Stupid Boy: Senior Year - Winter 20

Chapter 20 -- Welcome to Hollywood

Wednesday January 4

I got out of bed and went to the window to check whether the fire had progressed. I could see smoke over the ridge. Low-flying planes had woken me at daybreak, and I saw one now make a run over the hogback and then pop back up like a crop duster over a field. They appeared to be dropping water to try to contain the inferno. If the fire came our way, it could destroy some of the most expensive homes in the LA area.

A glint of light from a tree in the backyard caught my eye. There was a massive camera clutched in a guy's hands. That was when I realized I was standing in the window in all my glory. He stood up so he could get a good picture of me when I heard the tree branch crack. The idiot was going to kill himself.

"Son of a ..." I said under my breath.

"What's wrong?" Brook asked.

"Hit the alarm on your phone. We have a paparazzo in a tree."

I watched as he lifted the camera to his face to start to take pictures. I stepped back to the side so he didn't catch any of the good stuff, or so I hoped. Then I heard the branch give way, and the photographer cried out. Shit! Heart pounding, I looked over and saw Brook had triggered the alarm app. A moment later, her phone rang.

"David says there's a guy in a tree taking pictures," she told my security people.

I can't believe that he would risk life and limb--and possible jail time for criminal trespass--to get a photograph of me through a window. He must be dead broke to go that far to sell that picture to one of the celebrity sites. I could see it now; they would have me plastered all over the net in no time. I peeked out, and he was rolling around on the ground, holding his ankle.

Brook took her ear from the phone.

"Where is he now?"

"Tell them the tree branch broke, and I think he hurt himself."

Brook relayed the message.

"Good," she said and then looked at me. "Manaia is pulling into our driveway. Fritz says for you to stay inside and let him do his job."

Our bedroom door burst open, and Cassidy was in full ninja mode.

"Get back from the window," she ordered.

"The guy only has a camera," I complained.

Cassidy must have realized I was naked because she suddenly blushed.

"Put some clothes on," Brook ordered.

I kept my smart comments to myself and did as I was told. I grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and returned to the window where Cassidy and Brook were watching the action. Manaia was built like a linebacker, and I could see the cameraman cowering with Manaia standing over him. Manaia pulled out zip ties and trussed him up. The paparazzo got agitated when Manaia grabbed his camera and removed the memory card.

"He's hot," Cassidy said, referring to my security.

"If you like them all masculine and forceful," Brook said with a smirk.

"I do like a guy who doesn't hide behind a curtain for safety," Cassidy said with a nod of agreement.

My ex seemed to agree with her as they both sighed like smitten teenyboppers. Sometimes, it was better to walk away. I went downstairs, and there was a knock at the door. I found two police officers waiting, so I took them through the house and pointed to where Manaia was. Everyone was suddenly downstairs. It might have been the sound of the siren as the police charged in for the rescue.

In less than five minutes, Manaia had turned the culprit over to the officers' custody and given them a brief statement. Everyone seemed to want to watch our real-life episode of Cops and rushed out to watch the police drive off with the paparazzo in the back seat of their cruiser.

While we watched that, Manaia and Cassidy went around the house in two directions, presumably to check for other intruders. They came back, and Manaia smiled.

"Surf's up!"

I like a man who has his priorities straight.

---

Everyone decided to go surfing today. Manaia, Lexi, Pam, and I helped the novices. The daily regulars gave us dirty looks and moved away from where we were surfing. It was probably for their own safety, as my guys didn't quite understand the unwritten rules about who got which wave. It wasn't uncommon for two or three of them to try to take the same wave, and we had some near disasters.

It didn't take long for the noobs to get tired. They left and gave the four more experienced surfers a chance to demonstrate what we had. Pam and Lexi showed they'd been doing this all their lives, and like a fool, I tried to duplicate some of their moves.

It was foolish because one moment, I was trying this sick cutback, and the next thing I knew, my board was ten feet over my head, and I was crashing into the path of the wave. The wave's crest landed on top of me and pushed me under. I found myself rolling under the water as the comber shoved me towards shore. There was nothing I could do but ride it out.

When I finally stopped tumbling, I was disoriented and unsure which direction was up. I took a moment to calm myself; panicking was the surest way to drown. I knew that my body would naturally rise upward. When it began to lift, I kicked towards the surface. My lungs began to starve for oxygen, and my natural reaction was to try to gasp for breath. It was all I could do to fight that instinct.

I broke the surface, sucked in a huge lungful of air, and saw another comber coming. I'd learned to dive towards the wave to shorten the time it had to do its worst. I popped up on the other side, and Pam was there. She was frantic because she hadn't seen me surface the first time to catch my breath. She knew that someone under as long as she thought I'd been was probably in serious trouble.

"Give me your hand," she barked.

I labored to catch my breath when I saw another big wave start to break. We were in the worst spot. We either had to get out into deeper water or head to shore, or we would get pummeled. I kicked to get my arm around Pam just before we rolled. This time, the surfboard lifted us to the surface so that not too much damage was inflicted.

I got on behind her, and we paddled to shore.

"Thanks," I said once we reached the beach. "Did you see where my board went?"

She pointed, and I saw Manaia had saved it. At least this time, I hadn't broken it.

---

At breakfast, I learned that Miss Future Reporter, Tracy, had videoed my spectacular crash and Pam saving me. How did I know this? My mom called me.

"David Allen Dawson!"

Since the excited teen never worked, I opted for the cool factor.

"Did you see the sick move Pam and Lexi taught me?" I asked.

"What? Trying to kill yourself?" she huffed.

"It was no big deal. That's why you surf with a buddy."

I figured out that Tracy had posted the video, so she received the stink eye as I was lectured on exactly why it was a 'big deal.' I had to remind myself that the only reason she was so upset was that she loved me. Otherwise, I might have been offended by some of the stuff she said.

---

Today, we planned to do a studio tour for everyone while I met with Lexi's dad, Paul Andon. He wanted to give me an overview of where they were with the preproduction of the Star Academy movies. Ari insisted that he come with, and I invited Tim and Wolf because they wanted to see about working on the films. Of course, Lexi joined us as my PA.

Tracy and Pam were off to USC with Cassidy. We dropped the rest off at the visitors' center for the tour.

Ari met us in the lobby of the studio executive offices.

"We need to renegotiate your deal," Ari said.

"Tim, Wolf, this is my agent, Ari Gould," I said and then turned to Ari. "We already have a deal, and they paid me a lot of money upfront. Why would we want to go to them asking for more money?"

"Your deal was put in place before Craig Wild died. They've had to rewrite the story and make it focused on your character. You should be getting leading-man money, not sidekick money," he explained.

I shook my head at him to try to wrap my head around what he was saying. Star Academy was more of an ensemble type of movie than one with a lead.

"Ari, if you remember, I got a better deal than Craig," I reminded him.

"That was because you held out."

"Which you were against," I said, getting irritated.

"I like the offices," Tim said to try to change the topic.

"They're nice," Lexi replied.

"Nice? Nice is nothing. Nice is bland. Nice is the morning after when you can't remember her name," Ari said, showing us his class.

I didn't know whether to take Ari out back and teach him his manners or laugh.

"Tone it down some. This isn't the guys' locker room at your golf club," I said.

"Lexi can take it," Ari replied.

"I don't care if she can or can't. You represent me, and I have an image to uphold," I explained.

Ari didn't seem fazed.

"When we get in there, let me do the talking," Ari said.

This was a mistake. I was about to send Ari home when the receptionist told us Mr. Andon was ready to see us and ushered us into his office. It befitted a studio executive with a large modern desk and a comfortable seating area for less formal discussions.

"There's my girl," he said, coming out from around his desk with the intent to hug his daughter.

Lexi stuck her hand out to shake his.

"Mr. Andon," she said formally.

He looked at me.

"Seems I've let my professional side down. You've done well to get her to act so formally," Mr. Andon said.

"Lexi has been hands down the best PA I've ever had. This is all her doing," I confessed.

"Paul ..." Ari began.

"Shut up, Ari. I'm not renegotiating David's contract today. We haven't figured out exactly what his role will be in the upcoming films yet. Once we do, we may make some changes," Mr. Andon said to shut down my agent.

"I'm not opposed to you paying me more, if you were wondering," I said with a smile to play it all off.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you," Mr. Andon said.

We sat down and discussed what they were considering. They had three options. The first was to move Ben Cowley's character, Roman, over to be the team lead for our group. Ben played the son of the school's headmistress and was currently on our nemesis team at the academy. The second was to find another actor to replace Craig. The last was to bring in a new character and move my character, Stryker, into the lead.

"Personally, I think that moving Ben over has some problems because of how we clashed in the last movie," I said.

Stryker and Roman had a climactic sword fight in the last film. I couldn't really see us as teammates without there being a lot of friction. Of course, that could offer its own possibilities for storylines.

"As I said, we haven't figured it all out yet," Mr. Andon said.

"I had something else to ask. Lexi pointed out that I could hire people for the movie. It's why she's my PA," I said.

"I do remember something like that in your contract. Did you want to add to your staff?" he asked.

"Not exactly. I was wondering if you might be able to find something for my friends to do," I said.

Mr. Andon at first thought I just wanted to give my buddies busy work and use that as cover for adding to my entourage. Wolf quickly dissuaded him from that notion and went on to explain about Tim and his internship with Jack Mass doing construction last summer. Tim also shared that he was mechanically inclined, had helped his dad work on cars, and did all the maintenance for Wolf's lawn care business.

He sent them both to talk to a couple of his managers who handled different aspects of making movies. If they did well in those interviews, he would hire them. I could tell that Wolf was much happier that he would possibly get a 'real' job instead of a make-work type of situation where I basically paid him to hang out with me.

Mr. Andon then kicked out Lexi and Ari to talk to me alone.

"Mr. Andon, thank you for helping my friends," I said.

"Call me Paul. It's the least I could do since you hired my daughter. My wife and I started worrying about her ever getting serious after she graduated high school. We'd assumed she would be off to college, but she shocked us when she said she needed some time to figure things out," he shared.

"Honestly, I was against hiring her at first. I'd met her at a party, and she came across as a 'mean girl.' I couldn't see her fitting in with the people I try to surround myself with."

"What changed your mind?" he asked.

"She did when I had my accident. Since then, we've only had one disagreement, but we worked it out. The people at my management company have nothing but good things to say about her. They would like to see her get her degree. Maybe you could sit down with her and find out what she wants to do long term. From what I've seen, she could run this town someday," I said.

I could see Paul liked the idea of his daughter following in his footsteps.

"I'll let my wife know. We'll sit her down once you go back home, and she moves back in with us. My wife says she talks nonstop about how much she enjoys working and living with you and your family and friends. It's been good for her to have some independence."

"I'm sure you didn't want to get me alone just to talk about Lexi," I said, getting back to business.

"You're right. I need you to hold off Ari for me. I know that your situation has changed since we signed the contract. Your most recent movie was some of your best work, and I heard the James Bond movie is moving forward. That's why we'll probably shift you to the lead of the next two Star Academy movies.

"The problem I have is we have already set the budget for them. If I make any changes right now, it might delay filming," Paul shared.

"I only have a small window to complete this. I couldn't do it if filming goes past the first of the year," I explained.

"Trust me to take care of you. I have a feeling you'll be around for a long time, and we want you to make movies with us. If I know Ari, he'll advise getting paid now, but I hope you'll work with me."

I hadn't come here today to squeeze more money out of him. I thought they had paid me too much when I signed.

"I'll tell Ari, but don't be surprised if he calls again. The man is a bulldog."

"As long as we agree, I can handle Ari," Paul said.

He shared some of the new CGI stuff they'd recently gotten. If the demo looked as good on film as it did on his PC, they had something I knew would blow audiences away.

We talked for nearly an hour until Wolf and Tim came back with smiles. It looked like we were all going to New Zealand in the fall. On the way out, I explained to Ari what Paul had shared about the budget. He didn't buy it, but I never expected he would. Maybe I was too trusting.

---

Snap

The tip of my pencil pressed into my drawing pad so hard while I was shading the pony's mane that the lead broke again. I'd received a picture of Kyle and Mac riding and thought it would look nice as a drawing. While reaching for the pencil sharpener on the coffee table, I scraped away the jagged pieces left behind.

I'd opted for some alone time while everyone else did their own thing or was out by the pool. Cassidy came in and sat down next to me with a tablet.

"Brook put me in charge of ordering more food from the grocery store. I thought I'd better ask before I finish the order," she said.

I distinctly remembered telling Brook not to share the login for that. Then again, maybe she hadn't. I checked what Cassidy had in the checkout basket.

"You plan on cooking?" I asked.

"Brook said you would."

I bet she did. I showed Cassidy the deli and bakery sections of the website and strongly suggested premade food. She smiled and scampered off. Should I worry?

I began to draw again, and Sarah came in. It looked like my 'alone' time would be anything but.

"You got a minute?" she asked.

"Sure," I said, putting down my pencil.

"That's not bad," she said, pointing at my drawing.

"It's something I should probably do more often."

"Adrienne called me last week and wants me to go full-time modeling," she said.

"Will the opportunities still be there in May?" I asked.

"I don't know," Sarah admitted.

"I considered doing it ... but decided against growing up completely. You only get one senior year in high school."

"I hadn't thought about that. I've just been looking at the dollar signs, not what leaving early would mean."

"My uncle warned me about growing up too fast. You have the rest of your life to be an adult and pay bills."

"So, you wouldn't do it?" she asked.

"Me? Probably not, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. Have you talked to your parents?"

"They want me to stay in school."

I could tell that didn't hold as much sway as it would have if mine had given me the same advice. Sarah didn't have the same sort of relationship with her parents as I did with mine, so I tried another tactic.

"Have a heart-to-heart with Adrienne and see if what she wants can wait. You can't decide until you do," I advised.

I trusted Adrienne to give her good advice if Sarah asked. While Adrienne was a good businesswoman, she would do what was best for Sarah. I was sure she had been presented with an opportunity to book Sarah and offered it to her. She would leave it up to Sarah to figure out what was best for Sarah.

We spent the remainder of my free time talking about my friends at Wesleyan. She encouraged me to come and visit. I would add that to my to-do list. Maybe I would have some free time when I got home. Then again ...

---

Everyone came home for dinner. Cassidy had figured it out and ordered a half-baked lasagna with side dishes: roasted vegetables, an apple, carrot, and beet salad, and breadsticks. She also ordered a giant cheesecake for dessert. I was impressed when everyone pitched in to both prepare the meal and clean up.

After dinner, Wolf and Tim shared their contracts with the studio. They were hired as general laborers assisting with various tasks for the set designers, grips, and gaffers. They would also help as stand-ins, which meant that when the scene was being set, they would 'stand' where the actors would eventually be.

Their contract ran from June to the last week of December. I glanced down at the bottom and saw they were making more money than they would have made doing construction. It looked like making a movie was a great job.

"I take it you decided to accept," I said.

"Yes," Tim said. "I can't see us passing this up."

"Are we still planning to go to college together, too?" I asked.

They both looked at each other and nodded.

"That is unless you decide to go to Alabama or Ohio State," Wolf said. "Tami said you might want to go your own way, and we want you to know we're fine if you do."

"We need to pick somewhere soon," I said, ignoring his unasked question. "Are you guys still fine with USC, Oklahoma, and Michigan as our final three?"

They both nodded.

"Any preference?" I asked.

They looked at each other and played a mental game of 'not it.' Finally, Wolf seemed to either lose or decided just to say it.

"Michigan."

"But we would be fine with any of them. I'm starting to see the allure of Southern California," Tim said.

"I want to talk to my family before we decide. Why don't we wait until I get back to make it official? While I'm leaning the same way, I don't want to make a quick decision on this," I said.

Hell, I'd played 'kick the can down the road' for nearly a year now. What would a couple of weeks change?

"We have until mid-February," Wolf reminded me.

That was his not-so-subtle way of telling me to hurry up and make up my mind.

"Actually, longer," I said, and they both gave me confused looks because that was when the signing period opened. "If we were enrolling in August, we would sign National Letters of Intent in February. Since we plan to gray-shirt and skip the fall, we'll sign financial aid forms once we get on campus. We'll also fall into next year's recruiting class," I clarified.

"So, there's no real hurry?" Tim asked.

"Not really, but they all want us to declare so they can plan their classes. USC only plans to take one quarterback per class, and if I don't go, they have their backup guy ready to sign. It wouldn't be fair to leave them hanging--or any other schools," I reminded them.

"Michigan told me that it'll help them attract some other recruits if they know we're coming," Wolf said.

Talking about football made me want to go out and play a game.

---

Thursday January 5

My phone rang, waking me up. I checked the caller ID, and it was my brother. Someone had forgotten the time difference.

"Do you know what time it is here?" I asked to give him shit.

"You always get up early to run. I figured I'd catch you before you go out."

"No problem. What's up?" I asked.

"Angie and I may be on the outs."

I took a moment to take that in.

"You still there?" Greg asked.

"Yeah. If I were in the relationship, I would ask what I'd done. Since this involves Angie, I'll guess it's her," I said.

"Her taking money from the charity has been a real problem for me. It's not like we can't pay our bills. I also can't get past feeling like she stole from you. Even though I asked, I feel guilty that you gave her a job after all that."

"I was looking at the big picture, which includes my niece and nephews," I clarified.

"So, you were pissed Angie stole the money," he said.

"Yes, I was pissed. I have some serious trust issues with her."

"Mom said you gave her the cash to pay it back."

"She had to be the one to pay it back. I knew you didn't have it lying around," I said.

It was Greg's turn to go quiet.

"I should have talked to you about it, but it needed to be taken care of. My lawyers were very specific about how it all had to work out."

"No, I get it. Thank you," he said, and then he picked up on what I'd said earlier. "What else has Angie done to make you not trust her?"

Me and my big mouth. I didn't want to add fuel to the fire. If there was a chance they could work this out, I would never forgive myself if I were the one to put the final nail in their marriage.

"She got pregnant with Kyle," I tried.

"Bullshit. That's not the reason. You've known about that forever."

He might be right, but that didn't mean I had to share more.

"What do you plan to do?" I asked.

"I don't know. She drives me crazy when she does stuff like this."

The dumbass fell for the misdirection. Greg had been out of the house too long. Otherwise, he'd never have fallen for that one.

"What would you do if you ended it?" I asked.

"Maybe I could date Brook, and you could make Angie's dream come true."

At least he still had a sense of humor.

"How about I set you up with that Victoria's Secret model?" I suggested.

Greg just groaned in frustration. We both knew that he wasn't leaving Angie right now. I had a bad feeling that if they didn't get this figured out, he very well might at some point. I heard a little one start to cry in the background.

"Hang on," he said, and I could hear him open a door and the sound of crying get louder. "What happened? No, wait, tell your Uncle David."

Dick!

"Unca David? When you come home?" Mac asked and sniffed.

"Two weeks. I'll have your dad bring you to your grandmother's and have a family dinner. How does that sound?" I asked.

"Will you play wif me?"

"Absolutely. Let me talk to your dad," I said.

"We get to ride ponies," she said and began a monologue.

Ten minutes later, she had forgotten what had caused her to cry, and she was all giggles. I might not be able to solve my brother's marital problems, but I could listen to my niece. I needed to get home.

---

While I'd talked to my brother and niece, Megan texted me about the drone Dare wanted to buy. It was as expensive as a car. She had held off on the purchase until I approved it. I called Dare.

"Megan tells me that you picked out a new drone. Is there a reason it's so expensive?" I asked.

"It's new technology. They've developed lightweight motor shrouds lined with nanofiber acoustic-dampening materials to reduce noise. They're designed to minimize and direct the sound skyward. They've also increased the angle of the rotor's blades and installed large, slow-spinning blades that are designed to have a much lower acoustic output. This makes it much stealthier.

"It also has antivibration components made of silicone gel for isolating vibration. It's the same technology used by the military in stealth helicopters. With less vibration, it makes for a better platform for the cameras.

"The drone was designed for the police. It has automated subject-tracking software and includes a thermal-imaging sensor for nighttime operations, finding missing or hiding persons, and other cool features. It's all fully programmable, so it can run routine security checks at scheduled times," Dare enthused.

I could tell he had done his research, had taken my idea of finding something quieter, and had run with the task. To head off a lengthy discussion, I stopped him.

"Send me three choices to compare and why you picked the one you did."

"I'll probably need to explain it," Dare said.

The little shit just insulted me without realizing it. He simply assumed he was the smartest guy in the room. He was, but that didn't mean he had any common sense. This was why people wanted to put his head in the nearest toilet and flush it.

"Just send it to me if you want me to tell Megan to authorize it."

"Okay, okay," he said and hung up on me.

If I knew Dare, he would have decided he didn't need to talk to me because he had to hurry and get me the information to get his new toy. Ten minutes later, I had an email sitting in my inbox. Ten seconds after that, my phone rang. I didn't have to guess who it was; I just let it go to voicemail.

It surprised me a bit when I saw that the one he had picked wasn't the most expensive. I had no idea a commercial drone could cost upwards of a quarter-million dollars. It was designed to film action scenes in movies. He gave it five stars and noted that if I wanted the best, to pick that one. He was a funny kid. I could see myself explaining to my mom why I'd spent that money on a drone. The capper would be Dare taking it apart and breaking it.

The one he wanted was designed with law enforcement in mind. I suspected that the hefty price tag was partially because government agencies were the ones buying it. It was like our county sheriff, who had purchased a helicopter a few years back. He was voted out of office because they needed five pilots to cover 24/7/365 at the cost of a hundred grand each. That didn't include the maintenance crew and fuel. Twenty-five thousand for a drone didn't seem like too much compared to that.

The last one was made in China, and Dare suspected that they might not sell it to civilians since it was used by Chinese intelligence. He'd found a sketchy source that sounded like they were Russian arms dealers trying to rip the kid off. All I had to do was convert the money into Bitcoin and send it to them upfront. That wasn't happening. Before I did that, I would help some prince get his money out of his country via an email I received. At least I would be rich in the end due to his generosity.

I called Dare back.

"You need to figure out something within a reasonable budget," I said before he could launch into his sales pitch.

"I could make one for a quarter of the price if you let me buy a drone and then the parts I need to upgrade it," he said and went quiet.

He had hustled me. Dare didn't realize that I wasn't wholly clueless regarding negotiations. I just kept quiet. Finally, he blinked.

"I can do it for three grand," he blurted.

That was what I'd paid for the current drone. If Dare could put one together that wasn't so loud, it would be a big help for security. People tended to look up when they heard it, and that defeated the purpose of checking for bad guys. He could take my current one and give it to my mom for her real estate business, so it would go to good use.

"I'll call Megan."

"Now?"

"Yes, I'll call her now."

Dare hung up on me again. I chuckled as I made the call. When Megan answered, I told her his budget and made sure he ordered everything through her. I didn't want him to contact any arms dealers and lose his money for his project.

---

Today, everyone went in different directions. Halle called Brook and invited her and Cassidy to her set. Tami, Tim, Sarah, and Wolf planned a couples' afternoon while Tracy and Pam were exploring LA. That left Lexi and me on our own. My goal was to do absolutely nothing for a change. I'd downloaded the latest spy thriller and planned to lounge around the pool and read it.

But first, I went to the kitchen to grab a glass of iced tea.

I heard the click of heels before I saw her. Lexi sashayed in and went to the coffeemaker. She had on black stiletto heels, a black pencil skirt, and a white button-up blouse. Son of a bitch, the inner sexual beast came fully awake. This was right up there with the naughty librarian or Catholic schoolgirl looks on my list of favorite turn-ons. There was something about a woman wearing heels that accentuated their derrière in the best possible way.

Lexi glanced back at me to make sure she had my full attention, and then she reached into the cabinet to get a coffee mug. The hem of her skirt crept up her thighs to reveal a surprise.

"Stockings and garters," I moaned.

Seriously, just how much temptation could a guy resist?

"We're here all alone. What should we do today?" Lexi asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Damn Tami and her advice. She'd said that I should reject my first thought in a situation because it was always wrong. So ravishing Lexi wasn't on the menu this morning. I closed my eyes and willed Mr. Happy into submission. Sorry, guy, not happening. Would he listen? Hell, no!

"David?" she prodded in a sexy voice.

"I ... uh ... I ... uh," I said and bolted for the sliding glass door to the pool area.

I looked back and saw Lexi shoot me a pouty little frown. My eyes locked on her lips. Lips so pouty that I wanted to suck the bottom one between my teeth and ... Frick! I could hear her giggle as I made my escape. All thoughts of reading a book on my tablet were lost. Brook needed to get home, and soon. Maybe a swim would help.

---

I swam until I was exhausted. I focused on my form to distract my mind from leaping back to doing naughty things to Lexi for the rest of the afternoon. At last, I'd succeeded and stopped.

"Oh, hell, no," I complained when I saw Lexi, Teresa, her gold-digger mom, Paulina, and the neighbor lady, Liza, who looked like a Barbie doll.

As I got out of the pool, Liza lowered her sunglasses down her nose to get a better look at me. I went to my recliner to get my towel. I realized that all these women were older than me. What were they thinking, eyeing poor innocent me? I decided to give the old women a thrill and did my sexy model walk.

"He moved as smoothly as a large cat on a lazy day," Liza cooed.

"Settle down, or I'll have to get my gun to fend you all off," I said, acting frightened.

"Why would he need a gun? Unless he's planning on doing something depraved to us," Paulina teased.

"You have no idea how deep the level of my depravity is right now," I said without thinking.

They all chuckled. For some reason, I blushed.

"Are you thinking he could handle all of us?" Liza asked.

"Enough teasing," Lexi said to surprise me.

"I think someone's interested in him," Paulina said.

"Mom," Teresa warned.

Liza wasn't done.

"A good martini, a perfect sunny day, a pool boy to put suntan lotion on my back, and then lots of sex. That's my trifecta for a perfect afternoon."

"That's more than three. Can't be a trifecta," I said.

Yep, I could tell I was a 'stupid boy' by the looks they gave me. As they eyed me, I retreated into the house. That foursome was a disaster just waiting to happen. I hoped I would survive next week without Brook here.

---

After that excitement, I decided that a nap was in order. I started to wake up when I felt the bed move.

"I don't think I could do it again, Lexi," I mumbled.

"It's a good thing I know you better, you big faker," Brook said.

"What's the good word, Hotness?" I said as I pulled her into my arms.

"Halle says she heard you this time, but I have my doubts. Ben's a good-looking guy."

"Not you, too?"

"No, I'm not looking for an upgrade."

"I was sorely tested today. Lexi was running around in high heels, stockings, and garters. Then our neighbors showed up."

"Is that why you're hiding?" Brook asked.

"Partly. Partly, I just wanted a nap."

"Uh huh," Brook commented.

Somehow, I don't think she believed me about the nap.

"What are we doing for dinner?" I asked to change the topic.

"We're ordering in. I gave Manaia and Cassidy the night off. Everyone else plans to meet up and go see a band."

A night in with Brook was precisely what I wanted.

It turned into a casual evening as we ordered Chinese food and then watched Fargo, one of the DVDs Rita James gave me for my movie education.

"We need to get a wood chipper," I said as the credits rolled.

"That might be the most violent movie I've ever seen," Lexi said. "I'll probably have nightmares after watching that."

---

After the movie, Lexi went up to bed, and Brook took a shower while I cleaned up. Even though our guests were not complete slobs, they weren't angels, either. I had just finished up in the kitchen and started the dishwasher when I spotted Brook in the dining room doorway, looking all fresh and clean.

I closed the distance between us, and my hands came up and found her breasts through the t-shirt she'd borrowed.

"Damn, girl. My shirt never looked this good on me."

"It'll look even better once I take it off," Brook said.

She yanked it over her head and let it drift to the floor next to the dining room table.

"Mmmm. We could use the table," Brook suggested.

"Sounds like a plan."

My hands stilled, and I looked down at her. My lips turned up in a wry grin when we heard Lexi in the kitchen getting a drink. Brook looked into my eyes to read my mind and discern my intentions. We could just move to the bedroom, but I knew Brook liked the danger of us getting caught. Since she didn't say anything, I took that as my signal to go ahead. I grabbed her butt with both hands and lifted her against the table, pulling her to me as she wrapped her legs around my hips.

"See now aren't you glad the table was there?" I asked, acting like she was heavy. "Otherwise, you'd be on the floor right now."

Brook grabbed my hair.

"You drop me, and you're going down too," she warned.

"Hmm, going down ..."

"Dork."

She gave me a quick kiss, then unwrapped her legs from around my waist, stood up, and leaned back toward the table. She wiggled out of her shorts and hopped up on the table edge. My eyes were hungry as I followed her every movement, like a predator stalking its prey. And who was I kidding--she'd already surrendered to me.

I stood up and followed suit by stripping off my shirt and shorts. A moment later, we were both naked. I heard an intake of breath and turned to see Lexi at the door. She looked at Brook, who gave her a little nod. I had no plans to ignore my girlfriend as I kneeled and buried my head between her legs. I reached up and cupped her breasts, with my thumbs sliding over her nipples.

Brook responded to my attention by grasping the back of my head. I loved that she wasn't shy about directing me to where I would do her the most good. My sole goal was to please my lady love. Lexi touched my hip so she could wiggle under the table. Her fingers brushed Mr. Happy experimentally, which made me groan.

For a second, I thought about picking Brook up and taking her to our bedroom so we could be alone. I still had reservations about doing anything with Lexi because she worked for me. Then, I remembered my life goal, which was to have no regrets. Lexi took all doubt from my mind when I felt warm hotness engulf my member as she took me into her mouth. I felt something tingle, and then she pulled off.

"Um ..." I complained.

"He's a big boy," Lexi said as she gripped my member and gave it a few strokes before she took me back into her mouth.

I must have paused my oral assault on Brook because she tapped the top of my head.

"Focus," she chastised.

"Hang on. What was that?" I asked Lexi.

"I read something on the Internet about breath mints making it better during oral," she explained.

"Do you have another one? I think Brook needs to experience this," I said.

"I'll be right back."

"What's going on?" Brook asked.

"Something new and different. Lexi discovered a way to make it even better," I said as she returned and gave me one.

I popped it in and invited Brook to join me on the floor. I had a feeling Lexi would start to feel claustrophobic under the table. Plus, it would be easier if I lay on my back and Brook sat on my face. I could feel the breath mint cool my mouth as it went to work. Brook lowered herself, and I began to give her pleasure. After a minute, she shuddered.

"It feels weird," Brook commented.

"Good, weird?" Lexi asked.

"Yeah, good, weird."

Lexi began again, and the sensation felt new but still hot. Every head bob about drove me crazy as it took me a little closer to the goal. I let my hands explore Brook's body, and they settled on her hips so I could pull her closer. And still, I needed more.

I was able to bring Brook off. That was the advantage of knowing your lover. She wiggled loose and slid to my side. I pulled her head to me and gave her a serious kiss. Then I felt Lexi shift, and I broke my kiss with Brook and looked down in time to see Lexi mount me.

Dear Lord, she was snug. I would have guessed this was her first time if I didn't know any better. Then I realized I didn't have a condom on. Oh, Shit! Houston, we have lift-off. I let out a moan.

"Oh, my gawd! Did you just cum?" Brook asked.

"Maybe a little," I admitted.

Lexi pulled off, and it wasn't a little from the evidence. Brook hit me in the forehead.

"Ow!"

"It's okay. I'm protected," Lexi assured us.

I let out a sigh of relief. Brook hit me again.

"Hey!"

That's when the front door opened, and everyone filed in, returning from going to see some band.

"Why are there clothes in the hall?" Cassidy asked and then glanced into the dining room. "Oh."

"What's going on?" Wolf asked.

"David," Tami said and pointed.

We soon had everyone in the dining room acting like pervs. I grabbed the girls' hands and pulled them to the master bedroom.

"Show's over," I said over my shoulder.

"I knew it! If we didn't stick close to David, we'd miss something," Tim complained.

"And here I thought this was going to end up being a PG kind of vacation," Wolf said.

I closed the door before they got any ideas. I pulled Lexi into the shower to clean her up, then turned on the water. Brook stepped in as well. I grabbed the body wash and began to soap up both girls. Lexi glanced down, and I couldn't figure out why she smirked. Then I saw I still had my socks on.

"Dammit," I half laughed, and half swore as I stumbled out of the shower so I could pull them off.

Brook was impatient, and she took over rubbing soap on Lexi. After removing my soaked socks, I stepped back in, and the girls forced me under the showerhead. I grabbed Brook's hand and pulled her under the streaming water with me. I wanted to feel her slippery body against mine. Lexi got a handful of bodywash and made sure Mr. Happy was clean.

"Does that thing ever take a break?" Lexi asked Brook.

"That's one of the things I like best about him. He's the Energizer Bunny. He takes a licking and keeps on ticking."

Both girls thought that was funny, even though I was pretty sure they'd mixed up their ad campaigns.

I bent my head to suck on one of Lexi's nipples, and my hand moved lower on Brook to squeeze her ass. I didn't think she'd ever been this turned on before. Then my fingers moved around to Brook's wet opening, and I slid two into her at once. She wrapped her arms around my neck, which caused me to release Lexi's nipple and Brook to growl.

I helped Brook to a shrieking orgasm, and then she sagged against me.

"You okay?" Lexi asked worriedly.

Brook seemed to gather herself.

"More than okay. Help Lexi out and then join me in our bed," Brook ordered, kissing me as she left us.

I turned Lexi around and had her face the wall. Lexi had a body like a model. She was tall and lithe with long legs that went on forever. It was evident that she both ran and spent time in the gym. There wasn't an ounce of fat on her. Her breasts were the perfect handful, and she had tan lines that showed she liked to wear a thong.

I came up behind Lexi and took my time. This was hot, like the first time she'd mounted me just a few minutes before, but now it somehow was different--the first time I'd been caught off guard by the sensation. I'd been surprised by how we fit together so well and how our bodies responded to one another. This time, I had more control. This time was for her. I owed Lexi my best effort. So, from the moment we touched, I was on a mission to make her scream with pleasure. My goal was to overwhelm her, to leave her a quivering mess.

"You're inside me," Lexi whimpered.

"Not all of me," I warned as I pushed deeper. "Damn, you're tight and so wet."

A whimper escaped her lips as I rubbed against her.

"Is this what you've been wanting?" I asked.

"Yes," she admitted.

My brain started to catch up, but the thought processes were too little too late. I shouldn't be doing this. Not just because Lexi worked for me but because I was enjoying this too much. I could feel the Alpha Male want to claim her as mine, but I already had a girlfriend whom I loved. I was afraid Brook's game of bringing girls to our bed might backfire this time. Lexi was someone I could feel a real connection to. That couldn't happen. This had to just be about sex.

"Tell me what you want," I said through a clenched jaw. "Slow and easy, or fast and hard? Tell me."

"Just take me. Take me hard. Fuck me from behind while I touch myself. Then I want you to come all over me like I see the girls do in the videos," she whimpered.

I roared as I finally bottomed out. Pushing Lexi against the wall, I got serious about what I was about to do. I grasped her hips, and her head turned to the side. Her crystal-blue eyes conveyed her need.

"Wait," she gasped. "You're too big."

I stilled and waited for her to get used to my size. Then she nodded for me to move. When I did, Lexi about came unglued. I held her side and then slid my hand up so I could palm one of her breasts. I slipped in and out. She was incredible. I reached down and pushed her hand out of the way so I could stimulate her clit the way I wanted to, making sure she didn't even have control of her love button. Lexi sucked in her breath, and I saw her jaw tighten as I began to do as she'd asked, hard and fast.

Our flesh slapped together as I got a good rhythm going. I noticed Brook sitting on the sink, watching as I attempted to destroy Lexi. The sound of our sex was mixed with the sound of the shower beating against my back. Our breathing became more labored as we worked to pleasure each other. I could tell she was close, so I picked up the speed. Lexi pushed back and froze while I, acting in the moment, gave her ass a sharp smack.

"Yesss," she hissed as it pushed her over the edge.

I chuckled as Lexi had a huge one. I loved it when you weren't quite sure from their convulsive orgasm whether they were possessed or not. Fortunately for Lexi, I caught her before she collapsed, and I scooped her up. Brook opened the door so I could deposit her on the bed. I heard the water turn off. Brook almost skipped into the bedroom.

"My turn!" she called.

"I have a feeling this might be a long night," I shared.

Brook got on the bed, and I admired her body.

"You're unbelievable," I said.

She lifted her foot and wiggled her toes. Hell, yes. This was why I loved her.

---