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From: Magi <baner1@earthlink.net>
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NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2003 09:10:12 PDT
Subject: {ASSM} "Pete" A Young Man's Story  (mF)  Chapter 35
Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2003 22:10:03 -0400
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Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d

CHAPTER 35

We all looked around as Sylvia came running in, threw her arms around 
Kate, and said, "I got the message you left at my office last night.
There's 
no damn way you're getting married without my being here."

Everybody else waited patiently while Kate and Sylvia rained hugs and
kisses on each other.

Finally, after an "Ahem!" from the minister, the wedding march
started. 

I pried Kate away from Sylvia and started toward the altar where Ben
was waiting. I was holding Kate's hand and I could feel her tremble as
handed her to him. I stood there while the minister said some words;
then he asked for the ring. I handed it to Ben and stepped back.
Kristen, Amy and Mom were sitting in the front row, but Sylvia was
still standing, and when I stepped back, she walked over next to me
and put her arm around me.

Then I realized that the time was here. Standing in front of me and
beside me were two people who had shown me love and affection beyond
anything I could have imagined. I wanted to be sad about ' losing'
Kate, but, somehow, I didn't feel as though I was. She had taught me a
lot of things, and the memory of them would never leave me.
She had let me touch her beautiful body. She showed me how to treat it
with respect, and taught me the difference between 'fucking' and
making love. She taught me about tenderness and caring. She and Sylvia
both had showed me that sex shouldn't be a shameful activity that
happened in the dark; it should be a celebration of affection between
people.

Visions of Scottsdale crossed my mind, and the rain-swept night when
Kate, naked, served coffee to us while she moved slowly to the music.
I can't imagine ever again, being so excited watching a woman do
nothing but move across a room and pour coffee.

Those thoughts and many more filled my head as I watched the minister
say the words that would tie this wonderful woman to that good man,
and in almost no time, the ceremony was over. Ben kissed Kate, and
when they pulled back, the looks on both their faces were wonderful.
They looked happier than I'd ever seen either one of them.

Kate was actually married. It was hard for me to believe, and Ben was
gazing at her as though he couldn't quite believe it, either. I never
saw anyone look at another person with more love. I only see such
loving expressions once in a while on the faces of Mom and Dad, but
they had been together for almost twenty years, and I guess things
quiet down after a while.

Would I ever find someone who would make me that happy?

I had thought I felt that way about Della. But I know now that it was
just infatuation. Sam was the first one I really felt deeply about,
and I still occasionally feel the loss of her. But too many things
happened in too short a time for it to turn into something more. But
she is always in the back of my mind, and I often judged what other
people did, by the way I know she would have acted.

Kristen is incredibly important to me. Sometimes, I think I'm really
in love with her, and I've actually found myself wondering what it
would be living with her for twenty years. But, some things about her
bother me.

She thinks I'm so worldly and know so much about women, that I would
leave her for someone more exciting one day.

What's going to happen when she finds out that I'm just a regular kid,
and not worldly at all?

We have great sex, but what about when she goes away to college and
discovers that there are others just as experienced and just as
capable?

But, the biggest problem is the money thing. I have no idea where my
life is headed. I don't have a goal and I don't have a career in mind.
She's not going to be able to put up with that for long.

And, finally, there's Amy. Sweet, delightful, glorious Amy.

The very thought of her is disturbing. She's everything I could
possibly want in a girl. She's beautiful, smart, warm-hearted, and as
near as the next room. And on top of that, she loves me!

But I'm terrified of her.

I know for certain, that if I let myself, I would fall completely in
love with her, and it scares me to death.

	* * *

I couldn't keep my emotions and thoughts in order anymore, so I
concentrated on the happy couple in front of me.

I kissed Kate on the cheek, shook hands with Ben, and watched as
everyone kissed and hugged each other. That's when I noticed Sally
standing by the door.

I walked over to her and said, "Glad you could make it."

She looked at her watch and said, "I'm actually flying Sylvia to Fort
Worth on business, and we're running late. Herb is there, waiting for
us."

I looked at her in amazement and said, "On New Year's Eve?!"

She said, "You don't know about her husband do you?  
Al is in the hospital and he's not expected to come out. Sylvia is now
a vice president of Herb's company. I imagine Herb has something
planned for tonight, but New Year's Eve is just another business day
to these people."

"What about you? Don't you have plans?"

She chuckled and said, "You don't have personal plans when you work
for Herb Johnson. But there's sure to be a bar in the hotel, and
there's bound to be a lonesome person there."

I grinned back and said, "Well, if it turns out to be a girl, give her
a kiss for me."

She laughed and said, "Okay, and if it's a guy, I'll think of you and
tell him to push a little harder!"

Sylvia came over as we were laughing and said, "Well, I just met your
girlfriend. She seems nice, but she's way too damn pretty. You're not
going to forget Sally and me, are you?"

I said, "Not a chance," and I walked them outside to a waiting taxi.

As I watched Sylvia get in, I was again amazed at the effect she has
on me. Something about her drives me crazy, and I actually got a
hard-on just looking at her.

Sally went to the other side of the taxi and as she was getting in,
she said, "Nick said to say hello." I walked to the open window on
Sylvia's side, and bent to ask her who Nick was. I guess my crotch was
level with the window and Sylvia saw the bulge in my pants, because
before I could say anything, she started laughing and said, "Look
Sally, he's glad to see us!"

They both grinned and waved as the cabbie drove off.

Back inside, Kate and Ben were signing some papers and the girls were
standing in the lobby, talking. Kristen came over and said, "I met
Sylvia. She seems nice. It was amazing that she flew here from
Phoenix, just to spend a few minutes with Kate."

"Yeah, she's great. She's one of Kate's best friends."

Kristen looked at me soberly and said, "She sure talks a lot about
you. Is she one of your best friends, too?"

Sensing something dangerous, I said, "No, YOU are my best friend," and
I hugged her. She seemed to accept that, and after all the papers were
signed, we all went to Ben and Kate's room. Ben had called room
service and ordered some Champagne, so we all sat around toasting the
newlyweds.

Suddenly, Kristen stood up and said, "The show starts at nine; we have
to get dressed and at some point have dinner. It's a little after
three, and I have to make some calls. Why don't we meet for dinner in
the main restaurant around seven o'clock?"

After everyone agreed, she pulled me to my feet, and said, "C'mon."

We went to our room, and were barely inside the door when she was all
over me, kissing me and trying to tear off my clothes. When we were
naked, she threw herself on the bed and actually dragged me on top of
her. I touched her between her legs and she was obviously not ready,
so I said, "Kris, wait, you're not wet enough!" I bent to give her
some kisses to get her wet, but she pulled me up and said, "Please
Pete, get inside me. I need you in me now!"

I only had about half of a hard-on, and I entered her as gently as I
could. When I was all the way in, she hugged me to her and said,
"Don't move."

I lay there for a few minutes, wondering what was wrong, but when I
tried to ask her, she said, "Shh, just hold me for a while."

Her wonderful body, and the fact that I was in her, began to work on
me, and before long, I could feel myself get fully hard. It was
affecting her too, because she started to get wet, and we began moving
together. She was still hugging me to her, and I forced myself back so
I would have more room to stroke. When I did, I looked down at her.
Her face was a mask of pain, and tears were streaming down onto the
bed.

I cried out, "Kristen, what's the matter!"

She started sobbing openly, so it was a while before she could answer.
When she could finally speak, she said, "Oh Pete, I'm so scared of
losing you. I see the way Kate looks at you, and now I meet Sylvia and
she looks at you the same way. Then there's that girl Sam, and Desi
and Della and Amy and God-knows how many others. I'm afraid that one
day you'll get tired of me. Pete, are you going to break my heart?"

My mind was racing. I had to think of what to say, so I slipped out of
her and sat on the bed next to her.

Finally, I simply asked her, "Kristen, what would it take to convince
you that I love you and won't leave you?"

I had seen this strong, stunningly beautiful girl face down thugs, and
take complete charge of many situations. So it was a shock when she
looked at me with so much longing, and in a voice that was so quiet I
could barely hear her, say, "You could marry me."

I may only be seventeen, but I knew what was happening. A lot of
things had gone on in her life in the last few weeks. She had spent
Christmas away from her family. She had gone away with me. She had met
Della and resolved something that had been bothering her. She had met
with her old group of friends as more of an equal than she had been
before. 
Then there was the incident with Amy at the restaurant, and now Kate's
wedding and the appearance of Sylvia.

I knew what I did next would affect more than our future. Kristen was
very fragile right now, and it might affect her whole well-being.

So I picked her up and carried her to the window. I stood there with
her in my arms and said, "My sweet love. I would love nothing more
than to be your husband, and if I thought for a minute you would marry
me, I'd rush downstairs and ask the minister to perform the ceremony
right now. But, halfway down the stairs, you would realize I'm still
in high school and can't support you. And you would run screaming for
the nearest exit. So, why don't we just look out the window, enjoy the
beautiful view, and realize that we have our whole life ahead of us,
and a lot more years to love each other."

In a few minutes, and in a much stronger voice, she said, "Put me
down. I'm going to the bathroom and straighten up. When I come out, I
want to finish what we started."

I set her down and she went into the bathroom. I was lying on the bed
wondering what it would be like being married, when she came back into
the room. The girl standing in front of me now was the old Kristen,
and she dropped to her knees and took as much of me as she could into
her mouth. I was hard almost immediately, so she pushed me on my back
and got on top of me. This time, when I entered her, she was wet. Very
wet, and that let us begin slamming into each other. There was nothing
subtle about this. Everything about her was flailing around. Her hair
and her breasts were flying up and down and she was groaning loudly.
The slap-slap noise made by our bodies was so loud that I was worried
they could hear it next door. When we came, we came together, and our
climaxes left both of us drained.

We were lying together enjoying the aftermath, when she said, "Will
you forgive me for acting stupid?"

"No problem. You've been a busy girl lately, and you're allowed to get
a little nutzo once in a while."

She was quiet for a while. Then, in her little girl voice, she asked
me, "Would you really marry me if I insisted?"

I shut her up with a long kiss. She was lying against me and my cock
began to harden. When she felt it, she jumped up laughing, and said
that we had to get ready. We hopped into the shower together, and I
started playfully grabbing her. She responded by giggling. She was
obviously in a better mood.

When we got out, she dressed hurriedly. She looked great, but it
wasn't the spectacular look of last night, and I asked why.

She grinned and said, "This night is not for me. Don't say anything,
but wait till you see what's going to happen to Amy and your Mom. Now
you relax for a while. I have to check on some arrangements."

She left and I turned on the TV for a while. A little after six, she
came back and we went to Mom and Amy's room. They had brought some
nice clothes along, and they were both in mid-length dresses. Amy had
her hair up again and her makeup looked great. The longer dress made
her look more mature, and although the wild look was gone, she
actually looked prettier than she did last night.

Mom was on the phone. She was beautiful as usual, and she was wearing
one of my favorite dresses. It was pleated, and when she moved, it
shimmered. I loved to watch Dad and her dance when she wore it. It
seemed to keep moving even after they stopped. She talked for a while;
then she handed the phone to Kate. She said it was Dad, and he wanted
to congratulate Kate and Ben, and wish everyone a happy new year. So
we all waited our turn, and when I got on, he wished me the same and
wanted to know if I was keeping my eye on Amy, to ensure that she was
having a good time. I laughed to myself, and assured him that she was.

We went down and had a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant. I noticed
signs everywhere saying that we had to get in line for the main show
at least forty-five minutes early. When I pointed that out to Kristen,
she just laughed.

The show started at nine. At seven thirty, I looked through the
restaurant door and saw that people were already lining up.

By eight o'clock, the line was clear out of sight, and even Ben was
looking a bit nervous. But Kristen just waved her hand in a calming
motion, so we sat and waited.

At five minutes to nine, she stood up and we followed her to the big
showroom doors. They were closed and locked. She tapped lightly, and
an angry looking man in a tuxedo opened one. When he saw Kristen, he
broke out in a big smile, said, "Oh! Hello, Miss Mariani," and
escorted us to a large front row booth in the center of the theater.
The room easily held a thousand people, and these were the best seats
in the house.

We got to our seats just as the house lights dimmed. Within seconds,
an MC came out and welcomed everyone. He told a few jokes, then the
lights dimmed again.

The first act was a handsome young magician named Mason Barlow. He
regularly appeared at this hotel, and I had seen his "Magic Mason"
posters and ads all over Las Vegas. He appeared in a flash of light in
the center of the stage. He was dressed in a tuxedo and did several
impossible things using two beautiful assistants dressed in wild
sequined outfits, with feathered headdresses. Then he got in a box on
stage, and, after much fan-fare and flourishes from the assistants,
the box fell open to reveal that he had disappeared. A few seconds
later, he appeared behind everyone, at the entrance of the showroom! 
Microphone in hand, he made his way back to the stage to tumultuous
applause. But when he passed our booth, he stopped and announced that
he needed a "Volunteer" from the audience. Then he went directly to
Amy and pulled her, protesting, from her seat. He took her on stage,
amid applause from the audience, and talked to her for a few minutes.

He asked her name, where she was from, etc. Then he asked her if she
would help him with something. Amy surprised everyone by saying, "I'll
be happy to, Mr. Barlow. But I can't imagine anyone as handsome as
you, needing help from a girl like me!"

The audience laughed and applauded.

He bowed gracefully and said, "Miss Baker, whenever I meet someone as
beautiful as you, I'm always rendered helpless."

There was more laughter and applause from the audience as he led her
to a bench that was resting center stage.

His two assistants made a big show of getting her to lie down on it
and as they were positioning her on her back, I could see him talking
to her.

One of the assistants handed him a large silk sheet, which he waved
around, showing everyone that it was just a simple sheet. He appeared
to lay it gently over Amy, and he stood back. 
The sheet reached the floor all around the bench, and you could see
Amy's outline under it. The rise of her breasts and body, even the
toes of her shoes, were clearly outlined.

He gestured dramatically, and slowly, the bench began to rise. When it
was a few feet off the floor, it stopped, and he passed a large hoop
over it to show there were no cables holding it up. Then it rose again
until it was about eight feet off the stage. He walked under it and
said a few words; then he reached up and pulled the sheet off. You
could see all around and under it. Amy had disappeared!

There was wild applause, and when it died, someone off stage asked,
"Where's Amy?"

The magician said, "I don't know! I haven't been able to figure out
that part of the trick yet."

More applause and laughter erupted from the audience, and he went on
with the show. He did a few other tricks that involved his assistants,
and he even got a few more people from the audience to work with him,
but they all returned to their seats when he was finished. Then he
went to center stage and talked about his final trick for this part of
the show. He went on and on about how he learned it while traveling in
the orient.

Finally, he took off his jacket and stepped into an upright box that
was standing at the back of the stage. Smoke started rising from
around the box, and it rose slowly until it was almost to the ceiling.
There was a huge flash of light and the box opened and he stepped out
into thin air. He stood there suspended while the box slowly returned
to the stage; then he began flying around. He was at least twenty feet
in the air and even as close as we were, I couldn't see any wires
holding him up.

Suddenly, his two assistants appeared from the sides of the stage at
the same height as him. They appeared to fly around him for a while;
then all three began slowly sinking to the floor. When they were about
halfway down, the door to the box on the stage opened, and a third
assistant, dressed like the others, stepped out. She turned her back
to the audience and reached up to him. He reached down and as he
settled alongside of her, he took her hand and turned her around.

Standing there with a big smile was Amy!

The curtain came down to thunderous applause, and a few seconds later,
the magician came out. He bowed a few times; then he turned around and
his three "assistants" came out, to more applause. The two regular
girls stepped back and he walked to the front of the stage with Amy
and addressed the audience.

He said, "I'm sure you think that this beautiful girl is part of the
act, but I assure you she isn't. I just met her, and she was kind
enough to help us out. If it's okay with her and you-folks, I'd like
to ask her to stick around for a while and help us out some more. What
do you think?"

There was a big burst of applause from the audience. Amy looked down
at Mom. Mom nodded, so Amy turned to the magician and said "Okay."
There was more applause, and the magician left the stage.

Amy looked fantastic in the wild outfit. At five foot seven, she was
almost as tall as the other girls, and her body was every bit as good.
But the really great part was how comfortable she seemed to be on
stage. I turned to Kristen to comment on it, and discovered that she
was looking at her pager. She must have had it on vibrate, because I
didn't hear it go off. She said, "I'll be right back," and ran up the
aisle toward the back of the room. The show went on with an
unbelievable juggling act. They were throwing chain saws, bowling
balls, and everything else at each other. Kristen was gone quite a
while, and when she returned, she was smiling. We all asked her what
she was grinning about, and all she would say was, "Wait until
intermission."

We sat wide-eyed through more fantastic acts. There were unicycle
riders, a balancing act, even a fire-eating sword swallower. Every act
seemed better and more dramatic than the one before it, and when they
broke for intermission, there was almost a sigh of relief from the
audience. Most people got up to grab a smoke or hit the bar, but
Kristen asked us to stay in our seats.

Suddenly, a young man appeared, and asked Mom, Kate, and I if we would
do an abbreviated version of the Tango we'd performed last night. 
Stunned, I looked at Mom and Kate. Mom shrugged and looked at me. I
nodded okay, but Kate said that she'd better not, she'd had enough
excitement for one day, but why didn't she and I do a short version of
the "No-touch" dance. The man said that he would let us know.

He was starting to leave when I asked him about Amy. He laughed and
said, "She's fine. Barlow hasn't left her side. I think he's trying to
get her to join his act."

Lots of people were milling around, and as he turned to leave, I
glanced at Kristen. She had a big grin on her face, and just then, I
heard Mom gasp. Standing just a few feet away from us, with a big grin
on her face, was Tammy! She hugged everyone; then she stepped back,
and there stood Tony and his dad.

She introduced them to everyone, but before she did, I noticed that
she slipped her hand into Tony's. Mr. Mariani was very gracious, and I
noticed that the people around us were beginning to recognize him.
When Tammy introduced him to Mom, he raised his eyebrows; then he
smiled, bent, and kissed her hand.

I could see why this man was consistently successful at getting
elected. He was very charming, and for the first time since I could
remember, I saw that Mom was a little flustered. We chatted until the
house lights dimmed, and they went back to their seats.

When they walked away, I saw that Tammy was safely tucked under Tony's
arm. I had to admit that they made a cute couple.

As soon as they left, Ben said to Kristen, "These were your dad's
seats, weren't they?"

She laughed and said, "Yes. We have pull here, but not enough to have
someone evicted. Dad gets these seats every year, but this time, he
thought he and Tony would be in Italy, so he suggested we take them."

"So why are they back early?"

"They just got back last night, and flew here this morning. Tony
couldn't stand being away from Tammy anymore."

Everyone laughed, but I felt a little tug at my heart.

The second half of the show started with a huge fanfare, and a famous
Italian singer named "Tomaso" strode onto the stage to thunderous
applause. He was in his early forties, and as handsome as a movie
star. He was the son of an equally famous father, who was also a
musician, and had recently come to America to tour and appear on all
the talk shows. Women found his accent and his flashing black eyes to
be irresistible, and there were stories linking him with several
famous Hollywood actresses. The applause lasted quite a while, and
when it died down, he thanked everyone in excellent English. Then he
said he would be back to do a couple of numbers a little later, and he
introduced the main show.

If you've ever seen the big show in any of the top hotels in Vegas,
you'll know what I mean when I say fantastic! No expense is spared.
The dancers and performers fill the stage, and there are lights,
trapezes, and moving stairways everywhere. All the girls are
beautiful; their costumes are fabulous, and at least half of them are
topless. Every effect is more beautiful than the one before it, and
when, after almost forty-five minutes of solid lights, noise and loud
music, it came to a thunderous, crashing end, I think some people were
actually relieved.

It was a little after eleven now, and after the applause died down,
the singer came out again, and stood center stage until things got
very quiet.

Then he started to sing. He sang several bars before the orchestra
eased in with him. His voice was wonderful and the audience was so
quiet that  you could hear every word. He sang two songs in a row
without stopping. When the audience tried to applaud after the first
song, he shushed them with a hands-down motion. After the second song,
he stopped and bowed. The applause started in earnest and lasted a
long time.

Then he walked to a set of stairs at the edge of the stage, and said,
"This next song is my favorite love song, and I need to sing it to
someone beautiful." He came down the stairs, over to our booth and
reached for Mom's hand.

Mom's eyes were big as saucers when he pulled her to her feet and led
her back to the stage.

He set the microphone in a stand, put one arm around her and started
singing.

He truly did have a beautiful voice, and it was though he was singing
only to her. They made such a striking couple that you could hear
"Oohs and Ahhs" from the audience.

Suddenly, from behind them, three men appeared on stage and gathered
around them. The singer lifted his arm from around Mom, and one of the
men took her hand, pulled her toward him and slowly began dancing with
her. She instantly picked up on what was happening, and it was
beautiful to watch her as she followed, first him, then the other two
as they each swept her around the floor. At the end of the song, they
brought her back and restored her to the singer's arms.

After the applause died down, Tomaso asked Mom, "Did we surprise you?"

She answered, "You certainly did, but it was a lot of fun."

"Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"My name is Beth Baker. I'm from Los Angeles, and I'm here with my son
and daughter and some dear friends."

He smiled at the audience, put her arm back around her, and said,
"Does that mean you're here without an escort?"

She leaned close to the mic, and in a stage whisper, she said, "My
husband is a pilot, and he couldn't make it tonight. He'll probably
call me later to see if I had a good time. But that depends on you!
Will I have a good time?"

It took him by surprise and he stepped back and started laughing. The
audience roared and applauded!

Then he said, "Well, we'll do our best, Mrs. Baker. By the way, are
you any relation to Amy?"

"Yes, she's my daughter."

There was another cheer from the audience, and some more applause.

He took his arm away and said, "Well, Mrs. Baker, we have a confession
to make. A lot of us saw you and that young man at your table, dancing
on one of our stages last night. Are you professionals?"

"No, he's my son. We've been dancing together for a long time."

"Well, we'd like to have you do a little bit of it for us right now.
Would that be all right?"

He gestured toward the audience for support. They responded with a
cheer, so Mom went to the edge of the stage and held her hand out to
me.

As I climbed the steps to meet her, she grinned and whispered, "Keep a
good distance between us, and don't get too excited. Don't forget
we're on stage in front of a lot of people."

I shook hands with Tomaso, and he asked me to introduce myself to the
audience.

I said, "Hi folks, I'm Pete Baker. Thanks for being so nice to my
sister Amy."

The audience cheered, the music started, and Mom and I began to dance.

I knew I was on stage, but the lights were so bright, I couldn't see
the audience. I've always been able to concentrate when I'm dancing,
especially when I dance with Mom. We know each other's moves so well
that we almost move as one.

We had only danced for a minute or two when two other dancers joined
us. They were the two girls from last night, again in full dress, and
they were twirling in opposite directions from us like they did
before.

We had danced from one side of the huge stage and back several times
when Mom suddenly whispered, "Here's Amy!" She pulled away from me
just as Amy jumped up and wrapped her legs around me. Her timing was
great, and I don't think we lost a step. I glanced over to see that
Mom had grabbed a surprised Tomaso, and was dancing with him.

Amy had one arm around my neck and the other in the air. I was holding
onto her shoulder with one hand and had my other one in the air. We
twirled that way for several minutes.

She was still wearing the fancy outfit the magician had loaned her,
and pressed against me, she looked fantastically sexy.

The tune ended and we all took a bow, to what seemed like a great deal
of applause. Amy bowed to the audience, kissed me on the cheek and ran
off stage. Mom and I applauded the other dancers and Tomaso, and
started back to our seats.

Tomaso pointed at us and shouted, "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Baker
family!" to lots more applause.

The curtain came down as we sat down, and I took a careful look at
Kristen. I had spent a lot of time in the spotlight tonight and some
of it was with Amy, and I wanted to be sure that Kris was okay with
it.

She saw me looking at her, and I guess she understood my concern.
Because she smiled and said, "I'm fine, sweetheart."

I whispered, "But the cat is out of the bag about Mom being married
and being my mother, not my sister. Your friends aren't stupid.
They're going to realize I'm probably not twenty-two."

She hugged my arm and said, "It's okay, darling. I just realized that
I don't care what they think."

I returned her hug, and said, "But the fact that Mom's married is
going to break Mr. O'Leary's heart!"

She giggled and said, "I know!"

	* * *

Kate and Mom were laughing and talking about Tomaso, and how handsome
he was, and I think I actually saw Mom blush.

It was getting close to midnight now and the magician came through the
curtains holding hands with Amy, who was now dressed in her regular
clothes. He said that he was going to usher in the New Year in a way
that was kind of familiar to those in the audience who were from New
York.

The curtain rose and standing in the middle of the stage was a tall
column. Evenly spaced from top to bottom were numbers, from ten at the
top, to one at the bottom. At the top of the column, in full view of
the audience, was a huge mirrored ball.

With about thirty seconds left to go, he made an elaborate show of
kissing Amy's hand; then he walked to the middle of the stage. The two
other assistants brought out a large silk cloth, and they, with Amy's
help, covered the magician and walked to the side of the stage. There
was a flash of light and the cloth crumpled to the ground. An
assistant ran over and picked up the cloth to demonstrate that the
magician was gone.

A split second later, he appeared, standing on top of the ball. At ten
seconds until midnight, the ball started to descend. Every time it
passed a number, a rainbow of lights would flash. It reached the
bottom promptly at midnight. Lights all over the theater came on; he
yelled, "Happy New Year," and the ball flew open.

Standing inside it was Amy. She was holding onto a live, full sized
Bengal Tiger!

After tremendous applause, everyone in the audience stood up and began
kissing and hugging each other.

I made sure I spent a lot of time with Kristen, and even held her as I
kissed Kate and Mom.

People were starting to leave, but it was such a madhouse that we
decided to stay in the booth until things calmed down. Then Tammy,
Tony, and Senator Mariani dropped by, which caused more kissing and
hugging.

I shook hands with Mr. Mariani, and Mom reached to shake his hand as
well, but he pulled her to him and kissed her on the cheek. Then he
held her with both hands and wished her, "Happy New Year!"

It caught Mom off guard and for the second time tonight, she blushed.

I was surprised to see how tenderly Tony acted toward Kristen. He
hugged her, kissed her, and I saw them exchange a few words. When I
later asked her about it, she said that he told her that he didn't
ever remember being so happy.

I hugged Tammy and told her how happy and beautiful she looked. Her
expression grew serious for a minute and she said, "I am happy, Pete,
but please don't ever forget that you'll always be my Prince
Charming."

They turned and started to walk away, and I noticed that the guy from
backstage had been waiting to talk to us. He said that both Barlow and
Tomaso had invited us to join them backstage.

Ben and Kate said they were tired and wanted to go to their room, and
Mom teased them a little about it being their wedding night. They
laughed, nodded, and waved goodbye.

As I watched them leave, I thought I saw Kate glance at me for a
second.
But the crowd soon swallowed them.

We followed the stage guy around the back of the showroom, and up some
stairs to a large suite that was jammed with people. I found out later
that it belonged to Barlow. He was a permanent part of the show, and
he actually lived there.

Mason Barlow was standing with a drink in his hand, talking with
Tomaso, and they were both surrounded by a group of good-looking
girls. When they saw us come in, they came over and Tomaso immediately
took Mom's hand and led her to a table where a bartender was serving
drinks. Barlow shook hands with me and smiled at Amy; then his face
lit up and in an ingratiating voice, he said, "Hi Kristen, you look
beautiful tonight."

Kristen's manner was cool when she said, "Hello Mace, good show
tonight. Thanks for the favors."

He smiled, nodded to Amy, and said, "You did ME a favor. You let me
meet this beautiful girl." Then he turned to Amy and said, "Can I get
you a drink?"

You could tell that Amy was in awe of both him and the surroundings,
and she nodded. He took her hand and as they started to walk away,
Kristen said, "Mace, be careful!"

He said, "No problem," and he led Amy to the bar table.

I looked at Kristen and asked, "What was that all about?"

"He likes young girls. He picks one out of the audience every show,
and tries to get them in bed before the night is out."

A little alarmed, I said, "He better not try it with Amy!"

"He won't. Two years ago. He picked me out of the audience, but I was
only on the stage for about two minutes, when someone told him who my
dad was. He dropped me like a hot potato and went after another girl.
She turned out to be only fifteen and when her dad found out about it,
he threatened to turn Mace in. The casino owners went to Dad and asked
him to use his influence to quiet things down, because Mace is a big
draw and they didn't want the bad publicity. Mason owes us big time,
but I think he learned his lesson. I called him earlier today and told
him to pick out Amy tonight, but I made him promise to be nice to her.
He agreed, but we still have to keep our eye on her. He can be very
charming."

I looked at Mom and Tomaso standing with drinks in their hands,
talking to each other, and I asked Kristen, "Did you arrange that as
well?"

She smiled and said, "No, I think he first saw her when you and she
were dancing. She is a beautiful woman, you know."

"Yes, and she's obviously interested in him. He's a handsome, famous
guy. I guess I don't blame her."

Kristen looked at me with a curious expression on her face, and said,
"But she wouldn't do anything about it, would she?"

Her look changed to one of shock when I said, "I don't know!" But I
didn't elaborate.

We hung around until the crowd started to thin out. The girls who were
trying to hang around with Mason got the hint and wandered off because
he didn't seem to have eyes for anyone but Amy. She was drinking wine,
and I noticed that he wouldn't let her glass get more than halfway
down before he refilled it. I mentioned it to Kristen.

She watched them for a while; then she walked over to Amy. When Mason
turned to talk to someone else, Kris leaned in and said something to
her. Amy answered and Kristen came back.

I quietly asked, "What did she say?"

"She said she's watching herself, and she's having a great time."

Just then, someone said "Shhh" to everyone, and Mason turned on some
music. It must have been a karaoke machine, because it was the
background music for a popular song, and everyone got quiet as Tomaso
started singing a beautiful love song, directly to Mom.

There was no microphone, just his beautiful voice filling the room.
The song was so romantic, every couple in the room had moved together
and was holding each other. Kristen and I were no different, and when
the song softly ended, I started to kiss her, but she had her head
turned and was watching Mom.

I glanced at them just as Tomaso tried to kiss her. At the last
second, she turned her head and hugged him.

The whole thing only took a split second. It looked like he was a
little embarrassed by the rejection, as he quickly turned to
acknowledge the applause from the people in the room. But he kept his
arm around Mom.

People were coming up to him and commenting him on his wonderful
voice, when Mason bent close to him and said something.

Amy was still on his arm, and a second later, they all looked over at
us.

I heard Kristen say "Oh Nooo" under her breath, as Mason ran to the
music machine and dialed up another song.

As the music began, Tomaso started singing in Italian and walking
toward Kristen. He was almost to us, when she joined him in song. Her
voice was magnificent. It was clear as a bell and their harmony
sounded like they had practiced it a hundred times.

He held his hands out to her until she took them and the two of them
went to the center of the room. Their voices absolutely filled the
room, and when the song was over, Tomaso applauded louder than anyone.
Then he asked Mason if he had another song, and while Mason looked for
it, he kept hold of Kristen's hands. The music started again, and
shortly into the song, there was a part that was all Kristen. The
sounds that filled the room were thrilling, and Tomaso applauded her
as he joined her for the last part.

The sounds had obviously reached outside the room, because it was
suddenly jammed with people again, and when the song ended, everyone
applauded and clamored for more.

I was in shock, as Kristen started back toward me. But, so many people
were pleading for more that she hesitated. I was waving my hands at
her, indicating that she should sing another, when Mason said
something to her and Tomaso. They went to the song machine and looked
at something, and they both started smiling. The next thing you know,
they were both nodding their heads and I heard Tomaso say, "I know
this; I know this song!"

Mason waved his hands for quiet, and they started singing a song I
hadn't heard for a while. It was the hauntingly beautiful; "You Don't
Bring Me Flowers Anymore." They were so good together; they made it
sound like it was written specifically as a duet and that they had
practiced it before. They had joined hands again and were slowly
circling the room as they sang, and it looked like something from a
movie. Kristen was enjoying herself; the look on her face was
wonderful to see. Her voice was obviously very well trained, and even
with my amateur ear, I could tell every note was dead on.

The phrases were long and accentuated each of their voices, and
towards the end of it, their final harmony was wonderful.

When the song ended, the room erupted with applause, and shouts of
"More, more!" filled the room.

But, they both waved their hands and cried, "Enough!"

Tomaso kissed both of Kristen's hands, and he joined the applause as
she stood in the middle of the floor.

Then he turned back to Mom and Kristen came running to me. Her face
was flushed, and she was wearing the biggest smile I'd ever seen. She
hugged me close enough to her that I could feel her heart beating a
mile-a-minute.

I held her until she calmed down a little. Then she pulled back and
said, "Pete! Do you know what I just did? I just sang with Tomaso!
Thee Tomaso! Is that great or what?!"

I laughed and said, "I just heard him say the same thing. He was
telling  Mom how excited he was to get to sing with you!"

She laughed and hugged me again, and I heard a voice behind me say,
"Great job, Kitten."

Her dad was standing there, and so were Tony and Tammy.

Kristen ran to her father and said, "Daddy, did you hear me? I
actually sang with Tomaso!"

He hugged her and said, "Yes dear, and it was beautiful. I guess all
those singing lessons your mother made you take, finally paid off. But
where in the world did you learn that last song?"

"Grandpa made me learn it. I sing it to him all the time."

"Where did Tomaso learn it?"

"He said it was the first song he ever learned in English."

We hung around the party for a while, and people kept coming to
Kristen and telling her how much they enjoyed her singing. At one
point, I had a chance to talk with Tammy for a minute, and I asked her
how she was getting along with Tony.

She said, "He's amazing, Pete. He anticipates my every wish. I kick
myself every once in a while to make sure I'm not dreaming."

"Are you falling for him?"

"I don't know. It's all happening so fast that I'm not sure how I
feel. He seems like a great guy, but he acts strangely around me. I've
heard him talking on the telephone making business decisions. He's
smart, quick and completely in charge. But when I'm with him, he
sometimes acts like a little kid."

I grinned and said, "You affect all of us that way. When a girl as
gorgeous as you comes around, we all get crazy."

She looked down and began shaking her head, so I took her hands and
looked into her eyes. I said, "You are beautiful, you know! You're
intelligent, poised and a real 'catch'. I'm jealous, but if I have to
lose you to someone, Tony would be someone I would pick. And I know
he's sure crazy about you."

Her eyes got a little moist and she said, "You'll never 'lose' me,
Pete. I'll always be there if you need me."

Then she said, "Tony is already talking about taking our relationship
to 
'the next step.' I think he's going to ask me to move in with him.
What do you think I should do?"

I thought for a while. Finally, I said, "If you just want to have some
fun, and you won't have to give up your identity, I'd say, 'Go for
it.' But if you want more from the relationship than that, I'd say to
hold off for a while and see where things go. As I'm sure you know,
Tony works an awful lot. Make sure, before you commit to anything,
that he understands that you come first."

She smiled at me and said, "You're pretty smart for a young guy,
aren't you?"

I smiled back and said, "I am when it comes to the ones I love."

She grabbed me and hugged me so tightly that the hug hurt my neck. I
was still holding her to me when Tony strolled up. He grinned and
said, "Hey, that one's mine. You have one of your own. Go play with
her."

I looked around and Kristen was talking with Mom and Tomaso. I walked
over, and when I got there, Kristen was talking a mile a minute. He
was listening politely to her, but his eyes never left Mom's face.

Kristen realized it, and quit talking in mid-sentence. I don't think
Tomaso even noticed.

She looked disappointed for a minute; then she turned to me, shrugged
her shoulders, and said, "Let's take a walk. I want to look at the
town while it's still early."

Mom heard her, looked at us with an amused expression on her face, and
said, "Have a good time." Then she turned back to Tomaso.

On the way out, we saw Amy sitting at the bar with Mason and some of
his friends, and we waved at her. She was staring intently at Mason. I
don't think she saw us leave.

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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