Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2015 5:01:21 -0400
From: jashaze@cfl.rr.com
Subject: DOOBY rhymes with Scooby Part 37

DOOBY rhymes with Scooby
Part 37
By
Jamie Haze

Ollie Olsen, boy billionaire real estate mogul, failed cook, charter
fisherman first mate and small plane pilot found his island paradise and
yes, it was in the Florida Keys. It was a mile away from Key Largo in the
Atlantic, just south of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park that is mostly
an underwater coral paradise. The international bank that owned and was
desperate to sell the island took several liberties with the four color
brochure it sent around the world by photo shopping an artist's rendering
of the home that was to be built there on top of the 10,000 square foot
reinforced concrete slab on massive stilts that actually had been built,
and erased any unwanted vegetation including coconut palms, mature colorful
flowering trees and ever colorful bougainvillea vines, so the residence
dominated the island. The home was the dream of a dot com multimillionaire
who stopped construction when he suddenly wasn't and managed to decamp with
almost nothing to show for his meteoric rise -- and fall from the internet.

The 20 acre islet was like the largest gem on a necklace, that is; smaller
islets formed a semicircle that created a shallow sheltered cove. A channel
had been dug from deeper water, straight to a 200 foot dock that served
Ollie's island. Best of all, the cove was big enough to land the sea plane
and safely dock a sport fisherman and Ollie's 120 foot motor yacht that was
on its way from Monaco. Electricity was to be generated from solar cells
and one or two wind turbines, and fresh water would come from the island's
own desalinization plant.

As soon as Ollie closed on the property, he and Johnathon flew into Coral
Place and insisted that everyone gas and provision Fishin' Boy for a cruise
northward to see the island. Auggie agreed because they had been south to
Key West any number of times but they never had a reason to go north to Key
Largo before and such a trip with the twins and four pups along was sure to
be entertaining.

As usual, Little Zeek was in charge of provisioning until Auggie had the
four chefs from the Rainbow Club draw straws to see who would go along to
actually do the cooking after Ollie playfully volunteered his services as
chef. Since Little Zeek didn't have to concern himself with real food to
eat for the three day trip, he focused on snacks and drinks.

When Auggie saw the bags and boxes of snack foods and cases of drinks he
raised an eyebrow and pointed out that they were only going on a three day
trip; one day up to Key Largo, one day would be spent prowling Ollie's
Island and the surrounding waters and one day to return home. Little Zeek
in turn pointed out to Auggie that snacks and drinks would be consumed from
after breakfast until second breakfast, from second breakfast until lunch
time, after lunch until dinner...

"Enough, I get the pitcher, load it all up," Auggie capitulated.

Then Auggie saw Ollie and Johnathon struggling to carry one of their
largest coolers out to the dock. "There's an ice maker on board," he
informed them.

"There's a little gift we bought you in here for being so nice in letting
us live here until the new house is built," Ollie said and opened the
cooler so Auggie could see the contents in addition to ice cubes. Auggie's
eyes lit up and his smile went from ear to ear as he stared down on the
tops and necks of no less than 24 bottles of 20 year old, Old Pappy bourbon
nestled among the ice cubes.

Auggie promptly whistled up more help than necessary to help Johnathon and
Ollie load the gift carefully into Fishin' Boy's salon and once installed
safely near the galley, he decided it was time for a drink to sample the
gift. They were all ready to go; just waiting for a matched pair of twins
and four mismatched Lab pups to return from the marina after a promised
cleaning on a live aboard houseboat bottom.

The twins, Kevin and Kyle were in seventh heaven, they were making more
money cleaning boat bottoms than they ever dreamed of. While they hesitated
in giving Auggie a bill for cleaning Fishin' Boy's bottom, there was no
such hesitation in presenting their bills to marina customers and then
waiting around for the cash or a check, looking like starving fallen angels
that frequently even got them a sympathy tip! Ms. May-Ellen remained their
bookkeeper/banker. She assured Auggie that the twins had no accounts
receivables at all.

Auggie just looked at the clock to see that it was 9:00 and time for the
twins to return. They not only dealt in cash, they kept promises and they
were always prompt. That was when Ms. May-Ellen, the marina store and
office manager called to say the twins would be unavoidably delayed. The
houseboat bottom had not been cleaned in, she guessed, since ever, the
antifouling paint was worn out and the boat was growing barnacles and
oysters, which needed to be scraped off not brushed off like most of the
hulls they'd serviced so far.

Brenden got on the phone to explain further, "I told them not to touch that
boat for less than four times the regular charge because the owner is an
asshole. They thought they could do it faster but... I'll help them if you
send over some scuba gear," he volunteered.

"We'll be there in ten minutes," Auggie promised and hung up the phone. He
ordered Zeek to start the engines and the boys to cast off. Then when they
were underway he told the boys to get their scuba gear on and be ready to
get in the water to help the kids clean as soon as they arrived near the
houseboat where the twins were working.

Brenden had been watching for them surrounded by dogs, with an arm full of
heavy duty scrapers that the marina normally used to clean a nasty bottom
as soon as a boat was pulled from the water for service before the living
crap had a chance to dry to be something like concrete and super glue. The
boys stepped into the water with the scrapers and Zeek maneuvered into a
guest slip.

Meanwhile Auggie had been staring daggers at the houseboat and mumbling
under his breath. For the very first time, he had left his scooter at the
house and planned to use his cane exclusively. He stepped from the swim
platform to the dock near the store and continued to stare while he walked
that way for a closer look.

The sundeck on the roof was open to view. Eight foot 2"X4"s had been wired
to the four corner stanchions and then old fashion large bulb Christmas
light strings had been strung between the posts. It appeared that when not
in use to light the deck at night, the light strings were used as clothes
lines as they were that morning. There was assorted old furniture and a
collection of potted plants in as many sizes and shapes that were either
dead or very close to dying. The fiberglass was completely dull from
oxidation, the lifeline stanchions were rusted, the windows were filthy and
the northerly side where the sun didn't shine was green with algae.

Keith and Brenden met Auggie and Zeek half way. "When we was house
cleanin', how in hell's bells did we miss that asshole?" Auggie asked.

"Because he pays his rent," Keith said, "not always on time, but he pays."

"If he don't clean up that shit house, can he be evicted?"

Brenden shrugged, "There aren't many house rules but one is overall
appearance, you know everything ship shape, Bristol fashion as the sailors
used to say. There is no lease."

"What are y'all fixin to do as managers o' this here high class place?"

Keith was decisive, "We'll give him 10 days' notice to clean up his act or
ship out. If he doesn't leave under his own power, we'll give him a free
tow to another marina."

Auggie nodded his agreement, "Go type it up," he said, "I need a closer
look at that there floatin' shit house an' mayhap speed the asshole up."

When Auggie reached the houseboat, a man he assumed to be the owner stepped
off the boat to turn on the dockside water tap and precious expensive fresh
water began running free from a hose, over the rooftop deck. "What's goin'
on under there?" he pointed to the umbilical hoses that supplied the twin's
air and the boy's flippers splashing the surface as they worked.

The man began laughing as he said, "There's two boys that clean boat
bottoms who agreed to clean mine for only three bucks a lineal foot. I
don't remember the last time I had it done. Man I really fucked those two
kids good," he declared.

Auggie smiled and said, "Y'all are awful close to the edge of that dock,
mind y'all don't fall in."

The man looked back and Auggie used the knob of his cane to give him a
shove so he fell backward into the water. The man floundered briefly before
he caught hold of a slack dock line. He hung on the line with both
hands. "You stupid motherfucker, I can't swim! I could have drowned!"

"Yup, too bad that there dock line was there," Auggie agreed to Zeek's
laughter as background music. "Y'all should know who you're talkin' to
about fuckin' that man's kin. If'n I was you, I'd get the hell outta this
here marina befo' y'all fall again and there ain't no line to save your
nasty ass," he warned calmly.

Zeek had begun cleaning his finger nails with the tip of his toad sticker
knife. He added `pointedly', "Or fall on somethin' sharp if y'all were on
land."

Heads began popping up to see why the man was suspended in the water and if
he needed help. Auggie explained that the man was using a new form of
exercise that was done in the water. He suggested that they finish up since
it was almost time for second breakfast.

"That there was smooth boss man,"

"Yup, felt good too. If he's got a lick o' sense he'll be gone before
nightfall."

All the boys and the happy pups came aboard a half hour later. Kevin showed
Auggie a check they received before presenting the bill, it was for $400
not $150 as agreed. They were about to cast off finally when Kevin jumped
to the dock and ran into the store. Kyle explained that they needed to add
the $400 to their new boat fund. Auggie rolled his eyes heavenward to ask
for strength to get ahead of the enterprising twins. That was the first
he'd heard about their boat fund.

After Kevin returned with another acrobatic leap, Auggie suggested that
they not be too hasty in buying a new boat with Christmas just around the
corner. He said he thought Santa always delivered the big stuff early. Like
by the time they returned from Key Largo there just might be a big thing
tied up to the dock. He told them that they'd know if it was theirs if its
name was Double Trouble.

The twins joyously announced to one and all that hence forth their business
name was to be Double Trouble Enterprises. Auggie made the mistake of
asking about `enterprises'. Kyle informed him that enterprises meant they
could branch out beyond boat cleaning and bait fishing to other
profitable... he hesitated before he said "ENTERPRISES!" Once again, Auggie
rolled his eyes.

Auggie wondered how the boys planned to fish for bait and clean boats, even
in the summer when school was out while perhaps occasionally being fishing
guides using their new boat, assuming Santa delivered one. He promised to
introduce them to Jim-Bob to get them outfitted and started out being
professional fishing guides out on the Gulf grass flats. He hid his smile
when he could see the dollar signs in their eyes when he promised to be
their first customer.

Then he asked if they knew of any lads at their former middle school with
access to a small boat and the urge to make money. They could train such
boys to bait fish and more importantly teach them how to rig baits. He was
sure that Ms. May-Ellen would only buy baits from Double Trouble
Enterprises to prevent other boy's competition or flooding the market. They
could subcontract that enterprise. Once again dollar signs appeared, but
they seemed captivated by the thought of being professional fishing
guides. That was fine with Auggie; he assumed the boys would be safer
floating around in as little as six inches of water on the grass flats as
opposed to being out in the Atlantic, cast netting around busy channel
markers and buoys, places they normally fished for proper size and species
of trolling bait.

"I'm plumb tuckered; anyone want to drive?" Zeek shouted.

Of course that academic question got the twins racing to the fly
bridge. Unfortunately the four ladder climbing (and descending) dogs tried
to follow but uncoordinated pups climbing the outside ladder while the boat
was underway at 15 knots was dangerous, one might easily fall
overboard. Everyone realized the critters weren't wearing personal
floatation because no one thought about buying them any until that moment.

"Oh no you don't," a twin shouted. "What if you fell? You stay down there
and play with Uncle Auggie and Uncle Zeek until we build you an inside
ladder!"

"Gee Uncle Auggie, it's a good thing you're rich," Stevie was quick to gig
Auggie just like the twins were fond of pointing out in amazement. Who knew
how much an interior access would cost. Auggie just rolled his eyes, looked
up at the salon's ceiling and took another sip of his drink until Little
Zeek called everyone out to the deck and pointed up.

Driving the 65 foot boat from the fly bridge was easy and fun, a real power
trip for everyone, but not as much fun as driving from the seldom used
control station on the top of the tuna tower and that's where the twins
were. Jammed together on the tiny platform, one was experimenting with the
effect jiggling the wheel had on their ride at the very top of the
boat. Along the way they had shed their shorts and were completely
oblivious to the sight they made to busy south bound Intracoastal channel
traffic along Keys as they hurtled north to Key Largo.

"Y'all best stop rockin' this here boat!" Auggie shouted to no avail beyond
laughter. "Don't make me come up there!" He warned, which only increased
the twins' laughter. "I'll just show them boys a thing or two," he
announced as he handed off his cane and drink to Logan, his official
`step-an'-fetch-it boy', before he started to climb the ladder to the fly
bridge.

The twins looked down on the main deck again when the cheering started with
everyone pointing at the fly bridge deck. They were truly shocked to see
Auggie standing at one of the aft tower supports that also served as
ladders. He had one hand and one foot on the rungs and was threatening to
climb up to them.

The twins decided to mend their playful ways by scampering down the
opposite ladder to apologize to Auggie which of course left no one manning
the helm, also called steering. Auggie took the helm on the fly bridge for
the first time ever because it was the first time he ever stepped foot on
that deck while the twins went down to the salon to enjoy second breakfast,
a treat for them because in earlier times they frequently didn't get a
first breakfast until they got to school.

Johnathon and Ollie joined Auggie at the helm, of course after second
breakfast. They pointed out the course to their island on a chart and
showed him exactly where they were by looking at the channel marker numbers
as they passed them. Then since Auggie didn't like being alone he called
for more deck chairs to be handed up, and a cooler full of ice cubes,
drinkables and some of Little Zeek's after second breakfast
snacks. Curiously no one appeared to obey Captain Bligh's orders, not even
Logan, the step-an'- fetch-it boy who had custody of his drink.

"What're them boys up to?"

"Just be patient Auggie, it's a surprise," Ollie hedged.

"Here we come!" Trasker shouted over the engine noise.

The gang discussed rigging temporary personal floatation for the pups while
they ate, so after breakfast, they got out some human Coast Guard approved
vest styles. Nothing but the best for Fishin' Boy; the vests weren't the
classic over-stuffed orange things; they were actually rather thin and
stylish. The dogs balked at wearing them until the twins put them on their
own bodies.

Front legs went in arm holes and the zippers were closed from in front of
the hind legs up their chests to their necks. The vests were loose but they
would do until the proper devices could be ordered. The dogs even looked
proud to be wearing something that humans wore.

First the all-important consumables arrived, then the chairs and
lounges. Finally the guys arranged themselves up on the water side of the
ladder, ready to hold and help a dog if it slipped. The twins sent little
Auggie up the ladder first as a peace offering. Big Auggie didn't know he
arrived until a cool wet nose touched his leg.

Once the whole gang was lounging on the fly bridge with Auggie at the helm
of his boat for the very first time, they enjoyed a rare very nice time all
together for a few hours until they arrived at the small port side channel
markers that served as the water `gate' into Ollie's Island. The name
wasn't chosen; it just sort of stuck after the sale was completed.

Johnathon took the wheel from that point while Auggie watched his course
intently. There was no doubt in anyone's mind who was going to be driving
Fishin' Boy hence forth since Auggie discovered he could climb to the fly
bridge. Stevie was well out of Auggie's reach when he suggested that it was
about time Auggie did something to earn his keep besides give orders.

When Fishin' Boy was finally tied up at the dock, the first thing the dogs
and the boys did was race each other to land to take a leak. They always
tried to keep what went into the sewage holding tank at the minimum since
they were responsible for pumping the holding tank out at the marina.

#######

When Deacon Collins drove to within view of the barn that was to be
remodeled, he was as surprised as Mark Hudson, his passenger and the
veterinarian who was in charge of the remodel to temporarily house Dooby's
Christmas present(s), a bunch of exotic animals who for the most part
couldn't tolerate constant cold. There were at least 50 guys, assumed
craftsmen, all manner of equipment, anything that might be needed and
several semitrailer trucks packed with construction materials waiting for
some direction from Mark.

Mark opened his door which released the pups who had 50 new humans to meet
and greet, and opened the back door to retrieve a set of sketches he'd
drawn from his bag. He went over the plans with the superintendent for 10
minutes before that man began issuing instructions to his foreman, with
that, work began on the heated barn and enclosures that was well out of
sight and sound of the big house on the hill. Charlie even had a new gated
road built into the estate to the barn so Dooby would never see strange
cars and trucks on the driveway.

Laurie and Chucky ran up to Deacon and looked hopeful with their tails
going a mile a minute. Deacon looked at his watch, "Is it lunch time
already?" He asked. Apparently it was because the dogs ran to the back door
of the limo waiting for someone to open the door for them. "Want to get a
sandwich and a bowl of soup?" he asked Mark.

"I don't know if I should leave here or not."

"We can stop in here later this afternoon on the way to pick up the guys
from school," Deacon suggested, "Charlie told me this crew works fast and
furious until they get the job done. They don't need to be micromanaged."
Chuckie emitted an impatient yip to agree.

Deacon parked near the garages and the pups raced each other to their door
that had been cut into the kitchen door. The cook was expecting all four of
them. The guys ate grilled chicken and bacon sandwiches and tomato soup at
the kitchen island while the pups ate kibble with diced chicken mixed in,
in their bowls on the floor. The dogs finished first of course and made the
doors to the butler's pantry and the dining room swing twice when they ran
further into the house. When they returned Laurie had a tennis ball in her
mouth and Chuckie was trying to steal it, without any luck.

Deacon told Mark that while the dogs were still youngsters, they were
already developing habits. After a light lunch, it was playtime outside. He
skipped over the point that he usually swam with them where they played
ball in the pool and then they took a nice soak in the bubbling spa before
drying off and napping among the pillows in front of the fireplace in the
pool cabana, before it was time to pick up the guys at their school. It was
a rough job, but someone had to do it. He decided he wouldn't mention
swimming, soaking or the cabana with its possible uses until they got that
far on the tour of the house and grounds. He was hoping, but he didn't
believe he would be that lucky on their first afternoon together although
he noted a growing tension.

The dogs knew the route outside through the sun room at the opposite end of
the house but first lead Mark and Deacon through all their favorite
places. They got handouts in the dining room, there was the fish to watch,
possibly people snacks and then there was the amazing big tree with
treasures wrapped in cardboard boxes that smelled different in the drawing
room. They made sure that the new guy could see that they knew how to open
a French door (although closing it was done by humans) in case of need
before they lead the way into the library to the sofa that Charlie liked to
sit on in the morning and they liked to curl up in his exact spot if he
wasn't using it and if he was they would help him watch the morning news
from the rest of the sofa with their eyes closed until Charlie moved
slightly. They deviated from the long central hall, into the foyer and up
the stairs to where they slept with the boys when the boys finally slept,
but of course they watched what the boys did before they slept and enjoyed
the spa in the bathroom while the boys showered and whatever else they did
in the shower.

Mark was impressed with the boys suite generally and especially their
bathroom. He first noticed the collection of flat bottles that lined the
shelf and admired the models on those bottles. Deacon explained the new
line of shampoo, conditioners, soaps, lotions and Dooby cologne that was to
be promoted by Dooby, Cory and all of their friends. "Soft porn is an
interesting concept to sell teens this stuff but they shouldn't be
surprised if a lot is bought for collections by others who enjoy the
views," Mark judged.

"That's what the guys are hoping too," Deacon agreed with a giggle, "There
will also be posters to buy for anyone who is more interested in a
particular body on a label or they can buy a collection."

Mark was about to step from the large double shower when he noticed that a
dildo had replaced one of the two hand-held shower heads. His grin was as
huge as his blush as he realized its use. "Um, this is interesting. I
wonder where they got it."

"From a porn shop in New York, $24.95," Deacon blurted and bit his tongue.

Mark hoisted an eyebrow and smirked. "I don't suppose you own one of these
too?"

"Ah, actually, I do, unfortunately it's still in the box," Deacon took a
deep breath, "The way my love life is going, I imagine the lifetime
warranty will expire before I get a chance to use it. By then I'll be too
frail to use it."

"Maybe, just maybe, we both should give it a really hard work out while I'm
here. Then if we wear it out, you could always take it back and get a
refund."

"Like hell, if we wear ours (plural, Mark noted with pleasure) out, I'll
get a better one that not only squirts, it vibrates and it wiggles!"

"Maybe we should get one of those as a spare?"

"Okay then, we better get out of here; the dogs are starting to look mean
and it's starting to get way too hot in here to wear clothes. Wait until I
show you the inside of the pool cabana," Deacon snapped his fingers as if
he just remembered something, "Where I believe I saw another one of those
things in that shower!" Mark took Deacon's hand as they ran from the suite
and temporarily left the dogs behind. They caught up on the stairs in the
headlong rush to get outside and play with the dogs before they played with
each other in the cabana for the first time.

The dogs had the sunroom door open by the time Deacon and Mark got
there. They waited at the foot of the steps with a tennis ball in their
mouths. Apparently Chuckie had one stashed just outside but both were
trying to gain control of a larger blue ball too big for their mouths that
was smaller than a regulation soccer ball; the perfect size for doggie
soccer, as Mark found out when Chuckie used a paw to push it in his
direction. Both dogs ran down the central walkway that led through the
garden down to the pool level, the direction Mark or Deacon was expected to
kick it. The ball went over the dog's heads; it landed in a flower bed and
rolled to a stop there where both pups pounced and happily warred for
possession.

Deacon explained that the idea was to get the dogs through the garden
without them tromping through the flower beds that flanked the walk. All
the dormant perennial plants had been cut back and the frozen ground would
protect the spring bulbs until they began to grow and by then Deacon,
Charlie and the boys were on notice by Laura to train the pups to stay on
the sidewalks out of the beds and future flowers by the time the bulbs
started growing. The rest of the extensive garden beds were lined with low
boxwood hedges. These were the original reason Charlie fed the deer; so the
deer wouldn't eat the hedges in the winter when food was scarce. Now of
course everyone enjoyed watching them wander the terrace where Dooby began
feeding them.

"OOOPS!"

By the time Deacon and Mark got to the pool terrace, the dogs had
disappeared into the cabana. Deacon explained that they were used to having
their harnesses removed to keep them dry before they went swimming. Mark
regretted that he didn't bring a bathing suit because he didn't expect to
go swimming while he looked back at the house wistfully. The only windows
visible were those above the sun room, that were part of the new master
suite from which Charlie could see the steam rising from the lighted pool
at night. The only reason the pool was heated all winter.

"That's alright," Deacon said from behind Marc, "I haven't seen a bathing
suit in this pool since I've been here. I don't think they're even
optional. Besides, Charlie's wife, Laura, isn't home or we would have eaten
lunch with her so there's no one to see you, if you care."

It was time for the big reveal. Deacon had gone first. When Mark turned
back, Deacon was just placing his socks on a chair with the rest of his
clothes. "Holy shit Deacon, what sport do you play or do you go to the
gym?" Mark asked as he began to shed his clothes as fast as possible to
catch up. Deacon was beautifully naked and had bent to turn on the
fireplace. His back and legs were very well defined.

"I worked out every day by carrying wallboard and 80 pound bags of cement
ever since high school. Remember our story; we were friends in high school
then you went to college to be a vet and I got into the world of
transporting construction materials." Deacon explained once again while he
watched Mark strip. "Hey you aren't too shabby yourself," he complimented
Mark although he wasn't referring to his overall physique just yet; he
expected that there would be time to study the rest of the picture above
his waist in the future.

They agreed mutually without saying that they both needed to get in the
pool before they couldn't get that far. Deacon opened the toy closet to get
a box of tennis balls and ran to catch up to Mark. The dogs had dropped
their slimy tennis balls and were sniffing Mark's cock until they saw
Deacon with the box. Both jumped into the water before the first ball
splashed in.

The pool fun ended when the pups climbed a ladder for the last time and got
into the spa, before looking back at Deacon to imply that they expected him
to turn on the bubbles before he joined them. It was a time for bonding;
the guys hugged the dogs and they licked the guy's faces. Suddenly it was
time to get dried off and take a nice nap in front of the fireplace. By
then the cabana was superheated. They towel dried the dogs before they
stretched out together in Cory and Dooby's favorite spot in front of the
fireplace and closed their eyes.

Then the new couple looked at each other, blushed and made their way into
the bathroom. They looked at each other again and the innocent dildo douche
before each asked the other how the cleaning was done; should it be
lubricated, what with, should the water be warmer or tepid and what water
pressure was ideal. Finally they laughed and back slapped, which turned
into a brief first tactile tour of inspection. Suddenly they were in each
other's arms and kissing experimentally before they moved back to the bed
without using the dildo. They agreed that since they were obvious rookies,
in preference to using the word virgins, they would wait until they were in
Deacon's apartment for the night before they really got serious.

Once on the bed, Deacon got the most aggressive. "I know something I want
to do right now. You just lay there and let me do this for you," he
whispered. Just before he lowered his head he said, "Tap me on the head if
I bite you."

"You do the same for me when it's my turn."

Mark moaned loud enough at the final moment that the dogs got up to see if
something was wrong. Chuckie sighed when he realized the guys were doing
exactly what Dooby and Cory did most nights that generally included
jiggling the bed, which the dogs learned to ignore if not come to
enjoy. Then when Deacon began moaning, the dogs decided they had enough
rest. They would join the humans on the bed and wrestle them while trying
to lick their eyes or open mouths. A dog tongue in the mouth really got
them struggling and wrestling back.

Finally Deacon called a halt to the fun by asking if anyone wanted to go
for a ride to pick up the boys at school. He didn't have to finish his
question. The pups had the door open and were racing each other up to and
around the house. "I guess they did. They'll run into the kitchen first to
check their bowls before they go back outside to take a leak. Then they'll
sit by the truck," he predicted.

The new couple held hands again as they walked around the front of the
house so Mark could look down on the field and the deer. New York City was
once again shrouded in smog so the skyline was invisible. Just as Deacon
forecast, the pups were bundles of joy in the back seat where they knew
Cory and Dooby had to sit until one changed seats with Deacon at the gate.

The dogs were delighted to return to the barn but disappointed that they
weren't allowed out of the limo because of the danger and piles of dirt,
wet concrete, power equipment and mud. Deacon wondered at the lack of
outdoor pens; there was only one large enclosure that was 10 foot high so
males would be outside with the females although there was a separate large
stall for each of the three species in the barn.

Mark looked at him strangely before he answered; "That's because there
aren't any males except for the ostrich and emu; their pens are on the
other side. I thought Mr. Spelling had been told that a pair was going to
be two females, pregnant females. Having males of a species is dangerous,
they're unpredictable and they're only needed for breeding. If Dooby or
Mr. Spelling wants more babies after the current crop is born, I'll try to
do it artificially or we could take them to a zoo for service."

"Oh, I don't think Charlie knows about this. What you're saying is; there's
going to be two baby giraffes, two zebras and two camel babies not one and
no fathers, except you DADDY NOAH!" Deacon said and stepped out of reach.

Dooby and Cory weren't out at the curb so to calm the pups, without
thinking, Mark let them out his door into the quad. They were quickly
surrounded by at least 50 students to be hugged, petted and scratched
behind their ears. That much attention didn't seem to be overwhelming in
the least; they reveled in it until Cory whistled from near the truck with
the back door open.

After the greeting ritual and the dogs calmed down, Dooby was first to
notice that Deacon, a supposed friendless virgin, was unusually handy
across the console with his high school buddy Mark, and Mark was just as
handy in return. Dooby nudged Cory and pointed with his chin.

Cory took one look and laughed, "Why you big stud you," he accused Deacon,
"here we were, feeling sorry for you because you didn't have a friend; Mark
shows up and you get him in bed an hour later! Tell me how you did it so I
can try it on someone the next time Dooby pisses me off," he joked. By then
Dooby and Cory were on their knees with their heads between the front seats
competing for head space with the pups so they could get a closer look at
the new guy, Deacon's boyfriend Mark, who was as red as a stop light since
he and Deacon were found out so quickly. But since Cory and Dooby knew and
seemed happy for them, Mark felt free to ask some clinical questions.

"While we're on the subject and you two are obviously more experienced, we
were wondering how those special dildos are used to achieve the best
possible results?" Mark asked.

"Mark," Deacon whined, "I don't believe you had the balls to ask that."

"Well we aren't going to tell you, but we'll show you right after you help
us feed the deer, when we need to shower anyway, if we can watch the show
afterward," Cory countered.

"Please, we won't bother you, just watch," Dooby promised, "and of course
you can watch us too." Dooby's mind switched to the future, "Hey Mark you
should set up a big animal veterinary clinic close by. We've got your first
two customers right here and we have friends with lots of horses close by
and they can recommend you so you'll be successful from the start. If you
do, then you two can be roommates in Deacon's big old apartment. Maybe we
should remodel the bathrooms and kitchen, Cory, so they're extra
comfortable in their new love nest."

"That sounds good," Mark agreed, "Right now I work for a big ranch in
Washington, but this area is really nice."

"Where is there a big ranch in Washington, D.C.?"

"DUH, that would be Washington State, doofus," Cory answered for Mark.

Dooby changed the subject, "Hey, you know we haven't been to Charlie's
number one yet, maybe we should have dinner there tonight to see how the
business is going. We might need to make some physical changes now that
it's been running for a while."

Cory got out his phone to make reservations. He made them using the name
Dooby Dubois, not Spelling, so the restaurant would not be aware that the
owner was coming for dinner until Charlie got inside with his Vice
Presidents in charge of quality control. This was the perfect time to get
Dooby out of town for the weekend with no arguments about going.

"Hey Doob, I forgot I got a call from Trasker; he wants to come up this
weekend to take you down to Athens. Carson isn't a building contractor and
he wants you to check out the work being done to make sure it's being done
right so he doesn't have to do it over again. You have to go alone if you
want your Christmas present on time," he informed.

"I wonder why he didn't call me."

"Where's your phone?"

"Oh yeah, I guess I left it home. What about the show we were scheduled to
do Saturday?"

"I'll call Scott to reschedule for tomorrow night, and then we can eat what
we cook for dinner on the set."

"Okay with me," Dooby agreed, "Git `er done, as the rebel chief, Auggie
says."

"It must be nice to have a personal assistant," Deacon said to Dooby to get
a friendly argument going.

"I wouldn't know," Cory answered first.

"Now Cory, you know I'm training you up to be the company CEO someday,"
Dooby consoled Cory wearing a malicious grin and sliding on the seat out of
reach.

That started a small tussle between the couple, which went to a large
tussle when the pups joined in without taking sides. It ended when Cory got
Dooby in a nice head lock and held him so the pups could wash his
face. Dooby started screaming about dog germs until Laurie took advantage
of his open mouth and gave him a kiss with tongue. That was when they
reached the gate. It was Cory's turn to drive so Mark got in the back seat
with Deacon and Dooby rode in the front with Cory.

The school boys had to change out of their uniforms before feeding the deer
so the dogs went out to the terrace to schmooze with the deer while Charlie
and Laura met Mark in person for the first time without big ears Dooby
present until the next day after the boys were delivered to school.

Mark was amazed that Dooby had such a rapport with the deer herd; they
seemed to find his off key rendition of Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer
calming or comforting and quite a few allowed his touch while Rudy seemed
to expect being scratched around his ears and antlers while he ate. More
unusual was the herd's acceptance of the dogs who felt free to wander
around sniffing asses and being sniffed by some in return. He wondered how
the new animals would be received and where to introduce them. His silent
planning session ended when Dooby announced that it was time to go shower
and change.

If Charlie and Laura thought it was strange that Deacon and Mark went to
Deacon's apartment to get fresh clothing and then hurry up to Cory and
Dooby's rooms, they didn't say anything. The boy's gay friends tended to be
communal in the bathroom and bedroom. Charlie was delighted that his
matchmaking efforts seemed to be working and Dooby believed that Mark was
really planning to set up a practice locally and even asked Laura, a real
estate broker, to find some buildings with land that would be suitable for
his office and a large animal clinic. He even whispered that he and Cory
would carry the mortgage if necessary, because they wanted Mark to succeed
which meant that he would live with Deacon.

The joke was on Mark this time. No one told him who owned the restaurant
they were going to or more importantly, how they expected to gain
admittance with a pair of half-grown Lab pups in tow. Charlie, Laura, Cory,
Dooby rode in the back of the SUV limo for the first time and the pups were
delighted to have so much company. While Deacon was driving, Mark rode
shotgun and couldn't seem to take his eyes off Deacon or erase his
grin. Deacon kept smiling while he watched the road and especially when he
caught Dooby or Cory's eye in the rearview mirror briefly.

While they only spent an hour in their employers shower, including getting
dressed afterward, the newbies enjoyed more sex in that time then they had
in their entire lifetimes. `Dr. Dooby' and `Dr. Cory' believed in
demonstration and class participation during the entire course that began
with the dildo's care and proper use and culminated with head jobs all
around since there wasn't time for more in under an hour. Recommended
homework was a `touch up' just before bed, just to be sure, since the
`doctors' were no longer planning to attend the consummation and actually
weren't invited anyway. They had their own plans to really rock their bed
and bounce the dogs around but looked forward to future engagements after
the first time event was completed by the new couple in the privacy of
Deacon's apartment.

They just pulled in the valet parking lane and stopped when Deacon handed
Mark a pair of sunglasses just like those he just started wearing while
Dooby and Cory handed the dog's leashes between the seats and the happy
pups followed their respective leads. "Tell me we aren't going to do what I
think we're going to try," Mark began, "We'll never get in the door."

"Just kind of look at the ceiling, Laurie will find the way to the table,
and if someone talks to you just look 90 degrees to the side." Deacon
instructed hurriedly as three valets opened their doors. The dogs gushed
out, pulling their masters with them and like it or not, the show was on.

Charlie smoothed the way in advance with a gratuity in hand by going first
with Laura. Cory and Dooby were next but couldn't stop laughing while they
made an effort not to look back or down when the dogs butted them to get
their attention. Fortunately, Dooby and Cory were recognized which pulled
the other diner's eyes away from the two young, good looking blind guys and
their dogs.

The table closest to the grilling action was just a big round table until
Charlie's tip with a request and he was recognized. The owner's party was
seated and a series of frantic phone calls were made. The dogs disappeared
under the table and turned around with their heads barely out beyond the
table cloth to see the grill. A young server came to take their drink
orders and apparently the dogs objected to him blocking their view. Chuckie
forced him to jump back by giving him a hearty nose goose in the
balls. "Hello, what guests have we under here?" He asked and pulled up the
table cloth. That was the pup's invitation to come out wagging to greet the
waiter.

Deacon introduced the dogs to Scot their server for the evening. He
irrationally explained their presence because they were too young to be
left alone at home even though they weren't supposed to be in the
restaurant. The server already knew the identity of his most important
customer.

"Dogs, what dogs? I don't see any dogs," Scot was quick with an answer that
was guaranteed to increase his tip.

Unsmiling Dooby and Cory appeared at that moment accompanied by what was
hoped to be the entire enormous management staff. There was a general
manager, a kitchen manager, (the chef was working) a front of the house
manager and a wait staff manager and several of their assistant
managers. They all presented themselves that evening to meet Charlie for
the first time when the manager(s) on duty noticed his unexpected presence.

The general manager demonstrated his lack of people skills while attempting
to impress, by frowning at Scot as he said, "If you have the drink orders
why are you standing around here?"

"Because he's waiting for our drink orders," Cory answered for Scot, "If
you people would get out of the way so we can see him," he added. At that
point no one sitting at the table was smiling so the management mob
dispersed.

Scot was still there when Charlie told the frowning boys; "Don't look at me
like that. I don't think there were any changes in management after we took
over, but that's a correctable oversight.

"I don't think that general manager will be missed," Dooby opined.

"I think he's the former owner's brother-in-law. Most of them are related
to him somehow," Scot volunteered.

Charlie whistled, "No wonder that poor guy was workin' so many hours; he
had too many incompetent relatives in management positions yet, on his
payroll."

"It certainly affected his bottom line and affects ours." Cory added.

Once again Scot got too close to the dogs. They reminded him forcefully
that he hadn't served them water. He returned with the drink order and a
busboy followed with two bowls of water. Dooby sniffed the air.

"It wasn't me," Cory defended before he was accused of farting.

"Not farts, what I don't smell is burning mesquite wood like we
advertise. I just noticed."

"I think they switched to any kind of hardwood because mesquite is too
expensive," Scot said and apologized to Charlie for speaking out of turn.

Charlie put his napkin on the table and excused himself. "Remember when Dad
took your boyfriend into the back room for an ass chewing the first day we
toured stores with him? We never saw that guy again."

"What boyfriend?" Laura questioned.

"Yours, not Cory's, the one that called you his `little woman', he was a
Spelling's store assistant manager," Dooby answered using finger quotes and
laughing at the recollection.

"Oh yes, that was his last mistake, good riddance," Laura said with a
shudder.

Scot had just brought the dinner orders as Charlie returned from the
office. He told Scot, "I have it on good authority that there's some
management positions open in this here restaurant if you want to apply."

Everyone sitting at the table saw that the first two prime rib dinners he
served had been neatly diced and went to the guests under the table. Cory
thanked him for the thoughtful extra service. "I wish I was qualified,"
Scot answered Charlie sadly.

Always helpful Dooby surprised by saying, "The other Charlie's doesn't have
all these assistant ass kissing mangers falling all over themselves and
getting in the way. There's a front of the house manager, a head hostess
who also bosses the parking lot and a lead server. The boss lady hostess
and the lead server are salaried but the boss server can make more by
waiting his own tables once he gets organized. You'd be kind of a working
manager."

"Do servers have to split their tips with the managers?" Scot asked.

"Hell no, everyone keeps what they earn." He elbowed Deacon, "Now this
blind driver guy and his dogs have only been in that Charlie's a couple of
times but according to my survey, he is beloved by every server and parking
attendant for that very reason."

"We have to split tips..."

"Not anymore," Charlie interrupted, "If you want the lead server's job, I
just might know the selection committee," he suggested. Then he said, "All
in favor of promoting Scotty to lead server, say AYE. There being no nays,
meeting adjourned so the new lead man can fetch me another drink please."

######

Barney called Auggie to say that moonlighting FBI Agents Chuck and Gene had
a very interesting DVD to show him. Two hours later, Stevie, the Coral
Place resident `button pushin' geek' was inserting a DVD disc in the great
room player. Gene narrated. The DVD started with a beautiful large
apparently restored, classic Florida cracker home. The address was Key West
where a modest two bedroom in need of renovation might cost $500K or
more. That was where the DCF caseworker hung her hat and her work case.

It was morning, and the lady was leaving for work at 9:30, driving a shiny
new Mercedes, "Expensive car and banker's hours," Gene observed. The camera
looked at the house as they drove by. It noted a Range Rover remained
parked alongside.

"What's her husband do for a livin'?" Auggie assumed he was successful.

"Divorced, lives in Atlanta. He's an attorney and pays $2000 in child
support, but her two kids go to private school, so that takes care of the
child support."

"Why didn't you follow the bitch?"

"We put a GPS unit in a wheel well. Just watch where she goes." The camera
caught up to the woman at a chic day spa and salon where they watched her
get her hair and nails done through the front windows. The video time stamp
showed her leaving the salon at 11:00 A.M.

"Hell of a time to start work."

Parking was always a problem for businesses around Key West but the case
worker parked her Mercedes in a signed reserved spot with her name on it at
`Sun Island Fashions', apparently an upscale shop that offered better
women's wear.

"Where's your shadow Zeek and the twins this time of day?" Chuck asked.

"The kids are at school or supposed to be, an' Zeek up an' went fishin'
somewhere." He was watching the camera inside the store moving erratically.

"The next day we begged Ms. Mattie to go undercover for us. The camera is
built in to her eye glasses. That's why the camera is jiggling; she's
looking around Sun Island Fashions for the subject."

Auggie began to laugh, "Lookin' shit, she's shoppin' for clothes. Jimmy is
gonna be sorry he let her go when he gets that there bill!"

Zeek walked in at that moment. He was wearing an ear to ear grin until he
saw the FBI Agents, then he looked terribly sad. "What's wrong," Gene
asked, "no fish or too many fish to clean?"

"I got some bad news boss man," Zeek said for the Agent's benefit, "that
there house where the twin's foster parents lived, done burned down to de
groun'," he announced.

"When did that happen?"

"Bout two hours past; just afta' them bastids went out shoppin'." Then Zeek
said too much; "De fireman said as he thought near pure grain alcohol was
the cause; it jus' lit up de whole house. It totaled befo' the fire company
showed up."

Agent Chuck grinned, "Zeek, you should know that we're off duty, and we're
on the twin's side. How would firemen know that the accelerant was grain
alcohol already?"

"Cause a three full gallons was settin' outside. I tolt `em what it was an'
it was some good to drink if it was cut down some. Them ole boys put them
there jugs in their truck outta sight before the Captain showed up. They
was some empty gallon jugs in de trash so the story seemed likely."

"Ah, how did you know the residents weren't home before the fire
accidentally got started?"

"Been fishin' just off they dock fo' a whole week; it de first time they
went out."

"Good job you were around," Gene praised, "you helped save the concrete
slab the house was built on."

"Water front lot fo' sale," Zeek announced happily.

"No it ain't neither; them fuck faces were rentin', I bought that there
house an' I was fixin' to evict that there scum an' tear the house down,
now I don't have to do either. Now let's get back to this here DVD video,"
Auggie ordered, with a wink at Zeek that meant Zeek did well. Zeek had been
fishing in the same spot for a week and was beginning to think that the
drunken couple never left their house.

Mattie bought over $2000 worth of maternity clothing and managed to get
several glimpses of the woman who was filling out forms, plural, at her
desk in an open alcove. Gene passed around a Florida DCF blank visitation
form that Mattie identified but couldn't get close enough to see any
names. The woman completed three of the forms while Mattie was there, she
faxed each one as they were finished and filed the original in an
appropriate file folder in her brief case.

Chuck interrupted at that point. He said that under normal circumstances
they would have to get a court order for a wiretap so any evidence gathered
could be used in court. But -- since they were working privately, they
tapped her phones that night so the next day they were able to collect all
her faxes and phone calls as she transmitted or received them.

Auggie swirled his finger impatiently so Chuck would end the drama and cut
to the chase. Chuck quickly offered Auggie some papers. Apparently the next
day the lady was to investigate complaints. Two alleged abuse of the
elderly who were staying in the same local senior assisted living facility
(ALF) and one alleged child abuse by a couple with five children in Key
Largo.

Auggie looked up from the papers. "Let me guess; the bitch wrote a phony
report to deal with the child abuse but she visited this here ALF with her
fucking hand out to management, then she reported she found no abuse there
either after money changed hands."

"Bingo," Gene agreed. "We followed her into the building posing as
visitors. I sat in the lobby opposite the office wearing our handy
eyeglasses while Chuck got lost looking for our Auntie Gertie. The facility
administrator must have been expecting her because he handed her an
envelope before she said a thing. Then she shook her finger at the dude and
raised her voice so he handed her some folding green stuff he got from the
safe in his office."

"I don't suppose them two twins been reported missin' yet by them foster
parents. I think it's time to put in a call from an anonymous neighbor to
say they ain't been seen in a month o' Sundays around that house, an' now
with the house burnt down the neighbor is wonderin' about their welfare,"
Auggie suggested.

The next morning, Auggie got another call from Chuck to say that the bitch
made the mistake they were looking for; she faxed a visitation report that
claimed she'd visited with Kevin and Kyle in their foster home. They were
fine, very happy, living in a beautiful waterfront home with exemplary
foster parents and were doing well at school. She claimed to have visited
the same afternoon after the house fire reduced the home to ashes. Then she
received a phone call from her supervisor regarding the fire and the
missing twins after she sent in her report but apparently BEFORE her
conflicting visitation report crossed his desk.

The bitch was currently on a flight to Tallahassee to perhaps intercept the
twin's report and replace it with another that said the house burned, that
Kevin and Kyle and the foster parents were nowhere to be found around
Marathon. The bitch also called the Sherriff's Department to report the
missing brothers and incidentally the foster parents.

Meanwhile, Carter's law firm was busy hand carrying Auggie's application
for the twin's permanent guardianship through the courts. Auggie had
already been granted temporary custody, having claimed that the twins just
showed up at Coral Place and he took them in. He claimed it was several
days before the boys admitted who they were, where they ran away from and
why before he began the legal work required to make them permanent Coral
Place residents. All the while without notifying incompetent Florida DCF to
see how long it would take before they were missed. Carter claimed that if
DCF couldn't keep track of their minor clients, who was an esteemed Florida
resident like August Bligh to do their jobs for them? Of course Auggie's
custody application was made before a sympathetic judge, who had no
sympathy for DCF's ongoing trials and tribulations, but a great deal of
loyalty to Auggie Bligh for paying him a fee as a legal consultant for the
billion dollar Save the Florida Keys Foundation that Auggie chaired.

When the missing twins report went out and reached the Marine Patrol,
Barney promptly reported that the twins weren't missing at all. They were
in Auggie Bligh's legal custody, living at Coral Place, where they were
being privately tutored after public school notification. They'd been given
their very own $30,000 boat, aptly named Double Trouble, a name that was
clearly emblazoned in letters that ran from the gunwale to the waterline on
each side of their boat. They'd been provided with new wardrobes and any
and all toys that typical teenage boys living in happy homes took for
granted. Simple things they never had as DCF clients living in foster homes
since they were five years of age. With that case resolved, the Sheriffs
intensified their search for the foster parents AND the responsible
supervising DCF case worker.

Finding the foster parents according to disgruntled and disgusted neighbors
was easy; since they only shopped at the Sam' Club and Sam's liquor store
or Walmart in Key West. While another anonymous phone call advised that the
case worker in question was on a flight from Key West to Tallassee, to
possibly reclaim some of her erroneous paperwork before anyone at DCF could
read it, if any incoming paperwork was read at all, the caller jabbed.

Since a day had elapsed, Mommy and Daddy `Foster' had returned the previous
afternoon to discover their home had burned so they returned to Key
West. They spent time in a bar until closing and then, with nowhere to go,
they spent the rest of the night in the Walmart parking lot since the store
was open 24 hours a day, they assumed they were unlikely to be caught
sleeping in their car but they were wrong.

They were rudely awakened at daylight; with Daddy Foster complaining loudly
to his wife that he was fixing to kill those fucking noisy twins for waking
him up without having drinks made to start the day. The arresting Deputy
straightened his sorry ass out as he was awarded a pair of functional
handcuffs before he was seated in the back of the cruiser with his wife
seated at his side complaining about the fucking twins failure to bring in
any money from fishing for what she thought were weeks. That was about the
time that Daddy took his usual lengthy morning piss - in his pants and all
over the deputy's rear seat.

Luckily the Deputy had parked his car so it blocked the view from the store
and the roof top cameras. Fortunately, the rear seat was hard molded
plastic so such accidents could be hosed out. However he took exception to
doing that kind of work at the end of his shift. He opened the rear car
door once again and drew his Taser to give Daddy a 50,000 volt thank you
shot in the ribs. That got the Mommy shrieking about police brutality, so
he gifted her with a 30 second shot of pepper spray and advised the
unhappy. uncomfortable couple that they would be charged with assault on an
officer with violence, resisting arrest with violence and attempted escape,
in addition to whatever charge or charges they were wanted for. He added
that it was his word against theirs, and he wasn't the one who pissed his
pants.

When the DCF case worker first emerged from the airport gate in Tallahassee
she thought surely there must have been a major dignitary or politician
that she failed to recognize who was flying on the same plane because of
the number of uniformed state police, unknown suits, officers from FDLE
(Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the equivalent of a state level
FBI.) and members of the press with all manner of cameras, lights and
microphones. Then her heart skipped a beat when she noted that her
immediate supervisor, his supervisor and the Department Director was also
among the crowd and they didn't look at all happy to be there; happier when
the cameras, lights and microphones were trained on her.

She was relieved of her DCF identification, as well as her all-important
briefcase and laptop that served as her mobile office before she was read
her rights and taken into custody for interrogation before being
charged. By then DCF had actually read her most recent reports and were
continuing to backtrack. The first question raised was how she could
possibly visit an ALF in Key West, write and send a report and then, less
than one hour later, fax another visit report regarding clients in Key
Largo, at literally the other end of Monroe County. That trip couldn't even
be made that rapidly by helicopter.

######

"Where's your partner Cory boy? Did you guys split?" Trasker asked Dooby,
Friday evening, as soon as Dooby climbed into his jet, wearing his hard hat
and raring to hit the skies and possibly buzz the school again to let the
boarders know that he was once again flying somewhere on a huge private
jet. Dooby took full credit for buzzing the school the first time and
promised more. Envy was a wonderful thing if you could ignore the middle
fingers; Dooby could.

"It just so happens that I think my Christmas present is coming this
weekend and Cory needs to be there to receive it or I hope, them. Hey,
speaking of giraffes how would you like to have the baby to live at the new
farm after it's big enough to leave its momma?"

"What y'all talkin' about, what giraffes?" Auggie asked.

Dooby saw that Stevie, Logan and Little Zeek were aboard because they were
with Trasker, clustered around the hatch, but he didn't see Auggie and Zeek
or Ryan or Chef Flynn because they remained sitting further back. Then
before he could answer, he was nearly bowled over by their four Lab pups
with unknown laughing, giggling twins pushing through the throng to catch
up to the dogs and to meet the famous Dooby.

Chef Flynn became the Bligh family traveling Chef after the successful
three day adventure to Ollie's Island. It was mutually decided that if they
went somewhere, where there was likely to be a kitchen and the need to use
it to eat like they were used to eating, then Chef Flynn was their man.

Kyle and Kevin thought Dooby and Stevie looked enough alike that they could
be mistaken for brothers, if not another set of twins before they whispered
together and boldly pointed at the bulges in Dooby and Stevie's jeans then
looked at Logan for confirmation.

"Yup, there too," Logan confirmed.

"Say, how old are you guys anyway?" Dooby asked. When the twins admitted to
being almost 14, Dooby won their undying love and gratitude by saying,
"Wow, I thought you guys were at least 15!"

"Dooby boy, get back here an' set a spell an' tell where at did y'all get
that there big truck we saw you climb from an' who was that well set up
young guy drivin', where at is Cory boy an' what giraffes?"

Before Dooby answered, he whispered frantically in Trasker's ear. They were
about to take off. "Why didn't y'all say something when you got on board?"
Trasker demanded and rushed forward. He just had time to sit back down
before the big plane leaped into the sky. "The Captain wishes to advise the
guest that this is not a fighter jet and does not turn on a dime, but he'll
see what he can do to satisfy the guest's request," he reported formally.

"Ever' one grab a pooch!" Auggie ordered. It was obvious that the pups
enjoyed flying and being held in someone's lap - voluntarily for a
change. Dooby held Little Auggie. Auggie kissed his thanks. Dooby kissed
him back on the nose although not with tongue. Auggie sighed; he'd just met
a true friend. He put his head on the armrest and closed his eyes until the
plane reached altitude and the steward said the word, SNACKS, to begin the
second leg of their journey.

Little Zeek, the chief Bligh family provisioner got up to help, the dogs
followed eagerly and the twins followed the dogs to rescue the steward and
perhaps sample the first snacks. Dooby managed to answer all of the gang's
questions between bites and sips of beer although he wasn't completely sure
that he was really getting a pair a giraffes. Whatever it was, it was going
to be big, big enough to keep Cory from coming along on this weekend trip;
AND it was arriving this weekend.

Little Zeek changed the subject back to food service when he announced that
first supper, half pound burgers and fries, was going to be served timed to
be finished just before they landed in Athens so the dogs could be first to
exit the plane to do their business, thereby avoiding accidents and
minimizing dog farts. Everyone balked at eating precooked burgers no matter
what size. If they were being held in a warmer, they would be overdone from
the steam.

"Y'all are uppity hayseeds," Little Zeek accused archly. "It just so
happens that this airplane's galley is equipped with an induction stovetop
and with a double cast iron grill pan that Flynn brought along, everyone
will eat freshly grilled burgers just the way we like them, although not
all at once," he concluded with a look down his nose at the aforementioned
hayseeds.

"Sounds like a plan Little Zeek boy," Auggie agreed before he arched an
eyebrow. "Correct me if I was wrong, but you said, first supper?"

"Oh yeah," Little Zeek waxed enthusiastic; "there's a fantastic Justa Pizza
in town where we can eat second supper on the way to the hotel. I hope by
now they're serving those dessert pizzas too; they're some good eaten'," he
assured and looked to Dooby to confirm.

Dooby agreed. He said Tommy took a quick unannounced day trip to Athens,
sampled the menu food served by both Justa Pizza stores, forced the local
district manager into retirement, turned over the company owned store to
the Candy family and returned home in time for a late dinner with his
partner Christian.

Auggie looked to where Ryan was sitting on a sofa with Trasker. "That's
what I like about you an' Tommy boy workin' together so well Ryan boy,
y'all both get things done in a hurry an' so far y'all get `em done right
the first time."

Auggie had to order Ryan to take the weekend off and accompany Trasker to
see their new home in Athens for the first time. He realized that Trasker
was feeling a bit neglected during the day but not at night if he was at
Coral Place, while they lived in the same house. He explained there was
more to a successful relationship than sex and if Ryan boy didn't begin
working fewer hours, by delegating more, vacation times would be scheduled
and enforced. End of discussion, so sayeth the Bligh Media, Chairman of the
Board.

"What are we going to use for wheels?" Dooby wondered, "We sure won't all
fit in one Navigator."

"I took care o' that there problem," Auggie answered, "The folks that built
my ride are some hard hit by this here recession; more than car dealers. I
used every cent of the economic recovery money President what's-his-name,
sent to all us tax payin' citizens an' bought Trasker an' Ryan their very
own bus. It's waitin' on us at the airport if Carson boy cranked up the
balls to drive it over there."

"You bought us a bus?" Trasker asked, clearly he and Ryan were amazed,
while Dooby slipped out of his seat to the deck laughing and pointing. That
was an open invitation to the dogs and the twins to wrestle.

While the dogs were intent on playing with the new friendly human, the
twins were intent on checking out Dooby's cloth covered attributes before
they saw him naked in the hotel. "Let me get this straight in my mind,"
Dooby said to Auggie when he could. "First you bought Trasker this dime a
dozen, school jet airplane and then you used the whole $200 and change and
bought him a million dollar bus?"

"That be my story an' I'm sticken' to it," Auggie declared with a stubborn
look that he hoped concealed his grin, "It's a Christmas gift," he added.

"What are we goin' to do with a bus?" Trasker asked weakly.

Auggie ticked off all possible uses for the new bus, such as driving to
college, to Redlands, to Atlanta to the Bligh offices and/or just around
the new farm, he saved the real reason for last. "Or if y'all ain't usin'
it, Zeek an' me can when we come up for a visit.

"Okay, that's a deal," Trasker agreed, "y'all just better visit us often."

The conversation turned to Ollie and the boat trip they took up to Key
Largo to see his spanking new island. They found that someone, perhaps as
far back as hundreds of years ago had cleared a major portion of the 20
acres and a large portion of the beach on the cove. If such a thing had
been attempted in this day and age they would find themselves slapped with
a hefty fine and possible jail time for just cutting back any mangroves on
the property. Whatever, the vegetation still had not recovered which gave
the island the appearance of being in the South Seas or somewhere other
than Florida.

There were also the remains of buildings made from native coral blocks that
had been quarried from the island. The resulting quarry, a 60 by 100 foot
rectangle of unknown depth had filled with brackish water. Happy Ollie said
it would be used as a swimming pool and as a cistern for irrigating the new
gardens after the house was finished.

Of course the dogs loved the beach and used it to get out of the water by
themselves to patrol the property if they didn't feel like paddling to
Fishin' Boy's dive ladder, to the swim platform and the deck and then run
along the hot concrete dock to the island. The twins told Dooby about the
dogs and their floatation devices (life vests) that allowed them to rest
while in the water by just not paddling without the worry of drowning.

Dooby was so excited he called Charlie while he was thinking about it. He
did not call Cory because he didn't want to piss him off during this
critical weekend but getting regulation pet floatation for Laurie and
Chuckie was important enough to disturb Charlie. Then when Auggie realized
Dooby was talking to Charlie, he took Dooby's phone to ask him about the
beautiful new truck while on the speaker phone, so always efficient `button
pushin' geek', Stevie, could write down the information. Trasker rolled his
eyes to his uncle when he realized that the Bligh family would soon be the
proud owners of one or more stretched Navigator limos.

Trasker caught sight of one particular hanger when they landed; he
remembered that had been a charter service although the signage had been
partially covered by a `for lease' sign. All the signage was gone that
night, the giant rolling doors were open and all the interior lights were
burning brightly illuminating a big empty space. Empty except for a
gleaming custom built RV bus whose lights and running lights were also on.

The pilots seemed to know exactly where to taxi as the bus moved out of the
way so the jet could be stopped just inside the building. "Damn Uncle
Auggie, what did you do now?" Trasker almost whined.

"I didn't do nothin," Auggie protested, "It was that Carson boy," he
blamed, "he's way too efficient. How was I to know he already leased this
here hanger? I just told him to look around for a proper garage for this
here airplane to stay out of the weather somewhat."

The dogs were first out of the hatch as Little Zeek predicted. They sniffed
the air, and looked around briefly to get their bearings before they took
off running for the nearest line of bushes that just happened to be
directly across the taxiway and runway. Fortunately there was no manned
tower, it was a very quiet night and no one seemed to be around to see them
on the runway.

"Welcome home!" Carson shouted so his voice echoed as he ran from the new
bus.

The guys had been talking to Carson for a good five minutes before Auggie
and Zeek caught up. By then Trasker had the unvarnished story of how the
hanger was leased. He spun on his uncle, "Unc, you're just a great big
fibber!" he declared, "You told Carson to look around for a proper airplane
garage, and then you said, `No budget, just get `er done in time!'"

"Well mayhap I forgot," Auggie hedged. "No matter, this here place is just
right. Y'all done good Carson boy. There's even room fo' a couple o'
smaller airplanes an' just look at all the equipment someone left behind,"
he added innocently.

"That equipment is brand new," Ryan pointed out to imply that the fib
continued.

Carson took the time to thank Auggie for the praise before he handed the
pilots some keys and pointed to a pair of Ford Explorers parked just inside
the hanger doors. Trasker explained that Carson had begun filling in
property parcels that were in the middle of the new farm and the easiest
was acquiring failed real estate developments. The largest even had
finished model homes hiding among the 12 foot weeds. Carson had the outside
cleared, landscaped and furnished the homes so they were ready for the
flight crew; two guys per home, with two spares to be allocated at
Trasker's whim.

Auggie looked out at the runway when he heard the twins whistling in the
dogs from there. He told Carson to bust up a big patch of pavement on the
side of the garage and plant it out so the damn dogs and kids wouldn't have
to go near the runway again. Then he gave the same kids and dogs a scolding
after they climbed on the bus on the way to second supper before they got
to the hotel for the night.

"Did Andy reconcile with his parents?" Dooby asked while they were parking
the bus at Candy family Justa Pizza number one.

Carson looked depressed when he shook his head, no, "I had him convinced
but then a fucking big mouth desk clerk mouthed off to the present owners
he called Moe and Curly to their faces. They fired him so the little prick
told them he'd get his job back when the new owners took over, then he
looked to Andy for confirmation. Andy couldn't say a word except to play
dumb and ignorant or he'd get fired too, which wouldn't do you guys any
good until the buyout when he has to be there to protect the David company
assets and the real estate. That asshole clerk fucked us good; Moe and
Curly could put two and two together if they begin to wonder why Andy took
time off suddenly. They could be vindictive bitches, according to Andy and
destroy the building and their business."

"Oh shit," Dooby moaned, "I need to call Cory. Maybe we can move up the
schedule to like Monday morning to begin negotiations with the bank to buy
the building as soon as possible. Then Andy would work for us officially to
keep these Moe and Curly asshole owners from wrecking the place between now
and January."

Dooby began digging for his phone. "Hold on there Dooby boy; how's this
deal goin' down?" Auggie asked.

Dooby shrugged his ignorance and looked to Carson for that answer. "I
planned an all cash deal. I was going whack whatever the bank is asking for
the property, by 50 percent and negotiate up from there," he grinned, "that
would be after the bankers changed their shitty pants. That's the way we
bought y'all an operational Chambers branch bank after the name change,
right here in downtown Athens," he reminded Auggie.

"So it was Carson boy. I'll just call Jimmy to see if he knows someone who
knows who to call at that Daytona branch bank. We'll just get y'all an
appointment for 9 A.M. Monday mornin'. I'll front the cash to buy the whole
shebang, real estate and the business since yo' got these Moe an' Curly
dudes by the gonads." He grinned at Dooby, "Then y'all won't have to bother
Cory boy nor Tony boy in Europe if y'all can take Monday off from school to
be there with Carson boy since y'all is the only major player in town." Of
course Dooby could always take a day off from school.

"Do you think Cory will be pissed at me if I do something like this on my
own? Dooby asked Auggie cautiously. "He is our money manager," he reminded.

"Truth to tell Dooby boy, I'm thinkin' Cory boy will be some pleased and
surprised. He'll be glad you're finally takin' some responsibility in
y'all's partnership. Yo' ain't changin' your plan, just movin' it up a
tad."

"Can we take our dogs in there?" Kyle questioned.

Dooby's apprehension evaporated as he answered, "That's part of the fun of
being a Justa Pizza Vice President," he giggled. "Are there any bedsheets
onboard if your pups like to hide under the table like ours? Carson,
Trasker and I will go in first. We'll push enough tables together and use
sheets for tablecloths..."

"Rummage in them cupboards," Auggie ordered by way of agreeing with Dooby's
plan.

Of course the Candy family recognized Dooby. He and Cory Spelling were
their saviors. In one late lunch the two boys arranged for them to buy out
the company store across town, increase food quality officially, be open
for breakfast officially as a closely monitored experiment before Tommy
extended breakfast chain wide and add a dessert pizza to the enhanced
menu. A whispered word from Dooby had the entire staff staring at the
ceiling on cue five minutes later when the twins walked in with the dogs on
leads.

Dooby forgot one small detail; he forgot the place was nearly packed with
patrons, most of them U of G students who weren't aware that the dogs were
sneaking in to hide under a makeshift table and the dogs didn't care as
they were mobbed. The pups never did manage to get under the table and all
four enjoyed their second suppers by being hand fed from other patron's
plates. The twins let them off their leashes and just followed them around
to ask that no one feed them too much pizza crust or rolls.

Both Trasker and Auggie put up their hands to claim the check from their
server, but she raised it over her head and scooted to Dooby who was proud
to whip out his Justa Pizza credit card to pay the bill and leave a
humongous tip for all the ruckus and probable loss of business the dogs
caused. He found out later that the pups actually created business since
some of the customers ordered toasted Italian sausage subs without the sub
roll so they could feed the dogs the sausage.

Carson insisted on driving the bus to the hotel after supper over Zeek's
initial objections. Zeek gave up the driver's seat when Carson agreed that
Zeek could drive and stubbornly pointed out the built-in GPS screen to use
in following the directions to the hotel address. Carson already knew that
Zeek had no use at all for what he referred to as the `bossy bitch talkin'
TV'. No one inside an electronic box was giving him verbal
instructions. Zeek took solace with an extra-large bourbon he enjoyed while
sitting with Auggie.

The first thing that Carson did was to switch the female GPS voice to male
before he changed the destination. He didn't know Auggie and Zeek were on
the jet and he never made hotel reservations because he had what he hoped
would be a surprise for Trasker and Ryan since he was also unexpected.

He looked back at Zeek and grinned when a male voice said, "Calculating."
Zeek gave Carson the finger and took another gulp of his drink while Auggie
and the boys giggled and laughed at the byplay. Then every time the voice
issued an instruction to turn, Zeek raised his finger at the interior
rearview mirror when he saw Carson looking back at him wearing a shit
eating grin.

Street lights and any kind of building quickly disappeared from view as
they motored along, going further and further out into the country, the
very dark country. "Carson boy, where y'all taken us, it sure ain't to no
hotel in town," Auggie surmised.

"Well, I really wasn't expectin' you and Zeek; just the guys. I had it out
with my father after the bank sale, so I was kind of homeless. I kind of
made the loft into a bedroom since the bathroom up there is done. The
kitchen is mostly done except for some tile work. Then I got inspired and
bought a couple of air mattresses to place around the king-size bed and I
thought we could all bunk up there just like y'all do in Coral Place. As I
said, I didn't know about y'all. We can move the bed downstairs..." Carson
did not say because Auggie couldn't climb the stairs. His explanation just
kind of petered out.

Trasker laughed, "Well Carson boy," he said, "I believe Uncle Auggie has a
stair climbin' surprise for you after we get in there."

"What are we goin' to eat for breakfast?" Little Zeek and his stomach
wondered.

"I shopped for groceries and bought a few pots and pans; just the basics,
but with Chef Flynn along, he can shop tomorrow for whatever else the
kitchen needs and fill the freezer and the pantry."

"You have arrived," the GPS announced as Carson turned into the newly paved
driveway and stopped before the whitewashed brick gate posts. A new
polished brass plaque on the right hand post said simply; `REDLANDS NORTH'.

"Welcome home Trasker," Carson said.

Just before they reached the renovated coach barn with light pouring from
its windows, Carson stopped the bus again, apparently for no reason except
to fumble something out of his pants pocket. "I got this done while the
paving contractor was on the property," he announced and clicked the remote
that he'd been fishing for. The blue and white helipad landing lights
blinked on suddenly, but everyone's attention was focused solely on the
gleaming helicopter that was parked in the center of the lighted area.

"Don't be startin' on me about that there chopper, Trasker boy," Auggie
began his defense before Trasker had time to open his mouth. "Y'all might
not know this but the company got us a fair sized fleet o' aircraft other
than just my favorite ride, which yo' might recall got a set o' wings,
while that thing don't so it never got used all that much by little ole
me."

"Probably the real reason y'all don't like it is because you don't fit in
it too well." Kyle or Kevin surmised out loud with giggles.

"Logan boy fetch me my stick," Auggie called, "Double Trouble been talkin'
to honest Ollie boy way too much an' I'm fixin' to lick that honest
business out o' one or both," he threatened before continuing his
explanation. "Seriously, if we'd stayed at Redlands, Ryan boy would `a used
it regular to get into an' out from the office. There's a pad out to
Redlands, up on the office roof an' another on the ground for windy days."
He giggled at a thought. "Y'all realize there's a whole new crop o' ass
kissers in that office buildin' who don't know what you look like; you
could have a heap of fun findin' out what they really think o' the company,
an' the work they do, not to mention the young ass upstart CEO!"

The great room was almost finished except for a final cleaning and
detailing before the carpets could be unrolled and the plastic covered
furniture could be uncovered and arranged. Dooby was once again wearing his
hardhat as he switched into his most hyperactive mode while dragging
Trasker and Ryan along. He ran around testing the new pot light dimmer
switches that he left on turned low while the guys pushed around some sofas
and chairs so they faced the modernized rustic old fieldstone fireplace.

That was Dooby's next stop after Carson handed him a remote. He had the
fireplace converted to gas OR wood burning. The gas was intended to start
the logs that Carson had already placed on the hearth in readiness for
Dooby's test. A click of the remote opened the gas valve and triggered the
igniter simultaneously and a gas fire flared up behind and under the logs.

Dooby gave Trasker the remote to start the fire in the dining area and
pointed out that there was another fireplace up in the loft directly above
it where apparently they were going to sleep that night. They all assumed
that the loft had been the master bedroom suite of the most recent owners
because of the super elegant bathroom and dressing room/closet. Originally
the loft was the coach barn lounge from which the master of the plantation
could look down on his collection of coaches and buggies from the balcony
or at the stable courtyard and his horses from the windows in the opposite
wall. Dooby planned that there would be a swimming pool in the courtyard by
summer, but it was not a priority just then because there was the indoor
pool that had never been used because it hadn't been completed.

"Come on everyone follow me through here! You've got to see this Auggie!
Little Zeek, get your nose out of that fridge!" Dooby ordered without even
looking into the open kitchen where Flynn was opening and closing cabinet
doors and checking out the other appliances since he couldn't get near the
fridge.

Carson waited for everyone to cluster at the double doors into the old
indoor exercise ring before he turned on all the lights. The heated pool
was finished and full of water and was christened by the four pups since
they didn't need to undress before they jumped in. The twins were next in
the water, but they used the built in concrete steps in the shallow end and
called the dogs over to make sure they knew how they could exit without
help or sit in the water on the steps to rest.

"Wow, very fine bodies too," Dooby admired.

"Yup," Auggie agreed, "plus Double Trouble got more experience in bed than
any o' you older guys `cause they been workin out together long before
y'all figured what else y'all's dicks were for besides taken leaks.

The pool turned out to be the evening's entertainment. When Auggie and Zeek
parked themselves in poolside chairs, Logan, Auggie's underworked
step-an'-fetch-it boy, climbed from the pool and went to get them
drinks. He returned five minutes later with drinks for everyone neatly
balanced on trays he and Flynn carried. Logan found Flynn sitting at the
kitchen island sipping a beer.

Flynn didn't think he should be joining the pool party because he was just
the Chef on duty. Logan laughed, "You were in the middle of our party for
two nights we almost slept on Fishin' Boy," he reminded, "I didn't see
anyone objecting to you falling out of bed on top of them and then staying
until someone else wanted to investigate your other `Chef services'," he
used finger quotes.

 When Carson saw them he began laughing and half apologizing for not
showing them the wet bar that was concealed behind some sliding barn
doors. Carson revealed that he'd partially stocked the bar with beer in the
fridge, a bottle of bourbon and turned on the icemaker. There was a beer
tap and empty shelves in the back bar but he didn't know if he should buy a
keg and a broader selection of booze since he was spending Trasker's money.

Auggie assured Carson that he could spend Trasker's money just like it was
his as long as it benefited Trasker and the rest of the family, including
himself as a part of the Bligh family. Trasker agreed from in the pool. He
said that since Carson was homeless and since it was adopt a realtor month,
he and Andy just became part of the family whenever they were in town,
Coral Place, Redlands or anywhere else the Bligh family hung their hats or
rested their heads.

"Adopt a realtor month? Where'd that come from?" Carson asked absently. His
attention was on Flynn. Auggie ordered Flynn to strip and join the pool
party and while he was in there, he suggested that if he managed to drown
Little Zeek he would only have to cook half as much and Auggie would save a
heap of money at the grocery store.

Auggie whispered to Carson, "If y'all are interested in Flynn boy, don't be
standin' there gawkin', push him in an' rough house with him some," he sort
of ordered.

The pups ended the pool party when they dragged their tired bodies out of
the pool. It was way past their normal bedtime. Zeek handed Auggie a towel
before he called them over to be dried off. Auggie held his towel up in
front of his face before Zeek told the pups to shake off before they were
dried with the towels. They were way too close so Zeek received a pool
water shower while Auggie laughed from behind the towel.

The first bedtime pairings seemed to be decided by then. Carson and Flynn
pushed and shoved each other out of the pool and were first to disappear up
into the bathroom to shower off the chlorine and etcetera with the etcetera
part the first order of business that involved yet another spurting
dildo. The twins had chosen Dooby to be first before they watched lookalike
Stevie match up with lookalike Dooby before they joined in with Logan for a
`pig pile' after they were all completely anointed with slippery massage
oil.

Trasker and Ryan disappeared into what was once the plantation master's
trophy room newly converted to a bedroom. They wanted to spend the first
night together in their new home alone as long as possible, possibly until
morning if they were very lucky before they were missed by Dooby and the
twins, all self-appointed and declared `recreation directors'.

Of course Auggie and Zeek got the bed and were pleasantly pleased and
surprised when brothers James and Little Zeek chose to join them, just like
old times back home at Redlands. That is join them until the pig pile
became too tempting to watch from above from which advantage they could
blanket the party.

The exhausted pups chose to curl up together in front of the fire on a
vacant mattress and actually sleep undisturbed until too much laughter from
the pig pile woke them and got their attention. They saw that most of the
boys, including `their' twins were attempting to wrestle without them being
involved in the thick of things. They waded into the melee with all four
tongues, four slashing tails and 16 great big puppy dog feet that didn't
seem to care whose or what body parts they stepped on. They also discovered
that the scented massage oil tasted quite good

The dogs went downstairs to the door they entered before dawn and when they
found it closed, they returned to the loft to ask for help. Very soon
everyone was awake. The twins ran down to open the front door for the pups
who had not taken the time to properly `mark' sufficient area as theirs the
previous evening. They corrected that oversight while the naked twins stood
shivering just inside the door patiently waiting for them to return so they
could have breakfast (first breakfast with Little Zeek present).

Flynn developed a helper overnight since he also happened to be the one who
bought the groceries. Carson made sausage gravy according to directions
while Flynn made giant flaky butter biscuits just before they rushed to a
vacant shower.

The dogs got into the master bathroom with Auggie and Zeek. Auggie got into
the shower before Zeek so he filled the spa pool and bathed himself with
four very slick pups as a result of being involved in the pig pile. While
the early morning seemed like chaos, everyone managed to get showered,
dressed and arrive at the breakfast table at the same time to meet Jeb,
Trasker's new Redlands North farm superintendent.

Jeb's father was still Redlands' longtime superintendent. Jeb was married,
with two young children and a lifetime of hands on farm management
experience. Jeb and his family had already moved into the largest home on
the farm and he could barely wait for spring planting, or that day, show
Trasker what had been accomplished on the farm so far. He wasn't expecting
Auggie, nor did he think that the humongous bus was the best vehicle to use
for touring along unpaved rutted tracks but the big boss man
insisted. Trasker silently agreed with a grin and whispered to Jeb that he
would make his Uncle Auggie pay the towing bill.

Then while Zeek gossiped with Jeb, Carson got the Atlanta, Bligh Media
office address from Trasker and dashed out to the bus to reset the GPS. He
planned to leave the driving to Zeek. Of course by the time they reached
where the majority of the farm buildings were located, the GPS' male voice
said "recalculating," three times and to add injury to Zeek's
consternation, the voice then issued instructions on which direction to
turn to reach the nearest public road since the farm roads weren't in the
GPS' memory.

When they stopped at the equipment barn and everyone was filing off the
bus, Zeek grabbed Carson by the back of his jacket. After Zeek threatened
to remove vital parts of his anatomy, have it and them gold plated and
mounted on the bus as a hood ornament, Carson `voluntarily' shut off the
"mother fuckin' talkin' TV," without Zeek actually asking.

The next stop on the tour was a large open barn that Jeb proposed to be the
hub of a cattle feeding operation. The barn was surrounded by a huge open
field that would be partitioned off with electric fence to prevent any
pasture from being overgrazed and the barn would serve as a place where the
herds could always find shelter and water and hay in the winter. Jeb was
suggesting that the cattle would be sold as being `grass fed' or `open
range' and therefore satisfy a growing demand that would reap much higher
profits at market.

The perimeter of the area had yet to be fenced and the hard packed lane
that led to the barn was on the opposite side of the field. Zeek in his
wisdom, decided to drive across the field. "I got a grand that says y'all
don't make it a 100 feet an' Jeb gets the winnin's," Auggie proposed.

"Done," Zeek had time to answer before the ass end of the bus sank down to
the axles with the rear bumper sitting on the grass. Zeek looked in his
rearview mirror and added quickly, "Measured from the front of de bus..."

"Like hell," Auggie countered, "I always meant the back o' the bus," and
the fight was on. Carson called his uncle Beau to find a tow truck capable
of towing a semi rig or a commercial size bus.

The dogs and the guys got off the bus to judge the degree of towing
difficulty. The dogs looked around the huge open area and didn't know what
they were looking at; they'd never seen so much space where they didn't
have to swim. Jeb decided the issue of whether the guys would wait for the
tow truck or walk back to the house when he pointed out that there would
have to be considerable digging required to find the tow points underneath
that the hooks had to be attached to, to safely lift the bus. Enough said,
they ALL would walk to the house and drive a truck back to pick up Auggie
and Zeek.

Favorite great nephew Trasker was sent back aboard the bus to tell the men
their plans and while he was in there the twins asked him if he could find
something they could throw that the dogs could play with, not including
anyone's cap. Trasker was laughing when he returned with four plastic
dinner plates and the news that Auggie and Zeek were settled in lounge
chairs and were sipping drinks so they were comfortable while they argued
about the bet and waited on the tow truck. Carson took the liberty of
calling the tow company back to suggest they send an extra man or men with
shovels to speed up the recovery operation.

The dogs immediately recognized the red dinner plates as Frisbees and began
running in advance of them being tossed. They were familiar with Frisbees
and enjoyed trying to catch one, but they only lasted slightly longer than
a stolen baseball cap. When the pups got tired of playing they stopped the
fun by just grabbing their plate and running ahead of the guys and by the
time they reached Trasker and Ryan's new house, they were too mud covered
to be allowed in until they got a bath. They walked around the outside of
the sprawling building until they found a door into the pool.

The intention was to wash off the dogs on the pool deck and then allow them
to rinse off in the pool, but no one explained that to the dogs or thought
about grabbing the collars they were no longer wearing. Net result; the
dogs washed and rinsed themselves in the pool. Trasker shrugged his
indifference; he assumed the filter would remove the red-brown cloud and
what sank to the bottom, could be vacuumed by the pool service.

Jeb and Carson, the two new guys, wanted to drive something back to the bus
to pick up Auggie and Zeek. Trasker agreed but added that if they did, they
might be volunteered to dig in that nasty, sticky, wet Georgia clay. He
said it would be safer to wait for Zeek to return driving the bus since it
wasn't broken down, just stuck in the mud.

Meanwhile Flynn returned with a truck loaded with groceries; mostly frozen
or standard kitchen supplies that wouldn't spoil since they were leaving
that afternoon for Daytona Beach so except for lunch, there wouldn't be any
other cooking. He said he would order pots, pans, utensils and small
appliances to be shipped from restaurant supply after they got back home to
Marathon.

Dooby, the twins and the dogs were stretched out in front of the fireplace
in the great room with the guys cuddling with the dogs while they used the
boys as pillows. Dooby's mind was obviously elsewhere, most likely
wondering exactly what his Christmas present from Cory was going to be if
it wasn't a giraffe or ideally giraffes. Five minutes later, it registered
that Flynn said they were flying to Daytona Beach that afternoon, a
Saturday, not Sunday.

"Say what, we're really going to Daytona tonight, not tomorrow?"

Trasker rolled his eyes and his head, just like his uncle; Auggie's way of
calling one of them dumb, unconscious or just not paying attention. Stevie
answered Dooby; "Earth to Dooby boy, didn't you hear me on the phone with
your new David Hotel, making the reservation? I had to pay double the going
holiday rate just to guarantee the suite! Where the fuck were you?" Of
course Stevie knew that Dooby couldn't hear him because he was in the
bathroom behind the closed door, but it was fun to watch Dooby as he
thought he was losing his mind.

"Uncle Auggie thought we should go a day early to check out the place, so
we'll leave right after lunch, or whenever he and Zeek get back with the
bus," Trasker elaborated.

Dooby brightened, ignoring his mental lapse. "I'll call Ms. Bess! Auggie
will enjoy meeting her, and her companion Marsha, will enjoy meeting all of
you guys." Dooby didn't elaborate about why Marsha would just love meeting
the guys; she was an old lecher at heart, she was particularly in love with
one light skinned black boy she saw on TV, but Little Zeek wouldn't find
that out until she had him in her clutches.

When Auggie, Zeek and the bus did show up two hours later, Auggie and Zeek
were `mellow', but not enough that they would go into town to the airport
riding in a bus with a muddy, dirty ass end. Jeb to the boy's rescue by
driving somewhere on the farm and returning with a pressure cleaner; that
made the work fun and the dogs loved charging the spray and trying to steal
it before it stopped squirting as soon as one set tooth to the wand. They
didn't know about how the trigger worked -- yet.

Jeb gave Trasker a list of 20 men he wanted transferred from Redlands South
to the new farm. Obviously the 20 were some of the best black
workers. Trasker, Auggie and Zeek had talked about the growing population
living on Redlands in advance. While Auggie could well afford to be
compassionate, Trasker argued that he was running a business; an
agribusiness and the deadwood had to go. So Zeek helped Trasker produce a
list of his own that Jeb could pick from that included blacks and many
whites; all Bligh relatives, some of which were third and fourth cousins;
`wood pile relations'. None were known as being particularly industrious
because they were too used to receiving handouts; on the Redlands payroll
simply because they were born there and/or they were Bligh relatives.

In the end, Trasker allowed Jeb to keep 10 of the men he wanted who would
be supervising any number or all of the single men on Trasker's list to be
transferred without discussion or argument. Those would be put to work
doing manual labor like hand digging postholes for the miles of fencing
required. Farm buildings needed new roofs, there was siding to be replaced
and every building needed to be painted. Long time fallow fields had to be
cleared of encroaching bushes and young trees including roots so they could
be plowed and planted in the spring and the same needed to be done in the
designated timber areas to eliminate competition with valuable
timber. Trasker told Jeb that the new men would build their own temporary
living quarters while the ten supervisors and their families would occupy
the existing cottages and all of the primary work would be done by hand to
begin with.

Jeb was beginning to think that he was going to be the main overseer of a
slave plantation until Trasker told him that any of the men, white or
black, who didn't measure up or `cut the mustard' according to Jeb's high
standards could be fired and if he wished, replaced by anyone who lived in
the area who wanted to work and Jeb approved of. That drew a pleased grin
from Jeb.

Word that the old Grigsby plantation was going to become a farm once again
had begun to spread. Jeb had already had job applicants who were desperate
to find work locally; one boy walked and two others rode bicycles while
others drove out together or with parents. Trasker was not planning to
continue to provide housing like his uncle Auggie did, so new hirers would
necessarily have to live in the area already or find homes locally.

As they were boarding the bus that afternoon, Trasker asked Jeb to pick out
a site close to a road and order all the equipment to build a lumber mill
just like the one Jeb ran at Redlands South. Auggie blinked in surprise,
"The hell you say, since when in tarnation do we have a lumber mill at
Redlands?"

Trasker shrugged, "Since about three months ago. Timber sawn into lumber is
more valuable and profitable than selling logs. Like all of the new siding,
the fence posts and fence boards will come from our own mill and I've hired
a buyer to buy us more timber from our neighbors who love to save on
shipping and we get a better deal."

"ARE WE THERE YET?" Dooby screamed from inside the bus as a hint to Trasker
and Auggie that it was time to get on the road to the airport.

"Where at's my cane, Logan boy? I'm fixin' to redden Dooby boy's ass."

"You're leaning on it," Logan was happy to reply.

######

"Is this a pet friendly hotel?" Stevie thought to ask Carson as everyone
was climbing from one of two rented SUVs in the David parking lot.

"How should I know, I was focused on the business and the building not the
house rules," Carson answered with a red face.

"Bullshit, you were focused on Andy Candy and his shorts when you stayed
here, but I must admit, you have excellent taste," Logan said.

"I'll show you how Gramps takes ours into his restaurants if you guys have
your sunglasses with you," Dooby volunteered Charlie's solution.

Two minutes later, Auggie said, "Zeek an' me will go first," he waved his
roll of long green, "I believe cash money also works wonders on house
rules," he prophesied.

Carson was on his phone with Andy who was out of sight of the lobby because
both the owners, Moe and Curly were working the front desk themselves. They
wanted to meet the party who had paid double the holiday rate to rent a
suite through Christmas. This was one guest that they would do almost
anything to satisfy. They already moved a couple out of the suite using the
excuse that they had a double booking that predated theirs but offered
complimentary dinners during the couple's stay as compensation.

Stevie, Logan and of course the twins, Kevin and Kyle were chosen to wear
sunglasses and hold a dog's leashes. Stevie and Logan were really into
their dramatic rolls; taller Stevie stared at the ceiling and Logan kept
his eyes mostly down on his toes. They only looked forward to see where
they were going. Kevin and Kyle couldn't stop laughing together and playing
bumper cars by shouldering anyone close enough or each other. Their
borrowed sunglasses were a bit too large and one bump too many dislodged
Kyle's, the lost glasses barely touched the floor when Little Mattie
snatched them up in her mouth and of course wouldn't give them back while
trying to keep them away from four-legged Little Zeek until Kevin just
handed him his pair to stop the fight.

Curly and Moe's initial attention was on Auggie and the size of the bank
roll he was peeling $100 bills from. Auggie stopped at 15 and pushed them
forward across the counter, "For the inconvenience," he explained with the
toss of his thumb over his shoulder at the boys and the `service' dogs that
weren't.

Moe and Curly's eyes bugged slightly as they traveled over and up and down
Mr. Bligh's entourage. There was just one tiny, itty-bitty question when
they settled on the twins. Auggie answered that question before it was
asked by pointing at the $1500, "That there says ever one is 18 years old,"
he attested.

Moe and Curly quickly decided that whether the boys, were or weren't 18,
each and every one of them would be stunning additions to the bathing suit
free roof top swimming pool. So much so Moe and Curly planned to attend as
soon as the bouncer on duty up there advised that one or all were taking a
swim and getting some sun.

Moe summoned Andy to take a stack of extra towels up to the bridle suite
and while he was up there, scope out the new guests so they wouldn't
accidentally be bounced from the rooftop or the club that evening or any
other time, as official David Hotel electronic key card holding
guests. They agreed that Mr. Bligh and his bankroll had exceptional taste
in boys, correction, certainly not boys - young men, and the presence of
four half grown Labrador puppies was never an issue for the goggle eyed
hotel owners.

The twins were about to take the dogs down for a run on the beach just
about the time Andy arrived with extra towels because there weren't enough
housekeepers. Andy said they couldn't because no dogs were allowed. The
dogs wouldn't be allowed in the hotel pools either because of health
regulations and probable guest complaints if there were no
regulations. Dooby to the rescue; "I know where we all can go where the
dogs can run or swim and we can get comfortable in privacy. We'll go to
Tony's new house over on the Halifax River. If I go to one of these pools,
I'll be recognized definitely and maybe you guys will too. We found out the
last time we were here that just about every guest watches our shows so you
guys will be up for `grabs' too, and the twins could start a riot if
they're with us."

Andy agreed with Dooby's assumptions if they stayed at the David, so they
dropped their bags and went back downstairs to the trucks with a wave at
Moe and Curly in the lobby. Of course the partners nearly had a double
coronary when they were seen leaving so suddenly. Then they asked Andy
where the four dogs came from. Of course Carson stayed behind with Andy so
they could spend time together since he was scheduled to work the roof top
pool where their obvious friendship was unlikely to be noticed.

Also, when Flynn found out that Chef Fong had over 50 years' experience
cooking around the world, he begged Andy for an introduction so Chef Fong
might allow him to learn something of real Chinese cooking while they were
staying at the David. So Flynn became Flynn Ting, the third member of Lyle
Ting's growing family and Flynn became the only Caucasian face in the
wholly Chinese kitchen.

Then after Flynn enjoyed a sampling of what the kitchen staff ate on a
daily basis, he called Stevie to suggest that everyone dine Chinese that
evening as a rare treat and screw the Continental menu. After Auggie and
the others agreed, calls to the local Asian market and the fish monger went
out and a worker was dispatched to pick up the additional food orders.

An impromptu pool party required party supplies so they stopped at the
beachside Publix Market, a major upscale player in the southeastern
states. Ryan went in to buy beer, soft drinks for the kids, and ice for the
coolers, Little Zeek shopped for enough snacks to party for a week and
Dooby went in to tour the store.

Since Spelling's and Publix weren't competitors, Dooby looked around until
he found a young man who was wearing a necktie and who was working at
resetting a main aisle endcap on a Saturday afternoon. He was proud to dig
out one of his seldom displayed business cards that announced that he was a
Spelling's Market, Vice President of Media Marketing. Cory was the only
other Vice President to hold that title and together, they were Spelling's
official faces and voices.

Raymond, the Publix Manager on Duty, looked at Dooby's card then at Dooby
and grinned. While he hadn't seen the regionally broadcast cooking show, he
admitted that he watched the late night `almost adults only' show regularly
so once again Dooby was recognized and Ray began looking around to see if
Dooby had any of his friends with him. Dooby said Zeek could be found in
the deli section shopping for cheeses and fresh dips, in the cracker aisle
and/or wherever the junk food was located, and Ryan was buying beer, soda
and ice, while Dooby asked if he was allowed to tour the store while he
waited.

Dooby was not only allowed, Raymond conducted the tour including the back
room and quick looks in the butcher shop, the bakery and the deli's
backroom where hair nets were required. Along the way, Ray asked what Dooby
was doing in Daytona Beach. Dooby admitted that they were buying an ocean
front condo called the Acropolis but he did not mention the David Hotel.

Ray did that by saying that he frequented a hot night spot in the hotel
next door to the Acropolis so he knew about the condos. Ray only mentioned
the night club because he knew Dooby was underage, didn't know Daytona
Beach and was unlikely to know the club was gay. Then Ray asked, "Is your
new condo on the ocean or the Halifax River side?"

Dooby realized that Ray misunderstood. "Um, actually, Cory and I are going
to joint venture with two partners and buy the whole building..."

"Dooby, come on, the damn ice is melting!" Zeek called from the exit doors.

Dooby hurriedly shook Ray's hand and thanked him for the in depth store
tour. He added over his shoulder as he ran to catch up to the guys and the
party supplies, "If I see you tonight in the David, I'll introduce you to
the guys and we'll buy you a drink!"

Of course Dooby did not think about calling Barry and Kevin, the two
Embry-Riddle students who were currently Tony's live-in night watchmen and
future roommates until they were about to pull into the driveway and saw
three cars in addition to Barry's and Kevin's. It turned out that there was
already a Saturday afternoon pool party in progress with five other ERU
students in addition to Barry and Kevin. The college students were
frantically searching for their shorts or bathing suits when the boys and
dogs arrived at the Intracoastal side of the house where the pool was
located.

Dooby demonstrated that suits were unnecessary by being the first to strip
since he alone managed to avoid carrying any of the party supplies. Barry
and Kevin where concerned that they would get in trouble for having a few
friends over to swim, but Dooby assured them that it was their home and
Dooby and company were the uninvited party crashers although they were
adding food and drink to the party.

The conversation was interrupted at that point when the guys ganged up on
Dooby and tossed him into the pool in return for his lack of help but he
did manage to help the dogs by calling them to the shallow end so they
could see where the steps were. Then when Ryan was handing out drinks, he
offered the ER students beers. They all refused except Kevin and Barry;
they were scheduled to work at the airport so they could drink but the
other five were scheduled to fly to get more flight hours on their books so
they couldn't.

"Trasker's plane is parked in front of Tony's hanger, so if you have time
tomorrow maybe you could give it a bath and clean up the inside just like
you did for Tony's plane?" Dooby suggested to the working guys with
Trasker's consent.

"Sure, but if you'd called, we would have opened Tony's hanger and you
could have parked it inside," Kevin said.

"Nope," Dooby answered, "it wouldn't fit."

That comment got the ER fly boy's attention. They were so dedicated to
flying; their cars had `STAR FLEET ACAMDEMY' in addition to Embry-Riddle
decals in their rear car windows. "Wouldn't fit, what is it?" Barry asked
cautiously. When he found out that it was a Gulfstream G-650, he looked
like he was going to faint and or cum on the pool deck. "Is there any
chance that we can go onboard and look around?" He asked weakly as he was
surrounded by his fellow fly boy junkies to hear the answer and hopefully
be included in the tour.

Trasker nodded and giggled, "I expect if y'all give the inside a quick
swipe you'll have to go aboard, and tomorrow after work and practice
flyin', if y'all are free, the pilots will take you up for a test ride for
an hour or two."

"All of us?"

"Yup, I think a maximum of 12, if you got a few more friends who might be
interested. Then after you land, you could gas it up so we're ready to go
sometime on Monday afternoon if you would," Trasker suggested as if he
didn't know the answer.

An hour later, Little Zeek begged Dooby to place an order with Justa Pizza
so early supper wouldn't conflict with the promised Chinese dinner. Then
when Kevin and Barry were walking through the house with Dooby, Kevin
volunteered some information about Trasker's G-650. He said he didn't know
if it was a coincidence but a new G-650, cost in the neighborhood of $65
million. Dooby shrugged, "I think they bought it used," he simply said but
he too was impressed.

At first Moe and Curly were outraged to discover that the Bligh party was
eating Chinese food in their restaurant as if they were unaware that the
entire kitchen staff was Chinese, until they were informed that Mr. Bligh
had brought along his own chef. Chef Flynn had simply put on his white
coat, entered the kitchen and began watching and learning the preparation
of the traditional 10 course dinners and when other guests in the dining
room saw the unique feast; they started a trend by ordering the same thing
even though it couldn't be found on the menu.

By then Andy had fed Moe and Curly the information that Mr. Bligh was the
founder of the Bligh Media Group and its Chairman of the Board of
Directors. Also present was Bligh Media's President and Chief Executive
Officer, while the rest of the young men were regulars on Bligh's late
night, almost adult cable TV series that very few gay men missed watching
unless one happened to be in a coma. The lights dawned after digesting that
tidbit. That was why the boys looked so familiar; they just weren't
recognized because they were wearing clothes!

The two boys they didn't recognize were the delicious looking twins whom
they considered the ultimate in looks and grace as they moved their chairs
to accept four complete diced steak dinners and then actually disappear
under the table with the plates briefly and then reappear without the
plates. (The four `other' guests still required some initial supervision at
dinner time to be sure each got their fair share of food.) Such
eccentricities could always be ignored when dealing with very, very rich
guests at the David Hotel; a phenomenon that to their knowledge hadn't
happened before.

Andy thought Moe and Curly had finally gone off the deep end when they
began looking around the dining room at the other guests, and then up at
the security cameras in the ceiling, before they rushed off to the
office. He found them pouring over the guest registration list. "Who are
you guys looking for?" He asked with an amused grin.

"Has anyone asked you to tap into our CCTV system?" Moe answered with a
question before he explained; "We think Mr. Bligh might have brought along
a production crew to film a show segment right here at our hotel. That's
the only reason he would be here that we can think of."

"You know like a real, reality show," Curly added.

Andy tried but couldn't keep from laughing. "That sounds like de ja vu all
over again," he said. When he got blank stares for his famous Yogi Bara
quote, he answered, "And no, no one asked about using our cameras, which is
a good thing since the CCTV system has been busted for over a year and no
one in this room has gotten around to having it fixed, YET," he said
sarcastically

######

Scott and his production crew had been at Newark's Liberty International
Airport since dawn. Deacon drove Charlie, Laura and Cory and of course the
pups. Everyone was watching a special chartered freight aircraft that was
designed and used to transport animals; primarily race horses from track to
track as race seasons closed and others opened. Saturday morning, the jet
was transporting a total of six animals, six birds, two handlers and
Dr. Mark Hudson, DVM, from Washington State to Newark, New Jersey.

A special lowboy semi-tractor trailer was standing by with two pickup
trucks. The pickup that was to lead the semi had a special extra tall whip
antenna with a red flag at the tip to be certain the DOT approved route to
High View Farm had sufficient clearance. The chase pickup had a caution
banner across its tailgate that said `CAUTION TALL LOAD'. "Wow Dad, I'm
sure glad this zoo is a joint venture," Cory said with a laugh, "I don't
think I could afford it by myself."

"These goddamn animals just better get along with our deer, that's all I've
got to say," Charlie warned out loud, but really prayed silently.

The small audience was surprised when the whole front of the monster jet
opened to reveal the cavernous lighted interior and a pair of giraffe heads
peeked out curiously. "Well," Mark said to the animals, "we're here, go out
there and get a breath of fresh air before we ride in that truck to our new
home." It was obvious that the giraffes were listening to Mark standing
between them because both had their necks bent so their heads were just
above Mark's and both were looking at him. Then without saying more, he
walked down the ramp without looking back at the giraffes. He didn't need
to; the pair was following him while they looked around the airport with
the advantage of height.

"You're just like Dooby," Cory accused Mark, "he always tries to look his
deer in the eyes and show some affection somehow. I don't know how he does
it, but it works."

"Yup," Mark agreed. He pointed up, "This pretty lady is Emily and this
charmer is Olivia," he introduced the tall docile animals standing just
behind him.

The handlers brought out the zebra pair and the camels. Amazingly, all six
stood near Mark and the handlers quietly, although the zebra and camels
were wearing halters. Kim and Khloe the zebra and Mildred and Elsie the
camels, all seemed to know their names as well and all six animals made
short work of five pounds of carrots that Mark asked Cory to bring along to
the airport so Charlie, Laura and Cory would also be recognized as friends
of the hand raised wild animals who were born in captivity through no fault
of their own.

While Deacon held Laurie and Chuckie on their leads back near the limo, the
dogs were frantic to meet the new animals and began to whine and pull when
Deacon wouldn't allow them to get closer. The pitiful sounds got all
animal's attention and since the giraffes weren't on leads, they walked the
short distance to investigate. Emily and Olivia bent their heads way down
to sniff the pups. The pups sniffed the soft muzzles back and administered
a quick greeting kiss. The giraffes responded with their very long
prehensile tongues to return the kisses that nearly engulfed the dog's
heads with giraffe slobber and for good measure; Emily gave Deacon a
similar kiss before she lifted her head again.

"Wow, that went well," Mark said with a giggle. "You may as well bring them
over to meet the rest of the girls before we get them loaded on the truck,"
he suggested.

The camels only gave the pups a cursory sniff; they seemed more aloof but
the zebras were more like the deer with sniffs that also included asses for
future reference in identification. The pups were so excited their whole
bodies were wagging.

Last off the giant plane and the first to be loaded into the extra tall box
trailer were two separate crates that contained the ostriches and the
emus. Mark explained that while birds recognized the handlers who fed them;
they were not as intelligent as the other animals and tended to be easily
frightened and more defensive; they could kick the crap out of a perceived
threat or run like scat if they ever escaped within the airport.

Then just before the animals were loaded, Mark and the handlers got out
custom blankets for the zebra and giraffes to wear in the unheated
trailer. The animals were already accustomed to the blankets but the
difficulty in putting them on was proportional to the height of the
animal. When Mark stretched up to close the strap around Emily's neck
Olivia used her tongue to search his body for something.

"We don't have any more carrots so get your tongue out of my pocket," he
told Emily.

"Yeah we do," Cory answered as he ran back to the truck, "We bought five
more pounds, if it's alright to feed them more."

Of course when the dogs saw the animals eating the orange things, they
begged until Deacon, `the soft touch' gave them each one. He thought that
they would just consider them to be toys but they fooled him by lying down
by the zebra, placing the carrot between their paws and then chewing off
chunks, which they really chewed before they swallowed.

######

Ms. Bess and Marsha had been in a `dither' since Dooby called them Saturday
afternoon to ask if he could bring by Auggie Bligh and some of his friends
that had appeared with he and Cory on TV, any time on Sunday that was most
convenient for the women. Dooby also wanted her to meet Carson and Andy the
proposed condo sales and management team.

While Ms. Bess frantically organized a catered luncheon, it was Marsha who
thought up a scheme to make their very own home movie of the event. Her
plan was centered on the large unused pool and deck that was built on top
of the parking structure that jutted out beyond the building toward the
ocean, three stories above the beachside bulkhead; a very private place
since the apartments that looked down on the pool were vacant.

Ms. Bess didn't understand what Marsha was suggesting until Marsha wheeled
her down to the pool deck and pointed back at the three closed circuit
security cameras that had been mounted under the first balcony. Then
Ms. Bess understood.

Ms. Bess had successfully taken over the development corporation,
trespassed the builder/developer and changed all the common area locks,
including the building's security office from which all the CCTV cameras
were controlled, monitored and specific recordings were made if necessary
from the 72 hour loop recorders. When Ms. Bess and Marsha first visited the
security room they had fun playing with the cameras at first. Most could be
moved and zoomed remotely, but there was nothing to see in the empty
building or around the exterior. Nothing to see until Ms. Bess invited the
boys to use the pool and the brand new complete recreation facilities that
adjoined the pool.

Ms. Bess gave Marsha a crash course in operating individual cameras. Since
the lunch was catered; Marsha would have nothing to do up in the penthouse
from 11:00 A.M. until 1:00 PM when lunch would be served in the lounge
adjacent to the pool deck. Meanwhile Ms. Bess would entertain Mr. Bligh in
the penthouse with the catering staff's help while hopefully the boys would
entertain themselves in and around the pool.

The women correctly assumed the boys would be happy and content if endless
drinks and snacks were available to them along with sun and sparkling pool
water. They prayed that the boys would be so happy and content, they just
might remove their bathing suits and swim and sun in the nude just like
they did regularly at home in the Keys. The only difference was; Marsha
would be in control of the three cameras on the deck and more that watched
the interior spaces while permanent recordings were made.

######

After a phone call from Auggie to Jimmy Chambers Sunday morning, two blank
bank checks made out to Harold DuBois II were sent to Daytona Beach by
private courier from the main Chambers bank in Georgia. Dooby was to use
the checks by filling in the final numbers to purchase the David real
estate from the bank, the current owner, and then use the second check to
buy the business from Moe and Curly. The two checks would become negotiable
after Dooby endorsed them over to the two sellers respectively.

Two of the bank's representatives were from their real estate division
while the third man was a senior vice president who could actually approve
the sale. The bank, et al, was confident they could sell the property for
at least the amount they had invested, if not make a profit when they saw
Carson, a recent college graduate as the one and only negotiator,
representing Dooby, a high school boy, the alleged buyer. Auggie elected
not to attend the meeting because he had every confidence in Carson's
abilities and if he was present the bankers would consider him the actual
buyer no matter what Carson and Dooby said to the contrary.

The only reason the bankers didn't shit in their pants as Carson forecast
was that they were young enough to control their sphincters when he counter
offered during the opening gambit. The bankers argued that the commercial
hotel property was fully leased and therefore profitable.

"No, the business that leases the property from you has all the rooms
leased for the holiday season..." Dooby corrected.

"That business is profitable because you leased it to them to keep it off
your foreclosed property list while your actual dollar return barely pays
the property taxes," Carson stated.

"Is hiding a foreclosed property from us stockholders entirely legal?"
Dooby questioned Carson most innocently using his award winning actor's
mode as if the bankers weren't present or couldn't hear the question.

Carson shrugged, "I'm not sure but it is a question you should raise at the
next stockholders meeting. If they're hiding one property, it's logical
that they're hiding others."

"Maybe I should just call Bloomberg Business Reports, they would know, or
maybe they could investigate," Dooby, the picture of wonder and continued
innocence said.

"Enough," the vice-president declared, "This IS a cash deal?" he questioned
to confirm. Dooby took the first Chambers bank check from the back of his
legal pad and smoothed it out unnecessarily before he clicked his
Bic. "Close the goddamn deal," the VP said before he left the conference
room quietly if somewhat abruptly.

Buying the hotel business closed just about as smoothly. Carson and Dooby
offered Moe and Curly a very fair price for the business, the building
contents, and the good will factor and included the business receipts until
midnight December 31 if they vacated that day. He pointed out the
alternative was for Dooby, the building's new owner, was to commence
eviction proceedings, which would leave the partners with nothing to show
for their investment, plus if the building was physically damaged in any
way in the interim, he assured them they could look forward to a
multimillion dollar lawsuit on the inevitable eviction day.

The sale was finalized by signing an agreement that Carson hurriedly
scrawled on Dooby's legal pad while Dooby filled in the amount on the
second check and then turned it over and signed his name. The men were far
from being upset by the forced sale; they seemed relieved because they knew
that when the economy improved, the building would be sold out from under
them anyway and they most likely couldn't afford the increased rent.

Moe stopped by Andy long enough to tell him that he could stop in anytime
to collect his things from Moe's house. With that being said, the partners
left the building holding hands while they argued about which house they
were going to live in. All without looking back to see Dooby removing the
grass hula skirt from a smaller real marble version of the `David' statue
that dominated the lobby.

When the twins found out that everything that smacked of Polynesia was to
be removed and tossed out, Kevin climbed to sit on Kyle's shoulders to
reach a bunch of `shrunken' heads made from coconut husks that were hanging
so they gazed at the registration desk. They had no intention of throwing
them out; they planned to present them to Ms. May-Ellen as a `thank you'
gift for all her help.

That was just before Kevin put the treasures on a sofa instead of out of
dog reach. Dooby ended the great chase and the dog's faster, great escape
by offering the twins the hula skirt for Ms. May-Ellen without knowing her
size or shape. The other guys covered their mouths or turned away so the
kids wouldn't see them laughing until Logan returned from the dining room
with another skirt he stripped from a statue in there and suggested that
Mattie could get someone to sew the two skirts together so the gift would
fit Ms. May-Ellen all the way around her waist.

Dooby waited until noon on Monday when he knew Cory would be eating lunch
to call and confess what he'd done. He called Charlie on Sunday to say
Trasker's plane had developed mechanical problems so he wouldn't be home
until sometime Monday afternoon. Of course Auggie also called Charlie to
explain the real reason and assure him and Cory that he would oversee the
property sales and why they were necessary, but Dooby didn't know
that. Cory was delighted but of course Dooby didn't know that either.

"Hello?"

"Hey Cory, it's me Dooby!

"Dooby who?"

"Don't tell me you're pissed off because I got out of school today. You
aren't mad at me for that are you?"

"Nope, not until you tell me how much we have to pay to fix Trasker's plane
that I know YOU BROKE on purpose, you lucky bastard."

"Well, we don't have to pay Trasker anything because the plane wasn't
broken, but we do have to pay Auggie for something I bought in Daytona
Beach, ah, that is, I used Auggie's money to buy so we have to pay him
back." Cory heard Dooby fill his lungs to better blurt his confession, "I
bought us the David property and the hotel business. Don't worry Carson was
with me the whole time. He calls me a mean mother fuckin' negotiator and he
says I can't sit on his side of the table anytime. I think we should make
Andy the general manager and let him build his own management organization
and make up a list of renovations and changes since he knows the place.

"I also introduced Ms. Bess to Auggie at a party Ms. Bess and Marsha had
for us. Ms. Bess isn't upset with us for being gay after she met the rest
of the guys and realized that we're mostly as normal as everyone else in
the world. Ms. Bess also likes Carson and approves of him to be our sales
manager and the condo manager after he begins to sell something."

"Oh by the way, did my giraffes arrive okay? Are you keeping them away from
Laura and Gramps's bedroom windows like we promised?"

"I thought you were going to Athens. Are you in Daytona Beach? And what
giraffes are you talking about? Are you on drugs?" Cory demanded.

"Yes of course I'm in Daytona, haven't you been listening?" Dooby was
becoming frustrated.

"You just better hurry home from wherever you think you are and by the time
you get here I'll have the best head shrinker in the country on standby to
check your sorry ass out. Check that I meant your head not your ass. Oops,
that was the bell, now you made me late for class without having any
lunch!"

Cory heard Dooby stuttering, "But, but, but," as he disconnected.

"That went quite well," Cory said to his book bag wearing a satisfied grin.

#######