“I guess you noticed,” Dacey commented. “And you did it pretty well, too.”Then she looked up at him again and with her eyes wide repeated, “Brad, are you really sure you want me to do this?”He nodded once.“Honest?”Again he nodded.“Okay,” she said resignedly, “but if I’m arrested for indecent exposure, you’ll have to bail me out.”“That’s okay,” he replied with a warm grin. “I still have $700 in cash left over from money I brought to bid you in.“Seven hundred dollars!” she exclaimed. “You were prepared to go to $2,200... for me?”“A lot higher than that,” he said quietly, “but I didn’t think it would be necessary.” He paused and then added, “And you know what else? Candace Kane, as much as I expected from today, you’ve far surpassed it. You’re a simply incredible woman.”At that point, Dace picked up her purse. Finding a still area in the pond by the shore, she used it as a mirror to fix her hair. After carefully applying lipstick, she turned to Brad and asked, “Should I put some
Twenty-seven was the girl wearing the sports bra. She put a warm smile on her face, climbed the stairs, went to the emcee at the front of the stage, then walked slowly to her right, turned slowly with her arms raised, then walked back across to the left corner of the stage, ensuring that everyone was able to get a good look. Returning to the emcee, she made a curtsy to the crowd and then threw out her arms.Scoring was being handled by an applause meter borrowed from somewhere. The needle moved to about the halfway mark, hovered there and then sagged back. The girl smiled warmly and took a position at the back of the stage near the steps.One after the other, the next eight girls repeated essentially what the first girl had done. It was clear that each was watching the others to pick up any tips that might result in a higher rating. Their scores, however, were in the lower third of the scale, significantly below the girl in the sports bra.Because of her height, Dace could see across
After again slipping on her shirt, she went back to them and thanked each one. The last girl in line was the one wearing the sports bra. The girl slowly shook her head and said softly, “Miss Kane, not only are you the most beautiful thing on two feet, you’re all class. The most beautiful — and the most charming — girl won. Congratulations!”Dacey didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing.Meanwhile, George Harrison had come up on the stage and took the mike from the emcee. He held up his hands for silence, and the crowd instantly quieted.“Folks, this has been a truly remarkable day. And you know something else? For reasons I’ll give you in a few moments, it’s only right that the big winner today should be Candace Kane. Why is that? Because, had it not been for Dacey, there would have been no picnic today.“Yesterday morning, Bill Miller and I were in my office, and quite honestly we were despondent. You see, we were going over a layoff list that would have been posted yesterday af
As she was about to return to Brad, George gently grabbed her arm and said, “Not quite so fast. There’s one more little thing, so come back here.”The two returned to the rostrum and Morrison announced, “There’s one more thing. I told you how Candace saved the company the way a doctor sometimes saves his patient. Well, she’s a doctor, too ... or soon will be. Late yesterday we received a communication from California Polytechnic Institute in Pasadena. It seems that Miss Candace Kane’s dissertation has been accepted, so she will be awarded the degree of Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the commencement to be held this June.”Turning to her he said, “Dacey, Bill and I really don’t know what to say. So while we’re still thinking about it, here are five more dinner certificates for your collection.” Turning back to the crowd he said, “I’ll tell you one thing for damned sure: Candace Kane is the most beautiful doctor of mechanical engineering in history! And there are no words to describ
Turning to Kim she said, “It’s really awful. When Bill’s fucking me, I’m screaming my lungs out with every obscenity you’ve ever heard, and usually I create a few new ones. I’m really bad.” Then she punched Bill lightly on the arm and said, “And it really puts a crimp in my business, too.”Kim slowly shook her head and then said, “Okay, you’re a prostitute. But what’s that have to do with getting my name changed?” Then to Brad she said, “Effective immediately, there is no more Candace Kane. I’m now Kimberly, and I answer to Kim or Kimmie or ... Oh, hell, Brad. I answer to almost anything that has a ‘K’ in front. What do you think?”“Hmm ... Kimberly Kramer ... I like it. It has real class.” Then to Carol he said, “But what about the rest of it?”“Oh, yeah...” Carol responded looking embarrassed. “I’m also ... a lawyer.”“Oh, dear! You poor thing!” Kim replied with her eyes dancing. “No wonder you’d rather be thought of as a member of an honest profession — a prostitute — rather than..
“Amen to that,” Brad agreed. “I was there, too, and it was exactly the way Bill described it. Those men would have gone to hell for Ali McGrath and would have thanked her for allowing them to keep her company. She is truly one of the great ones.”“Then there’s Ginger Conrad ... or Ginger Jamison Conrad,” Kim interjected. “Her husband, Charley, was a Marine pilot over there. Those idiots didn’t fly over the paddies, they flew through them. It was said you could always tell a Marine aircraft: it had rice growing in its air intake. Then Judy Morris is engaged to Mike Morris, a Marine major ... and Medal of Honor winner.”She grinned and added, “Oh, yeah ... There’s one other girl, Kathy Carlson.” Turning to the guys she asked, “Have you ever heard of Kathy-grams?”Brad Kramer was stunned. “You mean... ?”“That she’s Kathy?” Kim asked with her eyes wide. “Yep. And please note the last name. It used to be Katherine Hughes. Now it’s Katherine Hughes Carlson. She’s sort of attached to a guy
With the guys off after food, Kim asked, “You said something about being foul-mouthed has put a crimp in your business. What did you mean by that?”“Oh, that’s a function of where we live. Although we’re not exactly sure, I think our closest neighbors are about a mile and a half away ... and that’s upwind, too. So living where we do I can scream my lungs out — and be as foul-mouthed as I care to be — without disturbing anyone.” She grinned and added, “And you know something else? I love screaming obscenities at Bill while he’s fucking my brains out.”The girls continued to chat until the guys returned. There were steaks, salads and everything else on four heaping plates. Bill sat down with the girls while Brad went off for four more beers.“What was that bit with you and Carol?” Kim asked, not really certain she wanted to hear the answer.“Oh, that’s simple,” he replied. “It’s so much easier at home. We’re almost always naked, so there I just point to the ground, and Carol prepares fo
Finishing her toilet, Kim went to her linen closet and opened a brand-new set of sheets. They were candy-striped red and white. After changing the double bed, she ran the back of her hand lightly over the crisp percale, loving the feeling. What in the world am I thinking about? she wondered. Why in hell am I doing such a dumb thing now? Did I blow out my mind at that stupid picnic?Slipping on a white terry robe, she let it hang open and went out to her living room. Already it was 10:30, but for some reason she didn’t head for bed. Instead she just sat on the sofa with her head back and concentrated her mind on the memory of her kiss with Brad. Oh, God! I love him so! she admitted to herself. What a stinking shame that I have all the curves of a straight stick. The events of the afternoon and the cheering of her colleagues had simply not registered.Then she heard the door buzzer. People in the apartment complex were always locking themselves out. Over the months they had learned who