Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 18:56:45 -0500
From: kenlou16 <kenlou16@yahoo.com>
Subject: Nudist Camp Vacation - Chapter 21

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The usual stuff applies.  This story is Copyright 2005, by the author
represented by the email address, kenlou16@yahoo.com.  Please don't read it
if it isn't legal for you to do so.  Also, if you don't like reading about
gay stuff, then what on Earth are you doing reading this?

Because of the volume of emails I've been receiving, I'll only answer an
email if you ask a question or request an answer.  However, all questions
and requests will be answered!  (Who am I kidding?  I answer ALL emails!)

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Dedication:

There is one person in particular who has written to me and touched my
heart.  In his youth, he suffered from abuse much like Stevey did in this
story.  It is to Rick B. that I dedicate this story.

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TO NCV READERS:

I'M BACK!!!!!  Thanks for being patient, and a very special thanks to those
who took the time to write to me, especially Gardner.  I know almost all of
my responses were short, but I'm sure you understand.  Your kind words and
wishes mean a lot to me.  I love you all!

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God never allows a door to close without opening a window.

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FROM THE END OF CHAPTER 20:

"Andy, I hate to burden you like this, but there's something else.  Did you
hear about that pedophile that was shot by a cop?"

"Yes, of course.  Why?"

"He'd been molesting Stevey.  It lasted for two years.  When he was
arrested, it sounded like they found a lot of pictures of other boys.  I'm
wondering if there's some connection between that guy and these kidnappers.
It just seems like too much of a coincidence that two child molester
pedophiles would come out of nowhere and kidnap Stevey.  They drove off a
highway onto a lightly used local road and into an obscure driveway.  It
just seems like they knew where to find him.  It seems like they took Paul,
too, just because he was there."

"Oh, my God," he whispered.

A long silence followed.  "Andy?  Are you still there?"

He cleared his throat.  "Sorry, I was thinking.  Listen, I've got some work
to do.  And Alan?  Thanks. . . .  Thanks for calling.  This may be the
break I was looking for."  His voice became tender as he thanked me.

"Break?  What do you mean by `break'?"

He broke the connection without answering.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nudist Camp Vacation CHAPTER 21

I stared at my silent cell phone for a moment.  I guess Tim's curiosity got
the better of him, because he broke my reverie.

"Who's Andy?"

I blinked at him a few times, recovering my senses.  "It's Andy Cooper.
He's an FBI agent."

"FBI???  When did you meet an FBI agent?"  His eyes were bugging.

"Today at DPS headquarters."

"Wha . . . ?  Alan?  What's going on?"

"Sorry.  I haven't had time to fill you in.  Yesterday I got a call from
Inspector Blodgette of the Department of Public Safety."  I snickered.  "I
call him Inspector `Gadget.'  Apparently that's his nickname at DPS, but
only behind his back.  He's investigating Stevey's kidnapping and helping
to put together the case against the kidnappers.  I made an appointment to
see him after my doctor appointment.  I got Carl Winston, my attorney, to
be there with me.  When Carl and I went into the conference room, Agent
Andy Cooper was there, apparently just to listen.  After Inspector Gadget
was through with me and we were about to leave, Andy wanted to talk to me
in private.  It was really odd.  It was as if Andy had known me for a long
time.  Have you ever met someone and you just clicked?"

He looked at me with a smirk and blushed.  "Yeah, I think I have."

I smiled wide and tackled him.  He fell backward onto the bed with me on
top of him and I pressed a deep kiss into his lips.  He started to moan.  I
broke the kiss and continued as if I'd never stopped talking.

"It wasn't the first time I clicked with someone, either, but this was
different.  Anyway, Andy wanted to go to lunch."  Tim grabbed my head and
pulled me back into a kiss, so I grabbed him into a bear hug and started
rolling with him all over the bed.  I wanted him to wrestle, but he let me
gently throw him wherever I wanted.  He never let us break the kiss and we
both ended up stony hard.  We finally ended up with Tim on top of me,
stroking my hair and face.  He finally gave me a few slow, sucking kisses
and looked deeply into my eyes.

"How old is he?  Is he cute?"

I laughed at his persistence.  "About thirty, and he's well beyond cute.
He's gorgeous."

His face dropped.

"But not nearly as gorgeous as you are."  I smiled at him, I hoped,
seductively.

He smiled, seductively.  I guess it worked.  "You better not get any ideas,
mister!"

I smiled back at him and whispered, "My ideas are only about you."  As I
spoke, I grabbed his muscular butt cheeks and started massaging them.
After a moment, Tim started moaning and plowing his wood into my stomach.

"We need to continue this later," I whispered into his ear.  "It's getting
late and I'm hungry."

Tim whimpered and whined, "Okay, but I'm attacking you when we get back to
bed!"

I chuckled.  "I'll be looking forward to it.  I might even have something
special for you."

He looked at me and moaned.  I nearly melted at the look in his eyes.  Such
a raw sex machine, gorgeous, perfect body, and smart, too!  I honestly
don't know what I've done to be so blessed!

As we were cleaning up and getting dressed, Tim asked me, "So, tell me the
rest about Andy."

I looked at him with an impish grin.  "What makes you think there's more?"

Coyly, he looked at me out of the corner of his eye.  "I just think there's
more."  He's beginning to read me just a little too well!

"Okay, there's more.  It seems that the FBI has a file on my company and
me.  I'm guessing it's because of the nature of what we do.  Anyway, he
knew about Robert, but he didn't know about you."

Tim looked at me askance.  "Can they do that?  Can they really keep a file
on someone, even if it's private?"

"Oh, yes!  They can and they do.  They used to keep files on everyone they
knew was gay.  But I seem to remember reading somewhere they have files on
everyone, now."

He looked shocked and frowned.  "That's just like Big Brother in George
Orwell's book, `1984'!"

It was my turn to be surprised.  "You are a reader, aren't you?"

He shrugged.  "How else can you learn about life and how people think if
you've led a sheltered life?"

"True, true.  But, back to Andy.  He let me know he was interested in me,
personally.  Like I said, he didn't know about you, but now he does.  When
I told him who my boyfriend was, he seemed envious."

"Does he know me?"  Tim frowned in thought.  "Wait a minute!  That's the
guy who came to the house after you brought Stevey back home!  You know, he
is kinda cute, in a dark sort of way."  He thought for a moment.  "He
seemed sad, like there was a dark cloud hanging over him."

I shook my head at him.  I'm still surprised at how perceptive he is for
his age.  "He has reason to be sad.  He told me about some of his past in
confidence.  And I get the impression he hasn't been very successful in the
boyfriend department."

"Isn't it kinda strange for an FBI agent to be gay?"

"Yes and no.  There are gays in every walk of life, and I wouldn't be
surprised if there were a lot of other gay FBI agents, but it's quite
unusual for a gay FBI agent to be so willing to confide in a stranger like
Andy did with me.  The FBI is quite homophobic.  We need to keep Andy's
private life to ourselves, to help protect him."

Tim nodded.  He had finished dressing and was watching me from his perch on
the edge of the bed.  "It could be difficult for him."

"More than that, he could lose his job."

"They'd fire him?"

"In a heartbeat.  They're still under the misguided impression that being
gay makes you a security risk.  As more people come out of the closet,
though, it isn't nearly as much of a stigma to be gay as it used to be.
But, there are still too many people out there who would just as soon shoot
you for being gay.  It isn't that long ago that I finally gave up trying to
hide the fact that I'm gay.  I don't care anymore who knows.  I just don't
advertise it."

"Is that why you have the armored Suburban?"

"There are several reasons why I have it, but that is one of them.  As the
owner of a successful business, I've had to fire some people who are, let's
say, not completely stable, and there are other people who're jealous of my
success.  I have had a few threats.  Let's just say the Suburban is
insurance, but I don't like to drive it all the time.  Actually, my board
of directors insisted I get it, and Frank had a lot to do with it, too.
Besides being my investigator, I rely on Frank's advice for security
matters."

"Okay, so back to Andy.  What were you saying about a break?"

"Well, that's puzzling.  I agree with you that there must be some
connection between that Doug guy and the kidnappers, and Andy seems to
agree, too.  I get the feeling he's been working on some similar case, and
Stevey's case could dovetail into it."

"Hmmm."

"Exactly.  I suppose we'll find out for sure eventually, but for now, I'm
famished.  Let's go see if Nell's got anything to eat in the kitchen."

Tim looked at me, thoughtfully.  "Alan?"

He looked and sounded entirely too serious.  I sat beside him on the bed
and kissed his palm.  "What is it?"

His eyes clouded.  "I'm sorry I nearly screwed things up for us.  I love
you so much."

He spoke with such sincerity and emotion, my heart sank and my eyes
flooded.  I hugged him close and whispered, "Tim, please don't.  We learn
from our successes, but more from our mistakes.  If you think you made a
mistake, then learn from it.  But, you did what your heart told you to do.
You love Stevey so much, you wanted to devote all your energy to him.
Don't ever regret that.  I love you, too.  I don't know what I've done to
earn your love, but I'll always cherish it."

By then, tears were streaking my cheeks and he kissed them away.  We kissed
tenderly, deeply, finally bruising each other's lips.  We fell back onto
the bed and wrapped each other in our limbs.  When we had to come up for
air, I buried my face in his silky hair.  Our panting slowly returned to
normal.  I looked into his beautiful dark eyes and let myself fall into
them.  I tumbled, head over heels, never landing, never caring to
land. . . .  I'm hopelessly in love!

Somehow, we made our way downstairs and had something to eat.  What it was
and where it was, I don't remember.  It wasn't long before we returned to
the bedroom and got ready for bed.  I took longer than normal to get ready,
doing a few extra things, so Tim was anxiously waiting form me.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

As I climbed in beside him, we snuggled up to one another.  "There's
something I want you to do for me and something I want to do for you."

He had a concerned look on his face.  "What's that?"

I smiled into his eyes, smoothing the hair out of his eyes and nesting his
head in my hands.  "It's something I wanted to do on the boat, but we
didn't have time. . . .  I want you inside me."

His eyes got big and he slowly smiled.  Then he lost his smile and his eyes
began to cloud.  He cleared his throat and said, "Alan you don't have to do
this."

I smiled at him and whispered, "Yes, I do, but only if you want.  Part of
it is selfish.  I want you to experience everything with me.  The other
part is for you to have the experience."

"Continuing my education?"

I chuckled, "Sort of.  I want you to find out what you like best.  And I
don't want you to be afraid to try new things with me.  But more than that,
I want to feel you inside me."

"Did you and Robert . . ."

"Yes, we did.  He preferred to bottom, and I didn't mind accommodating him.
But I enjoyed giving myself to him, too.  Those are the memories I cherish.
I want to build similar memories with you."

"Won't it be like being with him?  I don't want to remind you of someone
else."

I could see where he was going with this.  He didn't want to be just a
replacement for Robert.

I stroked his hair behind his ears and looked deeply into his eyes.  "Tim,
Robert wasn't the only man I've been with.  There were lots of guys before
I met Robert.  There'll be times that I'll remember what I did with other
guys, too, but there's only one Timothy Smith.  I don't expect that I'll
ever be distracted by a memory when I'm with you."

He seemed satisfied with that and he pulled me into a kiss.  We slowly
prowled over each other's bodies, raising each other to a state of frenzy,
and he prepared me well.  As he was about to align himself, he asked,
"Shouldn't I have a rubber?"

I had to think for a moment to register what he was asking.  "No.  We
haven't been using them because we're both safe.  I trust that you've told
me the truth: that you haven't ever been with anyone else.  I haven't been
with anyone but Robert for about twenty-five years, and I was tested
recently, so I know we're both healthy.  We'll use rubbers later so you'll
know what it's like."  I started lubing him, and he began panting.
"Besides, it can be a turn-on to put a rubber on someone."

He smiled, languidly and moaned.  I wanted to watch his facial expressions
and his muscles flex, so I raised my legs and propped my knees behind my
elbows.  Tim was concentrating on my eyes as he slowly found his target.

It had been longer than I could remember that I had had my crevasse
caressed.  I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed the sensations.  He
entered slowly, allowing me to become accustomed to the stretching as he
fed me a fraction of an inch at a time.  For one so young, he seemed to
have infinite patience.  Once he was finally all the way in, he rested
there, panting.  Selfishly, I let him rest, motionless, while I enjoyed the
sensations of his presence within me.

His expression would change slightly with every breath.  I watched the
flexing of his chest and stomach muscles as he breathed in and out.  What
can I say?  It turns me on!  Finally, without my encouragement, he began
short and slow movements of his pelvis.

For some reason, I've always loved it when my lover moves only his pelvis.
When he uses his legs and back, it just isn't the same.  Tim is a natural
pelvis rocker.  As he increased the length and speed of his stroke, his
muscles flexed more and more.  Just watching him, I was in Heaven.

Some rapturous time later, when I realized I was beyond any hope of holding
back, I realized he'd been pounding my prostate.  I reached up to him and
pulled to my chest, finding his mouth with mine.  He put his arms behind my
shoulders, still rocking from his hips.  I reached down to tweak his
nipples.  The slight change in angle put even more pressure on my prostate.
I felt myself slipping over the edge just as we both screamed into each
other's mouth.  I could feel his hot lava blasting my guts as my own was
plastering our bellies.

We both whimpered and wheezed our relief as he collapsed onto my chest.  I
relaxed my legs, but he stayed inside me as we panted into each other's
hair.  With my arms free, I slowly brushed his back, hugging him to me.

As our breathing returned to normal, Tim softened and popped out of the
place that had so welcomed him.  I complained with a whimper at the loss of
his attendance, but captured him between my thighs.

I gazed into his dark eyes and asked, "Well, what do you think?"

He was still breathing heavily.  "I think . . . I love you!"

I chuckled and whispered, "I love you, too, Timmy."

He smiled wide.  "A few years ago, I thought I was too old to be called
`Timmy.'  Mom still calls me that, sometimes.  But I never realized how
much I miss being called that."

"If you ever get tired of hearing me call you `Timmy,' then tell me.  But
in the office, you'll always be `Tim.'"

He smiled and looked deeply into my eyes.  "As for what we just did, it was
totally awesome!  I've never felt anything like that before!"

I smiled in satisfaction.  "I'm glad you liked it.  I'll wait `til later to
ask you what you like best, but that doesn't mean we have to be locked into
any one thing.  We can always do whatever you want."

"What about you?  What do you like best?"

"I like anything with you."  I hugged him tighter.

He chuckled.  "No, really!  It isn't just me.  What do you like?"

I smiled.  He was genuinely interested in pleasing me.  "I'm what people
call `versatile.'  I like just about everything, but there are times I like
some things better than others.  It depends on my mood and the moment."

He smiled and groaned.  "Maybe we can set up a dart board with different
things on it."

I laughed.  "Yeah, and we can take turns throwing a dart at it!  It can
have things like top, bottom, rimmer, rimmee, sucker, suckee, things like
that!"

He laughed, too.  "Oh, and the bull's eye can be that you get to do
whatever you want to the other guy!  Like tie `im up and have your way with
him!"  He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

In mock horror, I said, "Tim!  I didn't know you were into bondage!"

He blushed.  "I'm not!  I just thought it could be a choice."

Ignoring his denial, I asked, "Do you think you'd prefer to tie me up, or
be tied up, yourself?"

"Well, both, I guess."  He was as red as I'd ever seen him.  I smiled.
It'll be interesting to see where this leads, later.  I could feel Tim
hardening between my legs.  I chuckled and hugged him tightly.  "You're
full of surprises!  That kind of thing takes a lot of trust.  We can try it
sometime, if you want."

"Okay," he whispered.

I was holding him tightly and caressing his cheek with my lips.  As I
squeezed him with my thighs, he moaned.  All this talk about sex had
rejuvenated his libido.  He was ready for round two.

The next morning, I awoke to a soft kiss on my forehead.  As I opened my
eyes and focused on my dark-eyed angel, he whispered, "Go back to sleep.
I'm off to work."  I hadn't heard the alarm.

"Mmm," I said as I grabbed him into a hug.  "Love you," I murmured.

He chuckled.  "Love you, too," he whispered.  "See you tonight."

"Mmm, hmm."

Before we had surrendered to sleep, he had left me quite satisfied.  If my
impression was correct, he was as well.  The sun was assaulting the drapes
when I awoke some time later.  Remembering that I was to "rest," I groaned
out loud.  Slowly, deliberately, I went about my morning ritual,
reluctantly washing the scent of sex from my body.

The morning went by, slowly, and I was about to satisfy my longing for
something to do by getting online and checking my email at work, when the
phone rang.  I picked it up before it finished the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Alan!  It's Stevey!"  He was whispering.

"Well hello, my little cherub!  How are you this morning?"

He giggled, nervously.  "Alan?  Do I have to go to my appointment, today?"

I had expected him to have cold feet.  "Stevey, you promised.  You know she
can't hurt you, and she can make you feel much better.  Why don't you want
to see her?"

"I don't know," he whined.  "I just don't want to talk about it."

"Are you afraid she'll find out something about you?"

A long silence ensued.  I waited him out.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Are you afraid to find out something about yourself?"

"Huh?"

"You may have to think about some things you don't want to think about, but
you'll have to talk about them, first.  Is that what scares you?"

"Yeah, I guess that's it.  Alan, I can talk to you about stuff.  I can say
things I couldn't say to anyone else."

"Stevey, do you want me to go with you?"

"Yeah!  Could you?" he said excitedly.

I chuckled to try to take the edge off his tension.  "Yeah, I'll go with
you.  What time's your appointment?"

"Two o'clock."

"Where is it?"

"It's somewhere in south Austin."

"Can you put your dad on the phone?"

"Yeah, just a minute."

I had a hunch they didn't know he called me.  I heard him say, "Dad, Alan's
on the phone.  He wants to talk to you."

"Hello, Alan?  I didn't hear the phone ring."

"Hi, Tom.  Stevey called me.  He's getting cold feet about seeing the
counselor.  He wants me to go along for moral support.  What do you think?"

He was silent for a moment.  "If that's what it'll take to get him there,
then I'm all for it."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I am.  Rita and I discussed you quite a bit last night.  I'm sure
your ears were burning.  We feel as if an angel brought you to us to help
Stevey."  It sounded like he was getting a little choked up.  He cleared
his throat and continued.  "Alan, we'll never be able to repay you for what
you've done for us, and you keep helping.  I just don't know what to say."

"Tom, other than a sister I haven't spoken with for years, the only family
I have is distant cousins.  I hope you don't mind that I've adopted your
family.  My motives are entirely selfish.  I need someone to love.  Just
tell me if I ever overstep my bounds."

"I don't think there's any chance of that!  You'll always be welcome,
here."

"Thanks, Tom.  I'll tell you what.  Why don't I come pick you up at one
o'clock?  Stevey tells me his appointment is at two.  That should give us
plenty of time."

"Great!  And Alan? . . . Thanks."

"Don't mention it.  And Tom, I mean it.  Don't mention it!"

"Th . . .  Uh, see you at one."

I chuckled.  "See you then."

As I hung up the phone, I looked at the clock.  It was just after twelve.
As I went upstairs and changed into something more suitable, several things
went through my mind.  I knew Stevey would continue to have a hard time for
a while, and I expected to be needed.  To be needed made me feel oddly
exhilarated.  I only wish it were for other reasons.

But there was new purpose and new meaning in my life.  It wasn't just that
Stevey needed me.  It was Tim.  Tim and his entire family.  My life had
changed so suddenly and completely, and I was grateful for it!

Ever the one to overanalyze, I tested several scenarios.  Would it have
been better not to have met Tim?  Certainly not for me!  My life is so
enriched by him!  If I hadn't met him at the nudist camp, wouldn't I have
met him when he interviewed for the job?  God certainly works in strange
ways!  What about Tim?  Have I enriched him?  It's impossible for me to
know for sure.  He seems happy with me, though.  Would he be better off
with someone else?  Again, I'll never know.  But I do know that he's
incredibly mature for his age!  He'd never be happy with someone who wasn't
at least as mature as he.  Certainly, there's someone his age who could be
just as mature, but what would it take for them to find each other?  I'll
never know that, either.  So much the better for me!

What about Stevey?  Certainly, he's better off, isn't he?  I helped stop
his abuse, but that precipitated his kidnapping.  Who could have foreseen
that?  But I did help rescue him, with the help of Bill, Frank, and all
Frank's friends.  Stevey would have needed this counseling, no matter what.
And Rita and Tom?  What about them?  I've taken their elder son from them,
but he would have moved away from them, anyway.  They did need to know
about Stevey's abuse and now they do.  I suppose you could say that they're
better off than they were when I entered the picture.

Hmm.  With self-analysis, who needs a shrink?  Guffaw!  We all do, from
time to time!

I glanced at my watch.  Time's a-wasting!  I grabbed my wallet and house
keys and hurried to the garage.  The Suburban was missing.  Of course!  I
asked Marty to take it to San Antonio.  He must be there, now, enjoying a
holiday with Joe.  I quickly walked to the "toy box," intending to take the
Hummer, knowing that having to open the door would represent a further
delay and make me late.

The door to the building was unlocked.  That's odd, but I guess it's not a
big problem out here in the country.  As I stepped in, I saw some lights on
in the work area and the overhead door open.  I tentatively shouted,
"Marty?"

There was a ring of a tool dropping to the floor.  "Yeah?  Boss?  Is that
you?"

I walked quickly to the sound of his voice.  "Yes, it's me!  What're you
doing here?  I thought you'd be enjoying some time in San Antonio."

>From under a `57 Chevy Nomad, he said, "I took the Suburban, but I took it
alone.  I towed my own car down there and drove it back.  Joe couldn't go.
The sheriff would have had a problem with it."

"Oh, no.  What's he done now?"

He groaned.  "He's back in jail.  It seems he's had a problem keeping his
pecker in his pants.  He got arrested for indecent exposure in an adult
book store, and he had some coke in his pocket.  It was enough to get him a
charge of dealing.  I've had it with him!  He'll only stop when he's in
prison, and I'm sure that's where he's going, now."

"I'm sorry, Marty."

"Well, I'm not!  At least I'm not tempted by his beautiful body, anymore.
I'm tired of bailing his ass out of jail!  This time I'm tapped, and he can
rot for all I care."

"If it's money you need, I . . ."

"NO!  It'd just be throwing good money after bad!  I mean it!  This is the
last straw, and he knows it!  I told him last time that it'd better BE the
last time, so I'm carrying through on my promise.  Call it `tough love,' or
whatever.  I'm not going through this, again!  Oh, and by the way, here's
your money back."  He dug in his pocket and pulled out a wad of hundred
dollar bills.

I held up my hands.  "Marty, I gave that to you.  Call it a gift or bonus
or whatever, but I intended that for your pleasure.  If you don't want to
use it for Joe's bail, then keep it for something special."

Marty hesitated.  "Thanks, boss.  I can use it to pay off some bills."
Then he muttered, "Remnants of the last time Joe had a scrape with the
law."

"Marty, do you need more?"

He looked at me sadly.  "No.  You shouldn't pay for my mistakes.  By the
way, what're you doing here, all dressed up?  I heard you're supposed to be
taking it easy."

Marty was always skilled at changing the subject.  "I'm going out for a
while.  I'll take the Hummer."

"Okay.  It's all gassed up and ready to go.  I just brought it back."

"Thanks, Marty.  You're a peach!"

"Yeah, yeah!  I'll bet you say that to all the fruits!"

We shared a laugh as I walked toward the Hummer.  I thought of some other
things to say, but none of them were appropriate banter.  I felt I should
hold back a little.  He's probably still hurting a little with Joe's
plight.

I arrived at the Smith's just after one.  When I went into the office, an
unfamiliar face greeted me.  It was a fairly attractive young lady, deeply
tanned and nude.  With her bright red hair, green eyes, and generous
endowment, she could easily have been a painter's model.

"May I help you, sir?" she asked, politely.

"Hi!  I'm here to see the Smith's.  I'm Alan Stuart."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Stuart!  They're expecting you.  I'm Sharon, and I'm pleased
to meet you.  I'll be covering the office while Rita's gone."  She offered
me her hand, and I quickly exchanged a handshake with her.  "Come back this
way, please."

Hmm.  Good manners as well as good looks.  And articulate, too.  No wonder
Rita and Tom didn't seem surprised about Tim with such a comely young lady
around.  He probably didn't register any interest in her.

She led me back to the Smith's living quarters, where Rita and Tom were
sitting and Stevey was standing.  As soon as he saw me, he ran to me and
threw his arms around my middle.

"Alan!  You're here!" he screamed.

I laughed and hugged him back.  "Sure I'm here!  You didn't doubt me, did
you?"

"'Course not!"

Tom leapt to his feet and Rita gracefully climbed to hers.

I looked at Rita and Tom who were smiling at me.  "Howdy, y'all!  Are you
ready to go?"

Tom cheerfully said, "Yup!"

"I thought we'd take my military car.  Is that all right?"

Rita's eyebrows raised.  "Military?"

"Well, it looks military on the outside."  I looked down at Stevey.  "If
everything goes okay, and your folks approve, would you like to see my
collection of cars on the way home?"

Stevey smiled wide.  "WOULD I?"  He looked at his folks, hopefully.  "Can
we?"

Rita smiled at him and brushed the hair from his forehead.  "We'll see."

We piled into the Hummer, Stevey sitting in front, and made our way to the
address Dr. Graves had given Tom.


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To be continued . . . .

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