything was
still in top condition.  She stepped out the back door and heard
the lock click behind her.  Then she hit the streets with a
vengeance!

Starting out at a slow glide she quickly felt herself loosen up
and started pumping her legs and swinging her arms.  One time, a
few years ago, a traffic cop had clocked her coming down hill
towards the lake doing over the posted speed limit.  Seeing she
had all the protective gear on that should be used, and not
really having a basis for giving her a ticket, he tried to warn
her about her speed.  She in turn got his badge number, his name
and precinct and had a copy of her original photo enlarged,
framed and sent to his precinct with the caption, "Speed Demon".
It had gone over well with the local unit and all the officers
on the force now knew about her and Todd and the business they
had established and brought to Charlotte.  It was an added bonus
having local law enforcement watch out for your interests, and
they in turn had talked her into doing a once a year talk at
local schools about good safety practices.

After an hour, Kelly had pretty well worked any stiffness from
her body and felt loose and limber.  The blading had been a good
idea and a good way to clear her head of the residual
frustration following last night's break up with Mark, but now
she was ready to hit the showers and slowly skated her way back
to the studio.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd and Laura reluctantly broke their embrace as the clock
ticked off the last 15 seconds.  After he drained the chemicals
into specially labeled plastic jugs, Todd attached a hose to the
top of each container and twisting it once to allow water to
flow out, he turned the taps on high to thoroughly rinse the
residual chemicals off the film. Thirty seconds was all he
allowed for the rinse and then, while the containers were still
in the sink, Todd dumped the water and filled the containers
with fixer until the solution overflowed.  Dumping a bit out of
each, he resealed the containers and placed them back in the
cradle for a three-minute cycle - time not wasted by either of
them.  Their arousal had increased a lot and Laura had dispensed
with her shorts and underwear and Todd was fingering her to a
hot and fast climax while they continued to neck.  Laura just
made it before the timer went off and once again Todd drained
the chemicals into appropriately marked plastic jugs.  Laura was
starting to realize Todd had been very serious about his comment
about her being worth the fresh 'soup.'

Attaching the hoses once again, Todd started the final ten-
minute rinse.  He turned the stereo on, already tuned to an easy
listening station, and took a bottle of spring water for them
out of the fridge as they waited for the final rinse to be
complete.  Laura sat quietly and watched transfixed as Todd
meticulously washed the Pyrex containers and dried them before
returning them to storage.  Between the little chores, Todd took
swallows of the cold spring water and suckled on Laura's
nipples, sending more spasms of pleasure through her body.

He opened up the containers, hoping for the perfect result he
had worked so meticulously toward.  As each roll unfurled he
used a soft rubber double-sided squeegee to remove the extra
water and flipped on a light table to inspect the negatives with
Laura waiting anxiously for the verdict.  She tried to look at
the negs, but she could make no sense out of the reverse color
patterns.  Fortunately Todd seemed quite pleased with the
results and the clarity.  He took them to a drying cabinet and
set the heat and the timer explaining there would be a 20-minute
wait before he could start to print.  He turned the regular
lights back on so he could see what he was doing and started to
get the printing trays out when Laura stopped him in his tracks.
She literally pushed him onto the counter pulling his pants off
in the process, exposing a healthy hard-on.

Grasping his tool firmly in her hand she stroked his balls with
her other hand as she got to her knees between his spread legs,
then started softly kissing the head and blowing cool puffs of
air on his rapidly swelling organ.  She teased the end of it
with soft sucking on the tip and alternating by driving her
tongue into the slit. Todd's hands were in a white-knuckled grip
on the edge of the counter and his sack had tightened with the
full load that had been building since her arrival.

Pulling his foreskin forward, Laura managed to get her tongue
between his foreskin and his glans and was swirling her tongue
around his now raging cock head.  Between Todd's moans and
groans of appreciation and the radio, neither one heard Kelly re-
enter the studio.

Kelly removed her blades and started for the shower when she
heard music playing in the studio.  Calling out Todd's name got
no response, so with curiosity she entered the main part of the
studio.

She realized the music was coming out of the darkroom but the
light still wasn't on.  She guessed Todd must just be doing some
cleaning up in there and stepped into the roll around door.

Laura was now working feverishly on Todd's swollen cock, which
had expanded, to a deep purple, pulse pounding, ready to erupt
weapon when Kelly stepped into the well-lit darkroom.

"Oh, excuse me." Kelly said as her eyes took in the scene.

"Oh fuck," gasped Todd.

"Oh shit," cried Laura, who in her shock had removed her mouth
from Todd's cock, but there was no holding Todd back.

His cock twitched and started to spurt.  Thick streams hit
Laura smack dab in her eye, followed by more streams in her
hair, in her ear and her cheek while other smaller spurts landed
on her tits and legs.  It was an intense climax for Todd made
more so by the abrupt stop and the unexpected audience.

"Oh Jesus!" exclaimed Kelly.

With an eye full of cum, Laura fell back from her kneeling
position right on her ass and ended up rolling on the floor now
laughing hysterically.  Todd was trying to find something to
cover himself with but had his hands full trying to hide his
still twitching cock from Kelly.

Kelly thought she should politely back out.  It would be the
proper thing to do, but she was strangely fascinated.  She
looked at Laura admiring the girl's body and her total
abandonment of pretense. She looked again with interest at
Todd's toned body and when he saw her looking he blushed. A
bemused smile played on Kelly's face.

"Well Todd?" she finally asked, "Are you going to introduce me
to your lady friend?"  But she could not hide her smile any
longer and while Todd was blubbering something about not
expecting her today, Kelly walked over and helped Laura off the
floor.

"Hi," she said.  "I'm Kelly."  Pulling tissues from the
container on the counter, she carefully wiped Laura's cum filled
eye.  "Let me wet this," Kelly said, "or it will get all dry and
crusty."  Kelly ran some water in the sink and wet another
tissue returning to administer aid to the young beauty.

Still giggling, Laura introduced herself, but made no move to
cover up.

"Contrary to popular myths," Kelly said, "Cum does not make for
good conditioner for the hair.  Let's go and get you cleaned up
proper." Taking Laura by the hand she led her upstairs to the
shower.

Kelly sat on the john while Laura started the shower and the
two girls exchanged small talk.  Kelly, knowing where all of the
supplies were in the apartment bathroom handed Laura bottles of
her own shampoo and conditioner she kept there for those
occasions when she stayed over or had needed a rinse down after
a sweaty day.  A whiff of herself reminded Kelly why she had
chanced on the scene downstairs in the first place.

Laura was washing her face when Kelly asked, "Would you mind if
I shared the shower with you?"

An image of the breathtakingly sexy model flashed through her
mind and Laura instantly became wet between her legs again. The
woman she had so admired in the poster downstairs wanted to join
her in the shower. 

"Er, oh yes!" She stammered.

Kelly sensed a bit of hesitancy in Laura's voice and said it
would be okay if Laura wasn't comfortable with the idea, to
which Laura quickly and rather enthusiastically confirmed it was
fine by her if Kelly wasn't uncomfortable.

As Kelly peeled off her spandex, which she tossed into Todd's
clothes hamper, she said. "After years of modeling, you get to
the point where you don't even notice or pay attention."  It was
a lie, but Kelly believed this little white one could be
forgiven.  She was attracted to Laura in a strange way.  She
reminded Kelly of the innocence and free spirit she had admired
in the girls of the "James Gang."

For the next ten minutes the two girls helped each other wash
and rinse off.  Kelly enjoyed washing Laura's back and it just
served to arouse both of them, though neither was yet ready to
admit to their Sapphic feelings.

As the hot water started to run out, the girls climbed out of
the shower and helped dry each other off.  Kelly expressed
admiration for Laura's boobs, while Laura said she would love to
have Kelly's build.

"Well," Kelly said, "this is turning into a mutual admiration
society. How about we raid Todd's fridge for a beer?  Are you up
for one?" Laura nodded enthusiastically.

"But what about Todd?" Laura asked as they seated themselves at
the kitchen table.

"He'll probably use the time to compose himself and clean up a
bit," Kelly replied.  "He's actually quite shy."

Laura laughed and said he didn't appear that way, especially
not yesterday.

"Oh," said Kelly, "You were his portrait yesterday?  You must
have made quite an impression to get an invite back."

"Actually an invite for the night," Laura said and then
suddenly blushed.

With an effort Laura looked Kelly straight in the eyes and
asked, "Are you okay with this?  I don't want to be stepping on
anyone's territory."

Kelly thought for a minute keeping Laura's honest gaze.  "Yeah,
I'm totally cool with it," she said.  "I recently learned a lot
about sharing someone you are close to.  Todd seems to be quite
happy and he's been my best friend for a lot of years now, so if
you make him happy, then I am happy for him and thank you for
it."

They finished their beer in silence, both thinking about the
comment Kelly had made about sharing.  Finally Kelly took Laura
to the closet in Todd's bedroom and said, "Feel free to help
yourself to something to wear." 

Laura took a look and finally grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it
over her head. She started to say she had other clothes
downstairs, but Kelly just hushed her and said, "It's okay. 
It's more for Todd's benefit than yours.  I doubt you'll be
keeping it on long anyways, but at least you can be comfortable
while he tries to talk his way out of this!" Kelly laughed.  

They laughed again as Kelly pulled a matching Star Trek t-shirt
out of Todd's closet.

"Now let's see if we can't put some bounce back into your
hair."  With that the two girls headed back downstairs to the
makeup table.

Todd had managed to get his pants back on but it was obvious
that he was still seeping from an awesome climax.  For a moment
Kelly felt a pang of jealousy, but remembering how Brenda and
Sara and Sherri had watched her hump James, she brushed the
thought aside and on impulse leaned over and gave Laura a kiss
on the cheek.

Laura was surprised but not repulsed, and out of some primal
instinct returned the kiss on Kelly's lips.  Laura suddenly
blushed out of confusion with her current feelings.  She had
only just an hour ago met Kelly under the most bizarre
circumstances and yet she felt a bond with her.

Kelly felt the hot rush and squelched a desire to devour the
young girl.  She knew Todd had plans with her and it would not
be right to intrude.  It also went against her nature, or at
least it would have before the days with Brenda and the girls
from the "James Gang."

Telling Todd to go and get himself cleaned up and changed;
Kelly started to work with Laura's hair.

After applying some styling gel to her hair, Kelly took the
blow dryer and with a brush working feverishly, quickly styled
Laura's hair.

"I do hope Todd has offered you some work modeling for our
agency," Kelly said between strokes.  "You really have a
beautiful face and figure and you could make some good money at
it."

Laura confirmed that Todd had mentioned it and was all set to
ask Kelly details.

With a gentle press of her finger to Laura's lips, Kelly said,
"I don't think now is the time for this.  Didn't you have other
plans for today?" she said with a smile.

Laura giggled and said, "That's right!  I guess the shock
scrambled my brains."

Kelly laughed with her and asked if she could come by on Monday
and she would explain it all in detail if Laura was still
interested. "It's not as glamorous as it looks," Kelly said. 
"It's hard work but it can be fun and rewarding."

Todd rejoined them as Kelly finished applying light makeup to
Laura's face, and Kelly announced she had to get moving, telling
Todd that Tony was in town for the night, and adding Gloria's
welcome back.

"How did your date go last night?" Todd asked as an
afterthought.  "Is our future Governor still as interesting as
ever?" he asked with a touch of sarcasm.

Why was it that everybody seemed to know Mark was a jerk except
for her, Kelly wondered?

With a sigh she gave a quick run down of the disaster of the
previous evening's date.

Todd could see the uncertainty in Kelly's eyes, and reached out
for her and hugged her.  "It's for the best Kell," he said. 
"Your lifestyle would never have met with his approval."  

Kelly just nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Kelly turned back to Laura and said, "So
I'll see you here on Monday?"  Laura nodded and Kelly gave her
another kiss on the lips, whispering, "Enjoy yourself tonight."

Then Kelly gave Todd a kiss on the lips, the first time ever
and said, "Be good to her, and have a great time."

Kelly changed back into her traveling clothes and with a fond
look back waved goodbye and left.

As they stood in a lover's embrace, Laura said, "You know she
loves you don't you?"

Todd nodded slowly and thoughtfully.  "I always knew she did,
but I'm not sure now in just what way.  She needs somebody
special in her life, and I don't think she knows herself yet
just who."

Laura wondered about that herself, the taste of Kelly still on
her lips.  "Just as long as you leave a bit of love for me Todd."

Todd lifted Laura's face to his and said, "There will always be
love for you Laura."  Then he kissed her.  "Now how about we
print some pictures and then make some happy love?"

To be continued...