Anne and Mary - Book II

by Robin Pentecost

Previous Chapter | Index | Next Chapter

20 Friday

It was Thursday when Jim and Denise and the O´Malleys arrived. Sigrid met them at the airport, feeling a little silly carrying a sign with a big ‘Still Waters´ logo.

“I´m Jim Positano, and this is Denise.”

“Hi, I´m Sigrid Sorenson. Mary´s teaching today; said she´s sorry she couldn´t meet you.”

“Hey there, you´re Sigrid! Hi, Jim, Denise. I´m Al O´Malley and this is Margaret.”

“Sigrid Sorenson. I just explained that Mary´s teaching this afternoon, couldn´t meet you. She´ll meet up with us later.”

In the van, the visitors got re-acquainted, and talked with Sigrid.

“How did you recognize me?” Sigrid asked Al.

“Mary didn´t tell us much about your bunch, outside of putting names to your pictures in the catalog.” Al explained. “But I certainly remember you as Leda.”

“My God,” Sigrid said, “I think I´m blushing! I´m proud of that picture, and I know I look great in it. I´ve just never had anyone recognize me from it before.”

“Sigrid, I´ve had those catalogs from the first issue. I love them, and I´ve sold quite a lot of your stuff.”

“Yes, I looked you up after you wrote and found you´re one of our earliest customers. It´s great to meet you both. And Mary´s told us all about you.”

“Did she tell you about how we met on the plane?” Denise asked.

“Uh ... Yes, some of it.”

“Go on,” Jim said, “I´ll bet she gave you a blow-by-blow ...”

“Jim!”

“Sorry. Anyway, a detailed story of that great vacation we all shared. If she didn´t, I´ll have to do it myself. She played a big part in making it that way.”

“Well, yes, she did tell us all about it. I just wasn´t sure…”

.oOo.

When the van came into the drive, Mary came out the door. She still had her boots and jeans on, but she was topless in the warm sunshine.

“Hi, great to see you,” she said and began hugs and kisses all round.

They went inside to meet the rest of the group. All the women were topless, and Heather wore only a crazy geometric design on her tummy. The men wore shorts.

After introductions, Margaret said, “Uh, Mary, I notice you´re dressed for the weather ...”

Mary laughed. “I was just on my way to shower. I don´t usually go out front in the altogether, Margaret. If you want to shed your clothes no one here will have a problem.”

Without further discussion, Margaret unbuttoned her blouse and took it off. “Where should I put this?” she asked.

The guests were shown rooms upstairs and came back down topless. They got the tour of the house, beginning with The Goddesses and the gallery.

Jim said, “I saw these in the catalog Mary showed us. They are simply wonderful. And, Sigrid, I did recognize you instantly at the airport.”

“I guess I´m the one who´s indiscreet,” Al said.

“Forget it, Al,” Sigrid said, “We´ve sent out thousands of those catalogs, not just to dealers like yourself. It was just the first time.”

“Dealer in what, Al?” Denise wanted to know.

“I have an art gallery in Atlanta. I sell mostly the normal stuff, but I also sell erotica. I´ve sold a few of the Still Waters things. I also collect some for myself. I love the Asian things you have, Anne.”

Downstairs, they took in the sauna and the Big Bed with its pillows, cushions and duvets. Margaret said, “I take it this is why no one seems to be upset at our taking your bedrooms. Looks like fun.”

Outside, the pool beckoned, and there were drinks waiting beside it. Denise pulled off her shorts and dove into the water, followed by Margaret. After a brief swim, they bounced out, streaming water onto the deck. Margaret wiped water from her arms and breasts and looked at Ken with a grin.

“No way, Margaret. Not on an empty stomach.”

“What´s that?” Sigrid asked. She had settled on a lounge and was now naked, too.

“Margaret has this thing, Sigrid, when her breasts are wet. She likes having them licked dry.”

“Ken,” Margaret kidded, “if your problem is an empty stomach, you can eat me, too.”

“Mary! Protect me from this woman.”

“Go to hell, Chance. Deal with it.”

“I´ll take care of it, Ken. I´m used to it,” Al said, and took his wife in his arms, kissing and caressing her, and slowly working his way toward her breasts. Margaret pulled his shorts off and closed her eyes. They stood by the pool making vertical love to one another for a while, then disappeared into the house.

Jim and Denise, meanwhile had disposed of Jim´s shorts and were talking with Anne and Saul. By the time Al and Margaret returned, the second round of drinks had been poured.

They chatted and fooled around until the sun began to sink, then started up the barbecue and toasted steaks. Vegetables appeared from inside, prepared in advance by Sigrid and Heather.

“Looks like everyone is up for cappuccino nudo,” Anne noted, and led the way inside to the living room. There, under the eyes of The Goddesses, they talked about the art side of the business, and the fun they had with it.

“Will,” Al said, “How come you don´t just hire some African-Americans to pose for you? I´ll bet there are plenty of them at the University.”

“Yes, there are, Al, and I could do that. But it doesn´t work out well for me. I don´t know if you noticed, but all the people in our Erotics and Explicits are just from this group here. I sketch them while it´s happening, then I work out the full details. I can´t do that with hired people.”

“I suppose. Wouldn´t you like more variety?”

“Well, I certainly would like to do some African-Americans. It would be very interesting just from an artistic point. The colors, the shadings, all that. As for variety, though, our nudes sell well as it is and I´m developing a new series, too.”

“What is that?” Margaret asked.

“More mature people as full-size Nudes. I´ve done some already, hang on.”

Will went off to his studio and came back with several drawings.

“I don´t usually show unfinished work, Al, but I´d like your opinion. What do you think of this one?”

Margaret took a look and chuckled. “It´s Lucy!”

“Oh, right,” Will said, “I forgot you know her.”

“Oh, yes. And that´s her to a tee. I can almost hear her. She´s having an orgasm, isn´t she?”

Mary laughed, “You bet she is, Margaret. You´ve seen her like that often enough.”

The other pictures were of Muriel and Sandy, and one of Harry. All were strong and loving in their sexuality.

“I really like them, Will,” Al said. “I could sell some of those, but I could sell a whole lot of them if they were African-Americans.”

“I´ll have to think about that, Al,” Will said.

“What´s the problem?”

Anne interrupted. “Will´s problem is this, Al. Take a look at the picture of Sigrid as a virgin. Then, look at her as Leda. How do you think Will understood how she had changed?”

“Oh ... Yes,” Margaret said, “In that one she is a virgin. In the other, Will has made love with her.”

“Margaret, I´m afraid it´s the only way I can really do it. I´ve tried with some others. Take this one ...” He held up a picture of Pat, his mother, posed nude.

Al said, “Right, Will. You´re right. It´s lovely, but it lacks something. I take it you have not made love to her?”

“No. In fact, I´ve never see her naked; she even keeps her crotch covered in the sauna.” Will said.

Anne explained again, “Actually, that´s his mother ...”

“Oops! Sorry, Will.”

“No, Al, I´m sure Will would gladly take her to bed, she´s a wonderful person. She is his mother, but I´d really like to see how Will would do her, if ...”

Al asked, “Now, how do you do the Explicits? I guess, from something Mary said, that the Erotics are just drawings of all of you in various combinations, but kept anonymous. What about the Explicits? Are they posed for or are they family, too?”

Will grinned at Anne and Saul, and said, “Uh ... yes they´re family. Actually, up to now, just the eight of us. Ken´s new, and I haven´t ...”

“Yeah, to put it straight, you haven´t done a detail of someone fucking my mom,” Heather said. “Yet.”

“Yet,” Will agreed. “But I probably will unless you don´t ...”

“No problem, Will. I´ve thought about doing it myself. Took a good look last time she was here.”

“Do you do the drawings, too?” Denise asked.

“No, right now I´m busy with another project, but as soon as that´s over, I want to get back to doing figures. See, Will draws with a pencil, I draw with the computer. It ends up a little different, but mainly, it´s just my way.”

Anne said, “The other reason we limit our models to family, Margaret, is that we think we reduce our legal exposure. We´ve all signed releases for Will, and we all live together. And, the parents Will has done have signed releases, too.”

“Well, that´s wise, but if the shit really hit the fan, it would only protect you in court, not in the media.”

“Right, we know that. That´s why we all try to be a happy family,” Tom put in.

“Heather, what the hell is that on your belly? You´re the only one who was nude when we came in, and you haven´t changed. I saw you in the pool, and it didn´t wash off.”

Heather looked at Anne, who nodded back.

“Jim, this is Virtual Jewelry. It´s a new thing we´ve dreamed up. I just lay a piece of paper on my skin, let it warm up and peel the paper off. The design transfers to my skin and won´t wash off until I use a special soap. We´re planning an introduction in the fall. Got a few other goodies I´ll show you tomorrow.”

“We used to get that sort of thing in Cracker Jacks when I was a kid,” Al said. “But they washed off with water.”

“High-tech transfers, Al,” Alex said. “We think it´s a winner. You´re going to have to sign non-disclosure agreements about all this.”

Margaret said, “You seem to put a lot into the idea of ‘family.´ Just how do you see that? Who´s family?”

Tom laughed. “We had a long go-around on that just the other day. We decided that family is these four women and their true loves – that´s us five guys – Anne double-dipped. Plus our parents, uh ... and a few others.”

“Can Al and I join? I like it here, feels comfortable. But don´t feel like you have to answer now. After all, we´re black, we´re new, and all that. Put us on the waiting list.”

Al added, “As you can tell, at least one of us is also not shy. Nor would we be insulted if you say ‘No´. Let´s let it go at that.”

Anne had done a quick scan of the others. “Al, the discussion Tom mentioned was to try for a good working definition of ‘family´ for us. We decided that it´s the people he mentioned and anyone who joins us on the Big Bed downstairs. That´s how it works. I just did a check, and as far as I can tell, you´re all invited.”

“Hell, Anne, we´re already family,” Margaret said with a grin. “Al and I´ve already tried the Big Bed out, and it suits us fine.”

.oOo.

In the morning, Anne and Saul left Heather and Alex in charge of the guests while they went to classes with Sigrid and Tom. Will was in his studio, working.

When the breakfast crumbs were swept up and the dishwasher started, Heather said, “Okay, let´s get serious. Here are some non-disclosure forms I need to have you sign, then we can get on with it.”

As the others were signing, Margaret asked, “Heather, what was that business about Quickies this morning? Those guys climbed all over you.”

“Yeah, I love it. It was my turn. One of us does Quickies every weekday morning. Gets me up and running.”

“You screw them all?”

“As many as want it. Quick and simple, no frills. Feels great, lots of fun. Anne swims laps for exercise. Does Quickies, too. I´d rather do that ... Okay, now, come on down to my workshop, all of you.”

“What happened to the design you were wearing last night?” Jim asked.

“Didn´t you notice? I washed it off in the shower this morning.”

“I was so busy watching all the rest of you showering downstairs, I never noticed. What a great sight.”

“That´s why we built the showers that way. Hardly use the ones upstairs at all.”

Heather opened her workshop and brought out a presentation board of VeeCee designs. On the other side was a selection of Virtual Jewelry. She explained how the technology worked and demonstrated a few VeeJays on the men.

“Margaret, would you like to try some Virtual Clothing?”

“Try and stop me.”

They all cooperated in setting Margaret up in black Virtual Stockings and a virtual blouse. She refused a skirt, instead carrying the red satin texture of the blouse down to her pubic hair. Al and Jim spent a few moments painting the color into the cleft of her buttocks and making the blouse join perfectly with the stockings in the valley of her crotch.

“Jesus, I would just love to wear this to a party back home.”

“Actually, Margaret, you know those things the Hendersons do? We´ve always refused because you wouldn´t ...”

“Yeah, they get pretty down and dirty, and I´m not wild about indiscriminate sex, no matter what anyone thinks. But as far as costumes – with stuff like this, I could make them look sick.”

Jim said, “Now, what about the jewelry? And the Breastworks?”

Heather gave a show-and-tell about VeeJays and showed them the full range of  Breastworks ornaments.

“We´ve taken the Breastworks name for all the breast ornaments, including the fancy ones for evening wear. It´s just simpler than explaining every time.”

Denise was fascinated by the ornaments. She tried several of the more exotic ones, dragons, snakes, and flowers. Finally, she decided to apply some pretty silver daisies at her breasts and a silver sunflower in her navel. Since she had not tried any of the Virtual Clothing, they were all she wore.

Jim was beaming at his wife. “You look gorgeous.”

Margaret said, “I´m going to try those tomorrow. Almost wish I hadn´t gone for this stuff. These ideas are more fun than I can tell you, Heather. I really wish we could wear them all the time.”

“I do, Margaret. And so do most of us, especially the Breastworks. I´m a real nudist, and decorations are about all I wear, except when I go to class. Feel free to wear these all weekend, or let me know and we´ll find some new stuff. Uh ... where did Jim and Denise ...”

She didn´t bother to continue because, as they walked out toward the yard, they saw Jim and Denise making love on the Big Bed. Denise sat astride him, letting him play with her ornamented breasts.

.oOo.

Anne started the Friday meeting. “Welcome to our new family members. Jim, I´d say that Denise has taken a liking to Breastworks. I can see her out by the pool, and she´s well decorated. Don´t forget, she won´t tan where she´s wearing them.”

“Oh, no. Anyway, that´s where she usually has to wear a bathing suit. I´m wild about them, Anne, for business. I know I could move a lot of them. They´re beautifully made and well-priced. The margins are smart, too. We can make money on them.”

“Great. What do you think of VeeCees?”

“I think that´s for a different market. They´re low in price, the margins are a little slimmer. But mostly, you need a different environment for those. I´d say you should try selling them through some place like Victoria´s Secret. They´re in the malls, they have the traffic and they´re into sensual clothes.”

“We´ve thought about working out a deal in their catalog, Jim, but we haven´t done more than contact them. I don´t see them for the Breastworks line, either.”

Will interrupted. “Anne, would you excuse Margaret and me? I want to start on a drawing of her.”

“Mind if I go, too?” Al said, “When you get back to art, let me know.”

“Fine. We´ll brief you later,” Anne said, then resumed her line of thought. “No, Jim. We want to keep Breastworks in the art line. Saul and I see them as works of art as much as body ornaments. Some of our art dealers sell them, too. Kind of a gray area.”

“What about Frederick´s of Hollywood? Tried them?”

“No, and I´m really not sure about them. To me, they´re just a little sleazy. But no problem with Victoria´s Secret.”

“Frederick´s used to be sleazy, they´re not any more: you should try them again. But, if you want to get into the Victoria catalog, you need to be in their stores. I know some of the buyers, I could help. Once you´re in their stores, you´re in the catalog. As for other outlets for the VeeCee and VeeJay lines, I´ll have to give that some thought.”

“If you come up with something, we need to have a business relationship – family or not. We´ve learned a lot about catalog merchandising, maybe you can teach us about retailing. Are you able to consult on the side?”

“Sure, and I´ve been thinking of going on my own.”

“Well, if the introduction goes well, we need to talk more ... Alex?”

“Anne, we need to do something about Still Waters Graphics. With the introduction coming up, we don´t have enough time to look after the store and do everything else. We need to hire some people who can do this for us.”

“Big step, Alex. Our first employees. But you´re right. Go ahead and get it done. Sigrid, be sure he´s got all the stuff he needs for FICA and all that stuff, would you?”

Sigrid nodded.

“Thanks, Anne,” Alex said. “I know some people at the Art School who might be interested. Will suggested them.”

“Anyone I know?”

“One of them has some work in the Life Studies line.”

“Good. Sounds like you´re on the track.”

 

Previous Chapter | Index | Next Chapter