“Aunt Bessie!” Mary cried when she met the Coloradans at the airport. “And Jesse – how wonderful of you both to come.”
She turned to her mother with more hugs. “So good to see you ... And Dad. Where are Dan and Consuela? I thought they were coming with you.”
“No, Mary, they came up with something special at the last minute. They´ll be along tomorrow. Didn´t you get their call? They were going to call you and Ken before they left.”
“No, maybe it came after I left the house. Come on, all of you.”
They went off to claim baggage while Mary brought the van around to pick them up.
At the house, Ken met them at the door, “Dan called. He and Consuela found several nice youngsters for us, and they´re bringing them with them – driving in. Should be here tomorrow or the next day, depending on the weather.”
“Have we got stalls for them?”
“Yes, and they can take some of our extra horses back with them. The new barns will be ready in a week or two.”
“Sarah´ll be happy. A real Christmas present for her.”
.oOo.
“Heather, do you have any sheep?”
“I think so, Sally Mei. How are you?”
“Fine. I want to wear sheep this weekend. Okay?”
“Can I have a sheriff´s badge?”
“How big do you want it, Josh?”
“Real big. So people will know.”
“I´m sure no-one will be able to miss either of you. Come on. And Josh, Mary has a cowboy hat for you.”
“Really?”
.oOo.
Harry did the welcome speech at lunch on New Year´s Eve.
“Thanks for coming. We´ve all wanted to do something for the Still Waters gang that has done so much for us. This is our way of saying ‘Thanks´. In the last two years or so, you´ve brought us all together, you´ve added to your family of friends and lovers. On top of that, you´ve started a business that threatens to become big and successful. And you´ve done well at school – which, by the way, is why you´re here in the first place. We asked you to let us give you this weekend as a party to show you how happy you´ve made us. Now, Tina wants to say something.”
Tina Jefferson stood up. “I asked Harry to let me speak. When Fred and I came here last Fourth of July, I brought a bad attitude with me. Thanks to our kids, and to the help of the rest of you, I left my attitude here, and we´ve been enjoying our life. This gang of thieves of ours has changed more than my life, it´s changed all of us, and I´m glad.” She sat down.
Al O´Malley was next. “I speak for the Outlaws here. Margaret and I, Jim and Denise, and, I guess, Ken, Iris, Dan and Consuela, Sarah and Steve, are all people who wouldn´t have the richer lives we have without the people we are here to thank. So ... well, thanks.”
Alex rose to reply. “Thank you, too, all of you. You´ve gone along with our crazy schemes, joined in our outrageous lifestyle and given us every kind of support. None of us would be here without that. But there are two people who bear the burden for what we have. Anne and Mary were the ones who brought us together, helped us bring in Sigrid and Heather and Ken and Iris and the rest, and have been the glue ...” He turned to Mary, “not to mention the chili ... that makes us what we are.”
Anne raised her hand. Harry said, “Yes, Anne, you may be excused.” Anne thumbed her nose, “You´re all sweet, but we´re all in this together. And that means I´ve got another job for you all. Iris has completed her first full range of designs for VeeCees. Please wear as many of them as you can this weekend and give her your comments. Dinners, especially tonight, will be formal – evening dress, please. And keep in mind that nobody – I mean nobody – makes cappuccino nudo but me.”
“Iris,” Harry asked, “how come you´ve come up with a whole new line? Not enough else to do?”
“Well, sort of, Harry. I´m not in school, so I have more spare time than the rest. And when I´m on the road, I´ve got this gorilla laptop. I can spend those lonely evenings being creative. We have to keep our line current, and I´ve just finished our Summer Show. You´ll all be wearing next summer´s virtual fashions this weekend.”
.oOo.
“Iris,” Anne said, “I need to ask you something. I should have done it before, but you´ve been traveling a lot, and ...”
“No problem, Anne. We´ve all been going like crazy. We need this weekend to catch our breath. What´s on your mind?”
“This will be the first time you´ve been with the whole family. I hope you don´t feel ...”
“Pressure? Sexual pressure? No, not really. You´re right, I haven´t met most of your parents, but I do know Jim and Denise, and Al and Margaret. I figure, I´ll get to know the rest, and I´ll let nature and my own feelings take their course.”
“Good. I wasn´t sure.”
“Well, it´s funny, you know. Right now I´m potentially committed to having sex with about thirty people in our family. That´s more than I´ve had in my life up to now, but I know it´s my choice who I screw.
“Anne, when I ran away from Ken and Mary – even when I came back here with them, I´d spent a lot of time being taken advantage of. Mostly by men and mostly for sex. I thought it was my fault, and it was.”
“How come?”
“I let men take advantage of me. I just rolled over for them and waited for them to dump me. They did, and no wonder. Sometimes I even think I could have avoided losing my father´s business, but I wasn´t big enough, then, for that kind of a fight. Since I´ve been here, with you and Mary and Heather and Sigrid, I´ve learned who I am. I don´t roll over anymore, unless I want to. It´s a good feeling.”
“Yes, it is, isn´t it?”
??
“Wow! Iris, what in the hell are you wearing?” It was New Year´s Day.
“Hi, Harry. It´s my new idea. I call it virtual lingerie.” Iris wore stockings that rose most of the way up her legs, with a dark band at the top. Her panties were white lace, and she wore a matching lace bustier.
Jim said, “We showed it to Victoria´s Secret and they loved it.”
Heather added, “It´s a wonderful idea. Wish I´d thought of it.”
“You would have, Heather, if you ever wore clothes,” Iris replied, hugging her. “Men love the look of lingerie, and making it virtual ...”
“We got a call from Frederick´s of Hollywood.” Jim said. “They really want this line. Iris says she can do a line specially for them, so we don´t get Victoria´s Secret all upset.”
“Funny thing, though.” Iris said to Heather, “Frederick´s wants crotch pieces for the panties. Wants to offer them either covered or crotchless.”
“You tell Anne that?”
“Yeah, She laughed.”
“You going to put those shorter stockings into our VeeSes line?”
“Already under way. Seems not every woman wants VeeSes that go to the hip; lots of people cut them off. Only one thing missing, though.”
“What?” Heather asked.
“The feel. Guys tell me VeeSes just don´t feel like nylons. I tell them, ‘There´s no free lunch´.”
.oOo.
“Yes,” Saul said, “it´s been a wild few months. We really didn´t count on the response we got. We were ready with the designs, the production was in place, and we had most of the merchandising stuff done – racks and all – but we kind of blew the logistics.”
“What have you done about it?” Harry asked.
“Worked like hell. Leaned on everyone we know. Used FedEx like it was a local delivery company. We´re still behind, but we did pretty well in the Christmas business. And, Jim says it will build from here on, as long as people like the idea of virtual clothes.”
“So, what´s next?”
“You won´t believe this one, Dad. I got a call Wednesday from Milt Wallinsky at L´Eggs ...”
“Dinner´s ready,” Judith called.
“Tell me later.”
.oOo.
“Will,” Pat said, “you´re getting quite a reputation for your horses.”
“Thanks, I´ve been doing a lot of them. I´m really planning on not doing as many in the next few months.”
“You burning out?” Dean asked.
“No, Dad. I just want to take more time with them. I´ve been almost cranking them out, and I don´t want to get to the point where I can´t look at another horse ... No, I´m going to spend more time riding, working with Ken and Mary. Dan brought in some real young ones; they´re cute as hell. I´d like to do some pictures of them ... And, I want to do more nudes, more of the sexy stuff.”
“You do like that, don´t you?”
“Mom, I like drawing sex almost as much as doing it. And horses just don´t give me a hard-on, if you don´t mind the way I put that.”
“I know exactly what you mean, Will. And I don´t blame you a bit. There´s one of those I´m rather fond of myself.”
“Let me know if you ...”
“Now, cut that out, Will Spector.”
“Yes, Mother.”
.oOo.
It was winter, of course, though not severely cold. Since no one was concerned about the shape or coverage of their tan, most of the time the women wore some form of virtual dress. Sally, Josh and Heather, of course, imitated kaleidoscopes the entire weekend, and Iris´ virtual lingerie was very popular, especially on the Big Bed. The sauna and hot tub ran continuously, and the swimming pool was frequently in use.
Mary said to Lucy, “I just can´t get over how it looks, all these fully dressed people in the sauna, the hot tub and in the pool. Silliest thing I ever saw.”
“Not to mention the Big Bed, Mary. I always thought you took your clothes off to make love. Looks like things are going the other direction. You just get dressed and some guy wants to screw you.”
“Considering what you´ve been wearing, Mom, that´s what you want.”
“Damn right.”
.oOo.
“Aunt Bessie, how do you like our home?”
“Mary, both of your houses are wild. This place is fantastic and that place that Ken built is ... well, I´d say it´s some horny guy´s fantasy.”
“Well, I suppose. But I like it, too. I might just have done the same thing if I were building it. Don´t you like the view?”
“You mean watching the Jeffersons and the Spectors screwing? Yeah, I like the view and so does Jesse, especially when they share the same bed. It is a change after all the years we´ve spent being discreet. But you asked how I like your home, and Mary, I like it fine ... Oh, and Tina´s asked us if we want to come downstairs tonight and watch you guys. Just might. What Colorado doesn´t know ... When you coming out for the Stock Show?”
“Fortunately, that´s right after exams; I won´t have to worry about classes. I´ll bring the horses out a few days early. Can I bring them up to Fairplay, let them get used to the altitude?”
“Sure, if there isn´t too much snow. Anyway, the wind blows most of it away – you know that. Just remember, we usually have a cold snap around then ... Oh, hi, Anne, let me move over a little.”
“Thanks. I love this hot tub. Especially when it snows. Bessie, sometimes we sit here and let the snow fall on us. It´s so peaceful.”
“I notice you swim every morning. With Saul.”
“Yes, and sometimes Fred Jefferson when he´s here. I really don´t feel like the day´s gotten started without it ... Tell me, what´s Beth doing these days?”
“Mary and I were talking about that last night. She´s doing most of the work of running the ranch, now, with Jesse. I just do the cooking, and that´s fine with me. She´s got lots of good ideas from going to Colorado State, and our herds are really bringing in good money. Just as long as people keep eating beef, we´ll be fine.”
“She thinking about a family yet? Getting married?”
“No, Anne, I don´t think so. Marriage isn´t high on her list, it never was. She´s got a couple of boyfriends she sees now and then. They come and spend a few days bouncing her buns; that gives her a nice glow. Otherwise, she sleeps with the hands. She put a king-size bed in the bunkhouse. I asked her about that and she said, ‘Mom, when I´m screwing those guys, I want to be comfortable. Anyone asks why there´s a big bed in there, I´ll tell them´.”
“I think she would, too,” Mary said with a grin.
Dan and Consuela slipped into the water. “We´re talking about you two,” Mary said. “Consuela, come sit over here, where I can get my hands on you. You´re so yummy.”
Bessie resumed, “We were talking about Beth, really. How the three of you hang out together ...”
Dan said, “And how she sleeps with the hands when we´re not there?”
Mary asked, “What are you going to do when Jesse retires?”
“That´s a long way off,” Dan said, “but Beth thinks I can work with her.”
“Actually,” Consuela said, “we think Beth, Dan and I will run both ranches. He´ll backstop Beth, and still have time to help me. Until Jesse retires or I take over, we´ve got the Rent-a-Horse thing to play around with.”
“What about your brothers?”
“Well, I´m the oldest, and Dad decided I get first pick. I picked running the ranch. My brothers know that, and they´re looking at going off-ranch to make a living. With Dan to back me up, I can manage the ranch.”
“You real close to your brothers?” Mary asked.
“No, not really. I´ve had to establish myself with them; that´s not easy in a Hispanic family. I had to come on as extra strong – I was a virgin when I went to college. Dan wasn´t the first guy to get in my pants, but it was close. I was ready to roll when I got there, and I still am – as you know. I think I was born with hot pants. Waiting till I was in college took some doing, I can tell you. Meeting Dan and Beth – and you and Mary, Bessie – really made a difference ... I´m really happy about Beth. She´ll do a great job with the ranch.”
“When you came tonight,” Mary said, “we were talking about that bed in the bunkhouse.”
Bessie continued her earlier line of thought. “Beth´s got plenty of men in her life, Mary, but she doesn´t really have anyone she loves the way you love Ken, or like Dan and Consuela. She doesn´t really seem to be looking for that, though I don´t know why. I wouldn´t be surprised if in a year or two she turns up pregnant. She says she´s not ready yet, but it´ll happen.”
“Any idea who she´s got in mind?” Mary asked.
“For what? You mean, as a father? No. From what she´s said, I´ll bet she just stops taking the pill one day and lets nature take its course. She says she doesn´t sleep with anyone who isn´t good enough to be the father of her children. I doubt if she´ll know who the father is when it happens.”
Mary asked, “That okay with you?”
“Mary, it´s not really up to me. I´d like to have a son-in-law around, but ...”
“Doesn´t a kid need a father, though?”
Dan spoke up, “Mary, you did all right with very little father. I know you wanted one, but you did real well with what you had. Anyway, if Beth has a baby, every one of the hands will think it´s his, and that kid´ll have three fathers, at least ...”
Bessie interrupted. “Anne, no offense, but if I stay any longer, I´ll be hard-boiled. I´m going for a swim.”
“I´ll come with you.”
.oOo.
“Hi, Jim. Come lie next to me. You too, Denise.”
“Iris, that´s an offer I can´t resist. And I love this lingerie. I´ve been wearing it all weekend.”
“Mei-Ling likes it, too, don´t you?”
“Umm. Keep rubbing.”
“Mind a little shop talk, Iris?”
“What´s on your mind, Jim?”
“Well, I´ve got both you and Mei-Ling here. I want to talk about VeeJays and Breastworks.”
“Good. I´ve been thinking about that. Something hit me on my last trip. You know how popular piercing is right now?”
“Yuck,” said Denise and Mei-Ling together.
“Yeah,” Jim said. “And that´s how I feel about it, too. But now you mention it, some of my stores have been saying they´re selling more VeeJays to that crowd.”
“That´s what I´m hearing, and I also hear that women are using our VeeJays in the same way people like Naomi Campbell used to do – putting VeeJays in funny places and flashing them.
Mei-Ling said, “Hey, that sounds like fun.”
“Yeah. I´ve talked with a couple of people who are wearing Breastworks with our virtual blouses. I´ve tried it, and I swear it looks wonderful.”
“Like, how?” Jim asked.
“I´ll show you later at dinner. You put on a blouse, then you put the Breastworks on top. Covers the nipples and you really almost look dressed. Just one problem. Mei-Ling?”
“Yeah. I know what you´re going to say. We need some Breastworks that look less like nipple covers and more like ... well, something else.”
“Right. They need to look like jewelry, not like pasties and not as elegant as your usual stuff. They need to be simple, so they don´t look silly at eleven o´clock in the morning.”
“Can they be something other than silver or gold?”
“Hell, yes. A couple of canaries. A pair of peaches. Or made of fabric, plastic – wood, even. Whatever. If we get it right, you´ll see women wearing virtuals everywhere. Well, not everywhere, but it sure won´t hurt business.”
“I´ll send you some sketches next week.”
Denise said, “You know, I have this great virtual blouse that I wear a lot. I bought a dozen copies. Only one thing, it´s one of those like Anne wore on the Night Show, has open places where my skin shows. Like a flower. What I´d like is something to put on my nipples; cover them. Then, I could wear it to the Garden Club.”
“No, you couldn´t, Denise.”
“Been there, lately? No. But I could really get away with a lot more than I do.”
“I´ve told her I will not stand bail for her.” Jim said.
“Great idea Denise,” Mei-Ling said. “Iris, let´s get to work on that. Package them as VeeJays with the blouse. We can increase the price and preserve the markup.”
“Right,” Iris said, “Now, I´ve got a whole bunch of stuff for summer that uses VeeJays in ways that will work wonders for that line, Jim. Think about this, and look for it – I´ll be wearing it later. You too, Denise, if you want.”
“Tell me,” Denise said.
“Okay, a midriff halter top and one of Mei-Ling´s dragons in my navel. Or, a short camisole with a squash blossom. There´s an evening thing, a top that leaves one breast bare, and I use VeeJays or Breastworks on the other one. Or ...”
“Terrific. I can´t wait.”
“Iris?”
“What, Mei-Ling?”
I´m going to have a problem wearing virtuals this summer.”
“Why?”
“Most of the time, no problem, if I wear a Cheong-Sam or a blouse. But if I´ve been in the sun, and I want to wear a virtual halter, the tan lines won´t match. I think other people will have the same problem.”
“Hadn´t thought of that. When I can get in the sun, I´m usually bare. Let´s see ...”
“Well I was thinking, ... You mind if I ...”
“No, go ahead.”
“Well, how about a virtual bathing suit – remember what we had in the introduction? Only it has to cover my ass, I don´t want to spend all afternoon arguing with a cop. And the bathing suit has the same shape, same cutouts or whatever as my sun dress, or my halter top or ...”
“Or whatever. Right ... I could do a whole range of summery virtual tops that all have the same outline. Never a white mark, unless you want it. Or several ranges, each different, but with all the trimmings. Tell you what, Mei-Ling ...”
“What?”
“I´ll send you sketches next week.”
“And I´ll tell the trade,” Jim said.
“Tell anyone you like,” Denise said, “I want to try those samples now.”