Forever Yours

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Design by Nathan Everett

Cover image by AntonKhrupinArt, ID2645975149 licensed from Shutterstock.com

First eBook Edition

ISBN 978-1-967290-08-6

This book contains content of an adult nature. This includes explicit sexual content and characters whose beliefs and comments may be contrary to your religious, political, or world view. The content is inappropriate and in some cases illegal for readers under the age of 18.

This book is dedicated to my long-time friend and story editor, Lyndsy Fernandes, without whose insights and guidance it would not have been possible.

PART I

“Before the middle of this century, the growth rates of our technology—which will be indistinguishable from ourselves—will be so steep as to appear essentially vertical. From a strictly mathematical perspective, the growth rates will still be finite but so extreme that the changes they bring about will appear to rupture the fabric of human history. That, at least, will be the perspective of unenhanced biological humanity.

“The Singularity will represent the culmination of the merger of our biological thinking and existence with our technology, resulting in a world that is still human but that transcends our biological roots. There will be no distinction, post-Singularity, between physical and virtual reality. If you wonder what will remain unequivocally human in such a world, it’s simply this quality: ours is the species that inherently seeks to extend its physical and mental reach beyond current limitations.”

—Ray Kurzweil, The Singularity is Near

1
The Principles of Lust

HENRY RUSHED from his last class on Thursday to get to the side door of the school where Isobel usually met her ride and looked across the parking lot. Shit! Isobel was kissing Luke next to his new Corvette. Luke’s father had surprised him with the car for his eighteenth birthday the previous Sunday.

“Aw. You’re too late,” Chastity said from behind his left shoulder.

He wasn’t sure when she had shown up. Must have gotten there right after him.

“She’s going to the prom with Luke. You know, she likes you both, but he has more ‘status’ than you do. So far. His dad owns a company.”

“He’s the Chevrolet dealer,” Henry laughed.

“That’s a company,” Chastity said. “Isobel can’t see into the future past the obvious. Luke is a good catch. He’s the last of us to have turned eighteen. You should have seen her eyes when she saw his new car. He’s smart and has money. Or his father does. She doesn’t see what I see.”

“What’s that?” Henry asked, turning to Chastity at last.

Chastity, Isobel, Luke, and Henry had been best friends for years. Isobel was the glamour girl, with Latina fire and good looks. Luke was the DECA business club’s selection for “most likely to succeed.” Henry was a software and computer geek. But Chastity…

Henry quickly decided he hadn’t been paying enough attention to Chastity. She was tall and thin and certainly pretty. He couldn’t help letting his eyes wander over her statuesque form. Either she’d removed her bra or had just taken off the vest she wore over her T-shirt. He could see the hard points of her nipples pressing the fabric out and the distinct shape of the barbell nipple piercings she’d gotten on her eighteenth birthday.

“I see our future,” she said. “Luke is going to manage a great company. Isobel is going to make money grow. But you, dear Henry, are going to make us millions.”

“Millions? I hope you are a true prophetess,” Henry laughed. “And what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to start by going to the prom with you,” Chastity said.

“You want to go with me?” he asked, a little surprised. He hadn’t had much hope of Isobel going with him, but he’d always considered Chastity a little out of his league. Great friends, but ultimately just a fantasy. Chastity almost always had a date on the weekends—sometimes two or three.

“Well… Not ‘go with’ as in dating. Just take me to the prom. Treat me like a goddess for the night and I absolutely guarantee you’ll get lucky,” Chastity said.

“Wow! You know, most girls are happy with princess treatment.” Henry crossed his arms and waited for Chastity’s response.

“I know my worth. And you will,” she said, pulling his hand around and placing it on her butt. Henry squeezed lightly as they looked into each other’s eyes.

Chastity was suddenly very attractive in ways Henry never seriously considered before.

“Okay, my goddess. I’d be delighted to take you to the prom,” he said, giving her bottom another squeeze.

“And have fun with me?”

“I promise we’ll have fun and you, too, will get lucky.”

“That’s a fair transaction,” Chastity smiled. She put a hand on his chest and used her thumb to trace around his right nipple. “Just remember: Worship my body. Don’t pretend to fall in love. We don’t need that complication. It’s just for the night.”

“I’ll check online for ‘how to worship a goddess’,” he said, pulling her close.

“Oh, yeah. I’ll share some links. Maybe you want to get us a hotel room for the night, unless you have a private space at home.”

“Not that private. I hate to have my parents hearing my date screaming my name,” he said. He brushed his lips against hers lightly.

“Better see if the hotel has a soundproof room. I tend to be noisy when I’m having a good time.”

Henry was serious. He could find almost anything online. He broke most of the stereotypes of the computer geek. He didn’t spend much time playing games, like most of his classmates did. If he was on his computer, he was creating something. He didn’t smell, bathed regularly, and wore clean, if not new, clothes. He had intense blue eyes that people said saw right through them. He was polite and had a decent sense of humor. He might not be elected homecoming king, but people generally liked him.

The next night, Friday, there was a dance after the last regular season basketball game. Henry joined Isobel, Luke, and Chastity at the game as their typical foursome when they didn’t have individual dates. Isobel was constantly bumping into and brushing against him as she flirted. After the game they all headed for the end of season dance. At her insistence, Henry took Isobel to the dance floor.

“Are you supposed to be paying so much attention to me?” he asked. “You’re going to the prom with Luke.”

“That’s not for two months yet. I notice you aren’t just hanging on Chastity,” Isobel said.

“Part of our agreement. We aren’t dating, we’re just going to the prom together.”

They bounced around to the music and Isobel backed up to grind against him as she threw her head back to ask, “What makes you think Luke and I are dating?”

“The way he’s staring at you across the room.”

“Yeah. I love that. He’ll wait until I’m done with you.”

The song ended and Isobel wandered toward Luke, who made a direct line to her. Henry didn’t manage to leave the dance floor before he was snagged by Sheila, the class president. The blonde cheerleader was intent on lecturing him about the need for a senior project for the class. Henry automatically checked around to see where his friends were.

“Are you listening to me, Henry?” she asked, moving in closer and putting her arms around him in a way that wasn’t particularly suited to the music.

“Of course, Sheila. And I agree that we need a really good senior project. But it’s getting late in the year to be starting something now,” he answered. She cuddled in his arms, satisfied that he wasn’t daydreaming, or watching that slut, Chastity.

“Well, what do you think we could do, given the time constraints? It’s already March and we’re just three months from graduation.”

“Yeah. I can’t believe nobody thought of this six months ago.”

“We were all too concerned with getting early apps for college out. Have you been accepted somewhere yet?”

“Yes. I’m staying local and will go to the university. They have a good computer science program with a new specialization in artificial intelligence and machine learning. I have a couple of good scholarship offers.”

“That stuff’s creepy,” she said, shuddering a little. The motion did wonderful things for the way her breasts were pressed against his chest.

“How about if we got an upgrade to the gym PA system?” Henry asked suddenly. “Announcements during the game tonight were all garbled. I don’t think it was just my hearing. I worked the system for an event once and it must be fifty years old. It’s practically falling apart.”

“That’s true. Do you think we could raise enough money in the time we have to replace it?”

“Put Isobel on raising the money and Chastity on recruiting volunteers. The whole system will need to be removed and those speakers in the middle of the gym must weigh in at fifty pounds each. I’ll check with the local electronics stores to see what we can get. Might have to build something, but it can be done. I’ll take Luke with me and he can negotiate the deals,” Henry said.

“You four do everything together, don’t you? Well, I won’t complain. If you need a date because Chastity is off screwing someone else, let me know. I mean, you know, while we’re working on the project,” Sheila said.

“That’s really kind of you, Sheila. I’ll see what comes up.”

“Mmmhmm,” she said, rubbing her middle against his to see if she could get something to come up.

It was, but the song ended and Henry guided Sheila over to where Luke had arrived with Isobel, Chastity, David, and Rachel. It seemed Luke was telling a very funny story and Sheila laughed politely as she heard the punchline.

“Hey, I was just talking to Henry about what we could do for a senior project,” Sheila said, stepping in. As class president, she was used to commanding attention whenever she wanted it. “Isobel, I’m wondering if we could meet after school Monday to talk about the fundraising aspect. Luke, I think Henry has an idea about putting in a new gym sound system that could use your negotiating skills. Anybody else want to get involved? Why don’t we all plan to meet Monday. Invite others and we’ll divide up into working groups.”

“Great idea, Sheila,” David said, moving next to her. “You know I’ll do whatever you need. Why don’t you fill me in on the details while we hit the dance floor.”

“That was slick,” Rachel said as the two left the group.

“Don’t worry. Henry will dance with you,” Chastity said. “He’s a great dancer.”

Henry doubted that what he did could be called great dancing, but he did manage to not make a fool of himself or his partner. He led Rachel to the dance floor. Chastity had cut him off just when he was going to ask her to dance. Luke led Isobel to the farthest side of the gym to clutch each other and shuffle their feet. Chastity was alone for almost fifteen seconds before one of the basketball players asked her to dance.

After their organizational meeting on Monday, Henry and Luke went right to work on the PA system project, but it wasn’t the only thing Henry was working on. His real brainchild had originated with his computer tinkering from as early as eight years old. That was when his father, Ryan, helped him build a new computer for his mother, explaining what each part was and the relationship of the software to the firmware to the hardware.

“And you are what we refer to as wetware,” Ryan said. “That’s what’s up here in your head. Without your brain to assemble this machine and to program it or give it instructions, it is nothing but a boat anchor. No matter how smart machines appear to get, you are smarter. You just need to remember to use your head.”

Sylvia, Henry’s mother, was happy to have a new computer and was pleased with how well it worked. As Henry studied and devoted himself to learning more about computing, Sylvia was often distressed to find her computer in pieces on the kitchen table as Henry installed new hardware components or worked on optimizing the software. Still, the computer always ran better and faster when he was done with it.

At her suggestion, Henry soon built his own computer as a laboratory to experiment with how commercial software affected the computer memory and how the hardware itself influenced software development. By the time he was a teenager, he had a pretty good understanding of what the world of software and hardware was really like.

“One of the things I’ve noticed,” Henry told Luke, Isobel, and Chastity at lunch one day, back when they were freshmen, “is that software companies survive on upgrades. You can bet that if you put a giant software company in charge of building a bridge to Hawaii, they’d get it built to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and then they’d open it to traffic. They’d charge a toll for people who used the bridge to fund building it the rest of the way. To make people feel good about only getting halfway to Hawaii, they’d get a third-party investor to build a big shopping mall out there. And in ten years, you still probably wouldn’t be able to use it to get all the way to Hawaii.”

“Okay. That’s profound,” Chastity said. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Well, I can’t take charge of building the rest of the bridge, but I can probably clean up some of the construction debris. See, when the software company releases each upgrade, it doesn’t necessarily get the bridge any closer to the destination. So, you get bridge update 2.0 and find that you now have three different routes you can use to get to the middle of the Pacific. But none of them get you any closer to Hawaii. One is an exclusive express lane that costs a little extra, but you can get to the middle of the ocean faster. One has extra features. You can stop here and see whales. At this branch, you can eat the best fish stew in the world. And over there, you can transfer to a ferry that will take you either to Hawaii or back to the mainland. And the one route you really wanted still stops in the middle of the ocean at an even bigger shopping mall. So, if that’s the only route you want, why clutter the waves with these others?”

“So, you don’t buy the upgrade?” Luke asked.

“There might be one feature in that upgrade that enables new cars to use the bridge. Without it, only old cars could use it,” Henry explained. “Here’s what we need to do: We build an app that examines each upgrade to whatever software is on our computers, and makes sure only the important pieces are taking up space on our computers. You can choose whether you want the whale watching feature or if you want to strictly go in the express lane, but you don’t have to accept everything they build.”

“Will that even work?” Isobel asked.

“It’s what I’ve been doing manually to my mother’s computer and my home lab computer for years. And while I’m in there, I tweak the system a little and make it run faster, optimize the file distribution, recover lost space, and reset the clock speed. There’s no reason it requires wetware to do it, though. I’ve been working on writing a utility that will search stuff out, give the user the choices for what to include, and wipe out everything that’s not getting us closer to Hawaii.”

“I could sell that,” Luke said.

“I’m counting on it,” Henry laughed.

“I mean, we could create a company around just that idea,” Luke expanded.

“And keep making money by selling upgrades to the app each time a major software update comes out from another manufacturer,” Isobel said.

Henry groaned, but nodded his head. Chastity picked up his nod with a wry smile, but didn’t say anything.

As seniors, Luke and Henry worked on building the PA system with Isobel and Chastity heading up fundraising. The app Henry had spent three years developing was finally being tested by his friends and select others in the school’s computer science program.

Luke negotiated some great deals for the components of the new system and Mr. Roland gave them access to the computer lab to work on assembling the system. It was not much different than assembling a computer, as far as Henry was concerned. However, he had to do much more wiring and soldering than in a computer. Any mistake in that process could cause feedback, static, or a variety of other sound errors. They carefully tested each stage.

Sheila often hung out with Henry as he was working in the computer lab, pretending to help, and teasing him with ‘accidental’ flashes of her legs and breasts. Nothing that could be mistaken for indecency, of course, but Sheila wanted to be sure Henry was motivated to complete the project. He never actually saw her nipples, and only seldom her underwear, but he often stared down her advantageously positioned cleavage.

“What are you doing for prom?” Sheila asked as she held a clamp in place so Henry could solder a pre-amp on the six-channel mixing board. Henry alerted to possible danger. He had a date. He didn’t want to lead Sheila on, but he was enjoying her company in the lab.

“Oh. Well, um… I thought…”

“I’m sorry. Not me,” Sheila interrupted him. “Dave already asked me. You know I wouldn’t back out on someone for someone else.”

“Of course. That sounds like fun. I’m…”

“Anyway, we’re going to recognize the project committee at the prom and plan on doing the presentation there. You should get a date and plan to attend.”

Sheila leaned over the table and made sure Henry had a clear view down her front as she kissed him on the cheek. Then she left the room. She didn’t wait for him to answer the question about the prom. Apparently, she just wanted him to know she had a date and expected him to be there.

Henry was thankful Sheila wasn’t waiting for him to ask her. Over the weekend, his friends and a few others had gone to a movie. Chastity had carefully maneuvered people in the seats so that Isobel sat next to Henry and was well-separated from Luke.

Isobel quickly put the armrest between their seats up and leaned against Henry. She held his hand, ultimately placing it on her leg and encouraging him to squeeze a little. Of course, she was wearing slacks, so it wasn’t like he was feeling her up, but she did snuggle up against him and just before the end of the movie kissed his cheek.

Unfortunately, when the movie ended, the group reformed for burgers and he was separated from her, so the friendly cuddle was at an end. He didn’t know why he continued to want Isobel’s attention. He knew it wasn’t going anywhere. But that was a principle of lust.

Henry was concerned about Isobel, though his concern was often overshadowed by his desire. She was extremely flirtatious around him most of the time, but he recognized that as a part of her character. She hung on Luke when they were together, and Henry had seen her plant a kiss on Dave right in front of Sheila. Henry had been on the receiving end of one or two of those kisses and could attest that they were worth waiting for.

But Isobel’s mood could change in a flash. He’d once opened a door for her and put his hand on her waist as she walked through. She’d turned and snapped at him.

“Keep your hands to yourself! I’m not Chastity!”

Henry hadn’t even recognized what he’d done wrong. He considered himself clueless when it came to women.

When Isobel started fundraising for the class project, she was a focused monster. Chastity admitted that she only went with Isobel so Isobel would have someone to cry to after a visit. Isobel raised twice the money needed to buy the components of the sound system. They’d expanded the original idea to add six separate input and output channels to the amplifier, microphones, and speakers.

Isobel seemed to vanish when the fundraising was finished. They saw her in class and in the halls, but she never spoke to anyone and stayed away from their group for a week. The next Monday, she was hanging on Luke as if they were getting married.

“You wouldn’t believe last week,” Luke said to Henry after they met with the installation team Monday afternoon. “We’d planned a date to go see the new Wonder Woman movie. I picked her up and when we got to the theater, I reached out to hold her hand and she just lit up. She told me all I ever wanted was sex and she wasn’t going to put up with it. She didn’t know why she’d agreed to go to prom with me and was deciding not to even go.”

“Good grief! Do you put that much pressure on her?”

“Dude! We’ve never had sex. The most I’ve ever gotten with her is a little squeezing of those incredible breasts. But she called me the next day and wanted to know why I wasn’t taking her to brunch at the club the day after our big date. I went to get her and we had a great time. Even went to the driving range after brunch and hit a bucket of balls. It was like the previous night didn’t even exist!”

“I’m worried about her,” Henry said. “And you, too, bro.”

“I think she’s under a lot of stress at home. Her father plans to take her to Argentina to meet the family and some prospective husbands. Her mother is throwing a fit,” Luke said. “Anyway, I guess we’re on for prom. She told me to get a room.”

“If you haven’t got it paid for yet, better get over there. The prom’s next weekend. You know they insist on cash up front from people at the prom. If you weren’t eighteen, they wouldn’t rent to you at all. There’s a whole page of rules they make you read and sign when you pay for the room,” Henry said.

“You sound like you’ve got experience.”

“Chastity promised I’d get lucky. Frankly, I like the idea.”

“But you haven’t dated at all before the prom? She’s almost as unpredictable as Isobel,” Luke said.

“Well, we’ll see how the night turns out. Good luck.”

“You, too, man.”

2
The Arrangement

HENRY AND LUKE went to get their tuxes at the rental shop the next Wednesday. They’d been lectured by Luke’s mother on good conservative dress for a prom. They’d ordered plain black tuxes, pleated shirts, and bow ties. The prom was to be a masked ball and they’d ordered black on black filigree eye masks.

No one would ever confuse one for the other. Luke was three inches shorter and possibly thirty pounds heavier than Henry, which wasn’t to say that Luke was heavy. Henry was just incredibly thin.

“I suppose this is how we’ll dress for your wedding,” Henry joked.

“Wedding!? You’ve got to be kidding. Bro, we have so much to do before we can think about finding wives. We have to get our company launched. That means we need to get you some help, too,” Luke said. “How did the most recent test go?”

“Still some bugs,” Henry sighed. “Seems like every time I squash one, another pops up. I’d like to develop an AI to handle the tasks, but at the moment all we really have is some look-up tables and algorithms. Still, it’s better than what we see on most computers.”

“So, we don’t have to worry about you taking over our computers with a sinister AI?” Luke joked.

“Not with this product,” Henry shot back. He looked at his alarmed friend and winked.

He’d been tinkering with computers seriously for ten years. He had as many hacking tools acquired from the dark web as he had legitimate programming tools. He considered it all part of his instruction and learning. He wouldn’t really hack into a friend’s computer, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t if he wanted to. One of the things he’d learned was where to look in the system for both dangerous and benign files.

The previous fall, he’d joined an online group of hackers he’d found who were exploring the use of AI to get through security systems and break into various corporate networks. They’d had some success at it, leaving behind a token as evidence they’d been there and then withdrawing. Henry made note of the applications and their shortcomings. For now, he was simply searching and comparing the program and application files for unused processes that served to slow the computer down. The app did its work and withdrew until launched by the user again.

He felt confident in his ability to get past most encryption and security systems, but that was technically illegal, so he didn’t do it beyond his initial tests with the hackers. There was a lot of gray area when dealing with who owned what on a person’s private computer. He didn’t want to stray into a black area.

Henry and Luke went to pick up the girls’ flowers and confirmed the arrangements for Saturday night. Luke—by way of his father’s auto dealership—had rented a limo to take them to the prom. Isobel and Chastity would enjoy that.

“Whee! Let’s Par-tay!” Izzy shouted when they were in the limo.

“I think you started without me, Bae,” Luke said.

“Catch up!” Chastity said, producing a small bottle of tequila from her bag.

Henry had been instructed to bring lime wedges and salt. Luke held out a shot glass. There was only one, so they took turns doing their shots. When Izzy reached for the glass for a second shot, Luke intercepted it and stuck it in his bag.

“Just one before the dance,” he said. “We don’t want to be sloshed when we get there. Remember, we can leave whenever we want to and there’s a bottle in our room.”

“God! I didn’t know I was dating my mother,” Isobel snapped. “‘Here’s just a little tequila to relax you before the dance,’ she said. ‘I told your father you were going to Chastity’s house after the after party. So be sure to be there when he shows up to pick you up for brunch.’”

“We can do that,” Chastity said.

“Oh, it was rich,” Isobel continued. “‘I’m not telling you to have sex with your boyfriend tonight, but your father thinks he can make a good match for his virgin daughter when we go to Argentina this summer. If you haven’t already taken care of that, this might be a good opportunity.’”

“Mama Perez gave you permission to have sex with me?” Luke exclaimed. “I don’t want to disappoint your mama!”

“Yeah, well there better be plenty of that stuff in our room when we get there tonight. Just so you know, going to our room with you is all the permission you need tonight. Don’t wake me up unless I’m snoring!” Isobel said. “When is that ceremony they’re doing to recognize the project team? I won’t last much longer than that. These boobs can only take bouncing up and down as we dance for so long, you know. Someone’s going to have to help support them.”

Isobel was on quite a roll. Henry wondered if Mama Perez had stopped at one drink before they picked her up. It wasn’t that unusual for Isobel to go off like this, though. There were times when they were all hard-put to keep up with her. Then she’d crash and go silent for a few days and then everything would be ‘normal.’

She wore a red dress and her lipstick matched it perfectly. She’d told them earlier she was going to a spa in the morning and having a full makeover. The dress was sleeveless and off the shoulder, so it left acres of her honey-colored skin exposed. That accented the single strand of pearls around her neck and pearl earrings beautifully. She had chosen a long evening gown that was slit up the side almost to her waist. Even sitting in the limo, she made quite an appealing display, while dangling her red lace mask from her fingers.

Chastity opted for a cream sheath dress, which accented her Grecian features with a wide gold braid around her neck. From the braid, two strips of fabric parted to cover her breasts, leaving the space between open. The strips came back together at a high waist. The dress was backless. Her blue-tinted hair—Henry thought it was naturally black, but wasn’t sure since he’d seen several colors over their high school years—swept around her shoulders with a hair pin on the side as an accent. The only other jewelry she wore were the decorative piercings in her nipples, which pressed against the fabric of the dress.

Chas carried a blue mask with gold braid, similar to the neckline of her dress.

A doorman at the hotel opened the limo door for Luke and Henry. They then stood so their dates could emerge gracefully from the car without exposing themselves in any way. There were a few awkward moments in the hotel lobby as they decided the best places for the girls to wait while Luke and Henry dashed to their rooms with the overnight bags.

Though they were only gone ten minutes, there were already half a dozen men standing near Chastity and Isobel, chatting them up.

“There you are!” Isobel exclaimed when she saw Luke. She broke through the group of men to hurry to him. “I was afraid I’d been abandoned and would have to take one of these delightful men to the prom. Do you think they are too old to go dancing with a teenager?”

The men shifted uncomfortably as Chastity took Henry’s arm. The four went directly to the ballroom and were admitted after showing their tickets. They found the photo booth and all had their pictures taken in front of a background of pillars and statuary. Then they parted, Luke and Isobel making a round of the ballroom to greet all their classmates.

Henry and Chastity said hello to those who greeted them on the way to the refreshment bar. They were not as well-known and popular as Luke and Isobel. They took their drinks and plate of snacks to a table and watched the people beginning to filter onto the dance floor. Henry felt he needed to get into the spirit before he could enjoy bouncing around to the music. Isobel had dragged Luke out to dance as soon as the music started.

“What are you thinking, my man?” Chastity said, putting a hand on his and looking into his eyes through the holes in their masks.

“Honestly? I was thinking how glad I am that I’m with you and not Isobel. I think Luke is going to have his hands full this evening.”

“He certainly is once he gets that dress off her!” Chastity laughed. “Hope you aren’t disappointed.”

“Not a chance.”

There were other entertainment stations around the room. While everyone enjoyed the music, dancing was slow getting started. People could play or cheer others on at shuffleboard, skittles, Skee-Ball, and even a game of Twister for those who dared attempt it in their formal wear. Henry and Chastity played a couple of games and cheered on others until the DJ played a moderately paced song. Then a flood of couples headed for the dance floor just to get a chance to clinch with their dates.

The music picked up after a second slower number and many of the people stayed on the dance floor. As they circulated and met others, more than one boy’s date punched him in the arm when his gaze lingered too long at the exposed space between Chastity’s breasts or on the outline of her pierced nipples. Henry couldn’t blame them. His own eyes wandered to the sight more than occasionally.

Preceding the announcement of the prom king and queen and their court, the principal called Sheila to the stage as the senior class president. Of course, Dave joined her as her escort.

“On behalf of the Freedom Valley High School and the Freedom Valley School Corporation, I would like to officially recognize our graduating class,” the principal announced to cheers and shouts from the attendees. “I would also like to thank you for the gift of the new sound system for the gym. I’ll turn this over to senior class president, Sheila Anderson, to recognize the significant members of the committee.”

“Thank you, Principal Soffit,” Sheila said, taking the microphone. “The great Freedom Valley senior class of 2026 is proud to present to the school this token of our appreciation for years of nurture and guidance as we have been students here. It was hard not to notice the condition of our PA system in the gym, so when it was suggested that we replace it as a senior project, we jumped at the chance. I’d like to ask our committee members to please come to the stage so we can thank each one for your participation.”

The dozen people who had joined the committee to work on the project came to the stage. Sheila called out Henry, Luke, and Isobel as the significant members who had raised funds, negotiated deals, and actually built the system. She gave each of the members of the committee a gift card to the local coffee shop for their participation.

They all shook hands with the principal, a representative of the school board, and their class sponsors, then they left the stage. The principal moved on to thank the prom committee and make the announcement of the royal court and the prom king and queen.

“It’s time to take a break and go to the ladies’ room,” Chastity whispered to Henry. “Come with me.”

“To the ladies’ room?” he asked.

“It’s time to get lucky,” she whispered back.

Chastity had scouted the facility thoroughly and led Henry to a less frequented hallway with restrooms. She pushed him into a side hall just before they reached the restrooms.

“Just stay here and wait. I promise you’ll be happy.”

“I don’t doubt it,” he said, kissing her ear and down her neck.

“Remember that spot for later,” she panted. Then she rushed to the ladies’ room a dozen steps away.

Henry adjusted his stiffening cock in his trousers. He hadn’t anticipated a quickie in the hallway, but he was willing to do whatever Chastity wanted. She’d kept him subtly aroused ever since they’d arrived at the event. This had included rubbing against him while they danced, kissing his ears, and backing him against a wall where she reached behind her and stroked his cock. Once in the shadows, he’d managed to slip a hand inside the slit in her dress to caress one of her lovely breasts, twisting the piercing slightly as she gasped.

“There you are,” a voice said, entering the alcove where Henry waited.

The voice was quickly followed by lips pressing against his lips and a tongue questing for entry into his mouth. This was definitely not Chastity.

“We don’t have much time, but I can’t help myself. I’ll go to hell for this, but I want you.”

Isobel continued kissing Henry while she stroked his growing cock and got his zipper down.

“Do me. Do me.”

She turned in his arms and put her hands against the wall.

“Condom,” Henry gasped as he dug in his pocket.

“Don’t need it. Just do me!”

He wasn’t about to stop and tell her he wasn’t Luke. He dipped a hand into the top of her dress and filled it with her voluptuous breast as he kissed her ears and down to the pearls around her neck.

His other hand snaked around her side and through the slit at her thigh. She spread her legs as his fingers reached the smoothly shaved snatch between them. Isobel was panting and was already drenching his fingers with her juices.

“Yes! Yes! I took them off for you. I’ll give them to you if you want.”

Henry swept the dress up over Isobel’s butt and pressed his cock against her crack. Isobel reached back with one hand to hold the dress up, while Henry guided his cock between her legs.

“Do it! I want you!”

Henry slid through her moist folds and into her vagina.

“Ah! Oh, God! That wasn’t so bad. I expected worse! Now fuck me!”

She thrust her butt out farther to give him deeper access. Between the position against the wall and her high heels, she was as open to him as if they were naked on a bed. He began thrusting into her, one hand returning to her clit and the other to her boobs.

So, this was what Chastity had in mind when she told him he would get lucky. Whatever the girl wanted tonight, he’d happily give her. He didn’t doubt that he’d be soaking in Chastity’s juices later.

Isobel, meanwhile, was ramping up and becoming louder.

“Fuck! Oh, yes. I knew your cock was big. You’re splitting me open. Fuck! Fuck your little cunt!”

Henry moved a hand from her breast to cover her mouth as he continued to plow into her. She met every thrust while still holding herself against the wall with one hand and holding her dress up with the other. The tension built and soon Henry could feel his come rising.

Then Isobel thrust back against him hard and froze. She dropped her dress and slammed her hand against the wall, as she pressed harder against Henry. He felt her vagina clamping and pulsing around his cock. He began filling her with his semen.

They held still while the pulsing subsided. Henry pulled her back against him and continued kissing her neck as his hand moved from her mouth back into her bust to grasp her sweaty breasts.

“Oh, God! I will definitely burn in hell for that. I had to. I had to have you first.”

“First?” Henry panted, sliding his finger through her slit from his cock to her clit again.

“I knew it had to be you for my first time. It didn’t hurt as much as I expected it to. Except you’re so big I can’t believe you got it in me,” she said.

She moved to turn and face him. His hands lost their grip and his cock popped out of her. She slammed her mouth into his again, probing with her tongue.

“I need to go back to the restroom and pull myself together before Luke and I leave.”

“Will we do this again?” Henry asked. He pushed her dress down so he could capture one of her nipples in his lips. She whined and pushed him away, pulling her dress back up.

“I doubt it. You know Luke is my man. We won’t even be going to the same college as you. I just had to have you once.”

“First.”

“Yes. You were my first. God! I hope I’m not too sore to do Luke. It was everything I wanted it to be. Now let me go to the restroom.”

“Right.”

Isobel ran to the restroom with a hand under her dress and between her legs. Henry sank back against the wall panting. It might have been everything Isobel wanted, but he’d have liked to take more than five minutes to enjoy her. Nonetheless, he’d just fucked Isobel Perez! He was just straightening up to put himself away when Chastity joined him. She immediately sank to her knees and sucked his cock into her mouth, bathing him with her tongue. Then she tucked him back inside and zipped his trousers.

“She tastes good on you,” Chastity giggled. “Hope you had fun.”

“Um… Yeah. I should thank you, I guess.”

“I have ideas on how you can do that. Let’s go to our room.”

They didn’t bother to say goodbye to anyone at the prom. Their room was on the eleventh floor of the hotel and they went to the nearest elevator. It was just approaching midnight and most of the attendees were still at the dance trying to get every second of party in before the 1:00 a.m. close.

“I need the restroom now,” he said. “You need it first?”

“I can wait. I was in the restroom while you were in Isobel,” Chastity laughed.

It didn’t take Henry long to clean his pipes and wipe his cock with a damp cloth. He looked in the mirror and snorted at seeing he was still wearing his mask and tux. He hung it on the back of the bathroom door with his jacket, cummerbund, and tie. Then he returned to the room where Chastity was waiting.

She had her bottle of tequila, the salt and lime, and a shot glass waiting for them. When Henry approached for a kiss, Chastity backed away.

“Remember: I’m not your girlfriend. I don’t do tongue kisses.”

Okay. So, what the hell is she?

She took his hand and licked the webbing between his thumb and index finger, then sprinkled salt on it. She put the wedge of lime between her lips and handed Henry the shot of tequila. He licked the salt, threw back the shot, and took the lime from Chastity’s lips in his teeth.

Chastity repeated the gestures, using Henry’s hand for the salt and positioning the lime wedge between his teeth. Then she poured her shot and did her shot.

“You know tequila isn’t like other boozes,” Chastity said. “You have to drink a lot of it to get really drunk.”

“I don’t want to get really drunk,” Henry said.

“Of course not! That’s why we’ll keep shots available for special occasions. Like when I get naked.”

“When is that going to be?” he asked.

“When you take my clothes off me,” she replied.

Chastity didn’t allow tongue kisses, so Henry circled her, kissing every available bit of her exposed skin, including her bare back. Chastity encouraged him with little sighs and murmured ‘yes.’ While he was behind her, he slipped his hands under the two strips of fabric covering her breasts and fondled them as he kissed up and down her spine.

“It’s just eyehooks on the collar,” she whispered.

He withdrew his hands and unclipped the collar, coming around in front of her to lower the collar and the front of the dress away from her chest.

“Do you like them?” she whispered as she pulled his head to her nipples. He licked and sucked, moving from one to the other.

“Hell, yeah,” he said. “Chastity, you’re beautiful.”

“Don’t get a ring caught between your teeth. That could hurt. Me,” she clarified. “Yeah. More of that. Are they as good as Izzy’s?”

“Chas, don’t ever compare yourself to Izzy… or anyone else for that matter. You are fantastic. I only imagined what it would be like to caress you like this.”

“Yeah. And I don’t mind tongue kisses on my nipples, you know. Or further down for that matter. Lick there a little more.”

Henry licked the offered nipple and Chastity pulled away from him. She sprinkled salt on her nipple and then squeezed a lime wedge on the other one. She handed him another shot. He quickly cleaned her left breast of the salt, drank the shot, and sucked on her right nipple to get the lime juice.

“Yes! My turn now,” Chastity said fiercely, pushing him back to arm’s length. She removed the studs and cufflinks from his formal shirt, thoughtfully laying the set on the dresser.

When his shirt was off, Chastity did a full circuit of Henry’s body, much as he had done with her, kissing all the exposed skin and tonguing his nipples until he squirmed. She pushed him back on the bed and approached him with the shot prep. Henry had noticed she wasn’t really filling the shot glass completely. It was obviously a game, not an intent to get drunk.

She licked his left nipple and sprinkled salt on it, then squeezed the lime on his right nipple. He shuddered at the cold drops. Chastity did a thorough job of cleaning the salt from his nipple and then drank the shot, sucking on Henry’s right nipple until she was satisfied it was completely clean of lime juice.

She fell on top of him, pressing their chests together as they kissed and fondled each other.

“I need to freshen up a bit now,” she said, getting up. She grabbed her bag and turned toward the bathroom as Henry gazed at her. “Get my zipper for me, babe?”

Henry jumped up and found the zipper at the small of her back. He unzipped it over her round bottom and she let the dress pool around her ankles. It was all she was wearing. Henry stroked down her hips and over her butt.

“I hope you’re… just as dressed as I am when I come out of the bathroom,” she whispered, turning to kiss him again and then disappear into the bathroom.

3
Childhood’s End

CHASTITY EMERGED from the bathroom, wearing only her high heels and her nipple piercings. She found Henry appropriately undressed, standing at the foot of the bed.

“Not in bed?” Chastity asked, strutting toward him.

“I think I have some worshiping to do before I get in this bed. After all, I am in the presence of a goddess,” Henry said. He knelt and kissed her feet.

“Oh, wow! You took me literally!”

“I have so much for you,” he said.

“I saw that.”

“I mean before we get to that. For example, these shoes must be killing your feet. Lie here and let me get rid of them for you.”

“I thought you’d enjoy seeing them,” she said.

“Oh, I do, but you deserve to be comfortable and pampered. Please allow me,” he said.

She sat on the bed and scooted back until her feet were at the edge. Henry lifted them one after the other to remove the shoes and kiss her toes.

“Be right back.”

Henry ran into the bathroom and in a few moments came out with a warm wet washcloth and towel. He wrapped one foot and gently washed it, then wrapped it in the towel as he moved to wash the other foot. He tossed the washcloth back in the bathroom. Then he made sure both feet were dry before beginning a gentle massage, watchful for any ticklish triggers he should avoid.

He spent time working his way up her legs, massaging and then kissing them. She may have expected him to stop when he reached her sex, but Henry continued with only a few light kisses and continued his way up her body, kissing her stomach.

“Not my navel!” Chastity said, squirming. “I hate it. It’s too ticklish.”

“Well, just consider it to have been worshiped, then,” Henry laughed. “I have a lot yet to cover. Let’s roll you over, milady.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back to this side soon.”

“I do hope so!” Chastity rolled to her stomach and Henry began by kissing around her neck and ears, then working his way down to her shoulders. While kissing her, he nudged her knees apart so he could kneel between them and begin massaging her back as he continued to kiss her.

“Oh, God! You’ll put me to sleep.”

“Honey, if you need to sleep, I’ll watch over you until you wake.”

“Hey, if I fall asleep, you go ahead and punch my ticket. Yes! Fuck! You’re kissing my ass. How did you know?”

“Something I read about worshiping a goddess.”

“Praise the goddess, yes!”

Chastity wanted him to focus on her hot spots, but she was just as happy with the attention he paid to her as he continued to massage and kiss his way down the backs of her legs and feet, then had her roll to her back again.

Henry would have liked to get into some serious kissing, but he respected Chastity’s rule against tongue kissing and just brushed her lips before peppering the rest of her face with kisses and moving down her chin and across her collar bones. Chastity squirmed as he worked his way down onto her small, but apparently sensitive, breasts.

Chastity’s piercings were more decorative than the bars that often showed in outline against her shirts—a fringe of short dangling chains, each with a small jewel at the end. He played with the piercings both with his lips and his fingers, twisting slightly and tugging on them.

“Yeah! I love to have them played with. I’d do it myself if you weren’t paying attention,” she said. “Twist a little more.”

She panted as he moved down from her breasts onto her ribs and stomach again. He carefully avoided touching her navel, but paid attention to the slight hollow above her hip bones before he moved down over her pubis.

He brushed through the triangular patch of hair pointing directly to her clit, and began to pry her lower lips apart with his tongue. She pulled her legs back to give him better access to her inner treasures and even helped by pulling her lips to the side. He flicked her clit with the tip of his tongue a few times, then slid down to her opening where he thrust his tongue in and out of her while rubbing her clit with his upper lip.

“Oh, goddess! I’m going to come! You’re going to make me come. Don’t stop! Oh, fuck! I’m coming!”

Chastity had warned him that she was noisy when she was having fun, but it didn’t bother Henry in the least. Even if someone heard them through the door, he was committed to making her as satisfied as he could. He moved up to press against her clit with the flat of his tongue, and moved his head left and right to rub it.

“Fuck, yes!! I’m still coming. Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop! Yes!”

The bed sheet was balled in Chastity’s fists as she threw her head left and right, calling out indistinct curses and praises. Henry was frantically working with his hands to hold her butt and get a finger into her wet channel. Soon, Chastity’s hands pushed at his head.

“Now. Now, please,” she pled.

Henry climbed up her body and she gripped his erect cock to guide it into her hot center. He sank into her with a sigh.

“Oh, fill me up! God, you’re huge!”

Whether Henry was as huge as she thought or not, he was glad to bury himself completely in Chastity. She bucked against him and then, using surprising strength, rolled him over on his back without losing their connection.

Once she was on top, she really started moving. It was only a minute before she was climaxing again. Henry wanted to stay in Chastity as long as possible, but when she settled down full on him and began rocking back and forth, it was too much stimulation. He began powerful spurts up into her.

The heat and pressure of his ejaculation pushed Chastity to a new height and once she’d enjoyed another orgasm, she collapsed against him.

“I didn’t expect that to be so sensual. Where did you ever learn all that?” she gasped in his ear.

“I had a good teacher,” he laughed. “A while back. We used each other as a learning aid, determined to find out as much as we could in as little time as possible. Then we went our separate ways.”

“I should write her a thank you note,” Chastity laughed as they cuddled together and pulled the blanket up over them. It was two in the morning and sleep wasn’t long coming.

Sunday morning was relaxed. They had sex again, much more casually than their first time. They didn’t rush, but were more focused on getting to their climax before breakfast arrived.

“I want to be part of your group,” she said as they ate the breakfast room service delivered.

“What group is that?” he asked.

“Whatever you’re calling it,” she said. “I know you’ve got more than you’ve shown us in our tests. You and Luke are constantly whispering about what you’ll do. I can’t believe you’re just going to go to work for the Borg and be assimilated. You and Luke are planning something big. I want to be a part of it. I know Isobel plans to do whatever is necessary to be part of it. She and Luke are both going to Villanova. I just want to be on the ground floor of what you’re planning.”

“I don’t know how Luke is going to structure things. I’m leaving the business end up to him.”

“Don’t let him run away with it. Just treat me well and take care of me, and I’ll be anything you want me to be. Professionally.”

“You said you didn’t want to be a girlfriend.”

“That’s right. I said professionally.”

“I suppose we need to figure out a position for you.”

“We haven’t done doggie yet.”

“I mean professionally.”

“So do I, Henry. If what you want is for me to wear short skirts and no underwear and hang around your desk all day, make sure it’s worth my effort. I think you’ll find, though, that I have a lot of other talents you can exploit in a new company. And still be available if you need arm candy.”

“That’s quite an offer to a guy who scarcely has two nickels to rub together.”

“I’m betting on the come, so to speak,” she giggled. “Seriously, Henry. What do I need to do?”

“I don’t think we could hire a sex doll,” he laughed. “And just as seriously, Chastity, as much as I am going to lust for you, I think a lot more of you than that.”

“Yeah. We should keep that just between the two of us. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“You did a really good job recruiting people for the senior class project. How would you feel about handling administration or recruiting?”

“Mmmhmm. Could do both in the beginning. I like people, so I’m sure I could find the ones you need. I’ll make that my area of study in college. Human resource management. Yeah.”

“Welcome aboard.”

“Yeah. We have time for one more before I need to get Isobel to my house. Come back to bed and let me climb onboard.”

“You know, I think this will be good for both of us.”

“I’m counting on it.”

The last four weeks of school were intense. After the excitement and fun of prom weekend, seniors faced their final exams, including all the AP exams for those getting college credit for some of their classes, Henry among them. He’d focused his last year of school on getting as many dual credit classes in as possible. He didn’t want to waste college credits on fundamentals.

Luke was in much the same situation but was focused on getting some business credits built into his pre-college load. He planned to take the summer off and do an around-the-country road trip in his new Corvette. He couldn’t convince Henry to join him, though.

Memorial Day was the earliest possible, on the 25th of May. So, Henry had chosen Saturday morning the 23rd for a golf course meeting with his father’s lawyer friend, Don Harvey. The weekend was busy at Constitution Links, but Henry had managed a tee time with his parents and Don. It was early morning, but the links were dry and only a light breeze ruffled the grass.

“Ryan and Sylvia. It’s great to see you both. I was afraid I wouldn’t make it to the golf course this weekend. Things have been chaotic at work,” Don said.

“It’s good to see you, too, Don. This morning’s outing is compliments of my son. You’ve met Henry before. Maybe it’s been a while.”

“Indeed it has. Thank you for the invitation, Henry. How do you happen to have a membership here at Constitution Links?” Don asked as the moved to the first tee.

“It was a benefit of being on the high school golf team,” Henry said, taking Don’s offered hand. “I was on the State Championship runner up team back in October and have a summer job here as a part-time youth golf pro.”

“Go easy on us,” Don laughed. “It’s been a long time since I played with a golf pro.”

Sylvia teed up on the women’s tee for the first hole and hit a solid drive of nearly 150 yards on the par four hole. Don took his shot next and did not do much better. He was still pleased with the placement. Ryan teed up and sent his solid drive nearly 200 yards, but it was at the edge of the rough. Henry took his turn and dropped a powerful drive at about 220 yards.

“I see right away where the real competition is,” Don said as they walked the fairway and completed the hole. Henry liked this first hole at the club and made par. The others were a respectable one or two over and would probably be tight competition once their handicaps were figured in.

“I had some legal questions, Mr. Harvey,” Henry ventured as they made their way to the next tee.

“What can I do to help you? You know I won’t ‘officially’ give legal advice out here, and I don’t do criminal law, if you’re in trouble.”

“It’s patent law I’m interested in,” Henry said.

“Thinking of studying to be a lawyer in college? Patent law is a good field. I might even have an internship available when you’re ready.”

“I’m more interested in filing patents on a couple of inventions,” Henry said. “I’ve studied up on what’s required for a patent and I think I have a couple of software systems and methods that are patentable. And an app that should be copyrighted.”

“That’s a tricky area, but it can be profitable—especially if you file a patent that catches the attention of one of the big publishers and they decide to acquire it,” Don said.

They finished the next hole and walked on. Being walkers on an early morning golf round meant they let another foursome play through, but the club encouraged people to walk the course instead of using carts.

“I’d like to keep them from having it instead of selling it,” Henry said. “I have a plan to start a business and will need the patents as assets when we go after venture capital.”

“Interesting. Now, don’t tell me a thing about what the software does. We need to have a signed agreement before we talk about the specifics. Have you shown the software to anyone else?”

“I have six alpha testers. They are all over eighteen and have signed non-disclosure agreements. They’ve tested the app on their personal computers, but it was set to time out, so they could only use it for a period of one week,” Henry said.

“Reasonable precautions. It sounds like you are within the patenting parameters. I’ll want to check that more thoroughly when we start work on the patents.”

“You’ll work on them with me?” Henry asked.

“If you can show me a viable patentable product, I will file the first patent pro bono, meaning everything except the federal filing fee. That will cost you between $220 and $320, depending on what category the patent is and how ready it is to file. The lower cost is for a provisional patent, but then we would still need to file the full application. Sound fair?”

“Yes, sir. How can I thank you?”

“First, have a stellar idea that we can file. Second, come up with more ideas. We’ll talk about fees and costs after we get the first one under our belts.”

The morning went well. By the end of their eighteen holes, Henry had an appointment to see the attorney the first week of June. Don liked what he saw and a deal was struck. The first patent filing was underway.

Henry and his friends received their high school diplomas on Saturday, June 6, 2026, and were invited to an exclusive party at Sheila’s house. They were all excited about being free for the summer and starting college classes in the fall. Henry had already enrolled in a couple more classes at the university during the summer and was excited to get started.

“I wish you’d reconsider and join me on the road trip,” Luke said. “It will be so sweet! The ’Vette is just waiting for us!”

Luke’s shiny 2020 Corvette was sitting in the drive. His dad had the car completely gone over in his shop to make sure it was in top running condition when he gave it to his son.

“A convertible and the open road,” Luke continued painting the dream. “Here to San Francisco, South to LA and San Diego, then straight across to Florida. We’ll be back up north in time for classes in the fall.”

“You can afford a trip like that. I’m working and getting a head start on classes. With the credits I’ve been getting, I’ll be able to start with sophomore standing. I’ve managed a couple of grants and a huge scholarship, but time is driving us forward.”

“I hear you. Not to cry ‘poor-little-rich-kid,’ but the disadvantage of having rich parents is that I don’t get as many opportunities for grants. One nice DECA scholarship, but the rest is coming from Dad. He says he’ll pay as long as I’m completing an MBA in five years. I’d like to get it done in four if I can. But I’m not going to give up one last summer of playing.”

“I thought you’d jump all over taking Isobel with you,” Henry said, looking across the crowded party to where the fiery Latina was holding court.

“Would have,” Luke said, “but she won’t be around this summer. You know, her father decided she needed to experience her Latin American culture and booked a trip to Argentina to visit relatives.”

“I heard her mention he hoped to make a match for her,” Henry said. They opened beers and toasted each other.

“I gotta tell you, bro, she is so hot she can melt your dick. That prom night was a-ma-zing! We’ve only managed a couple of quickies since and decided we’d have to cool it until fall when we’re both at Villanova.

Luke glanced toward the kitchen where he saw Sheila, the stunning blonde cheerleader and president of their graduating class. She smiled at him. He lifted his beer to her.

“We aren’t saying anything to anyone,” Luke said, lowering his voice. “But when I take off out of here next weekend, my first stop will be right back here to pick up a certain blonde who has the money and spirit to join me on a little drive.”

“Sheila’s going to go with you for the summer?” Henry asked, amazed. “And you’re still asking me?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. She’s coming with me for the first week. If we’re getting along well, she’ll stay with me. At any time during the summer, either of us has the option to call it off and drop her at the nearest airport. Stupid Dave killed his chances by bragging about what they did after prom. She won’t even speak to him now. But what he said about her makes traveling with her a beguiling prospect.”

“Good luck with that. I doubt I’ll have much action this summer,” Henry snorted.

“I thought you and Chastity were hooking up.”

“Dude, Chas is a good friend. Not my girlfriend,” Henry said. They had not gotten together since prom. “We aren’t an item. But if all goes the way we’ve talked, she wants to join us in the company. As a founder. We need someone with her people skills to handle recruiting and admin. That’s what she’s studying this fall. And it wouldn’t hurt to have four of us instead of just three. I think Isobel needs someone to calm her down at times.”

“God knows, I don’t do a great job of that. Here’s to getting the company going!”

They raised their bottles again, drained them, and opened another round.

4
Ready, Set, Go!

HENRY WAS INTENT on knocking off the remaining two classes that were freshman requirements for the university over the summer. His job as a ‘Youth Pro’ at the Constitution Links Country Club kept him busy teaching children and teens the rudiments of golf, mostly in the long evenings.

But he was just as determined to follow through with Don Harvey to get his intellectual property protected. He wanted patents filed so he could get paid for his inventions. But they were also intellectual property for the company that would help them get employees and funding.

Over the summer, he did some research in the university library regarding businesses that were started by college students and grew into highly successful corporations. There were a surprising number starting with Apple, Microsoft, and more recently, Facebook.

He and Chastity both had classes and summer jobs. Isobel was in South America. Luke was tripping across the country. But text messages and emails flew among them, solidifying their partnership throughout the summer.

“I’m convinced we need to shelter ourselves with a Limited Liability Company, an LLC,” Luke wrote. “We will each need to put a nest egg in the company and we can use that to fund a lawyer to file incorporation papers when we’re ready to launch. We start out as equal partners in the LLC, but when the corporation is established, we’ll each receive stock and options in whatever proportions we decide are fair.”

“How much?” Chastity asked—always the most practical of the quartet.

“I figure we can get in business for a thousand each,” Luke responded.

“Ouch!” Henry said. “I’d better pick up some more hours at the club.”

“I can do it, but I won’t be having much fun this summer,” Chastity said. “Not that I was, anyway.”

Isobel’s response came the next day. “Okay.”

“Henry, I need a guy for a double date. Are you available Saturday?” Chastity asked when she called him on Wednesday, the first of July.

“Hey. I haven’t done anything fun so far this summer. Will it be fun?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah. It’s the Fourth of July! We’re going out to the Avonmore Trails to ride horses, then back into town for dinner and to watch the fireworks,” Chastity said.

“That sounds like fun. When should I pick you up?”

“All excited about driving now that you’ve got a car?” Chastity teased. Luke’s father had helped Henry pick out a good used car at a real deal of a price. “Not to worry this time. Allen is driving. We’ll pick you up at one Saturday afternoon.”

“See you then.”

Aside from their frequent texts, Henry hadn’t seen Chastity since graduation. The idea of going out, no matter what the event, was attractive. He remembered well their time after the prom. He was ready in jeans and sturdy shoes at one when Allen pulled up in his Jeep. This guy was obviously a real outdoorsy type. Henry ran out to join the group and Chastity held the seat forward so he could get in back… with a lovely young woman. Chastity got in front next to Allen.

“Henry, this is Allen and your beautiful date is Avery,” Chastity said.

“Oh! Hi!” Henry said offering his hand to Avery. “I’m Henry.”

“You’re surprised!” Avery said.

“Not unpleasantly. Chastity didn’t mention who my date would be so I assumed you’d be with Allen and I’d be with her,” Henry said. “No problem.”

“Oh, yuck! I mean Allen is a nice guy and all, but he’s my brother. Definitely not dating material. I had to agree to come along on a double in order to get him to date Chastity.”

“That’s funny. I hope you aren’t disappointed. How do you know Chas?” Henry asked.

“We work together at the Olde Towne Inne. Those are all with extra ‘e’s. Talk about pretentious. We wait tables. Allen is a ranch hand at Avonmore,” Avery said. “And no, I’m not disappointed. So far, you’re everything Chastity promised. A gentleman and a scholar.”

“Haven’t been able to practice either much since graduation. Although I’m getting a head start on university classes this fall and I’m working as a ‘Youth Pro’ at Constitution Links,” Henry said.

“Maybe I could get some lessons sometime.”

“I’m sure that could be arranged.”

Avonmore Trails was a beautiful hundred-acre horse ranch with riding trails, a show ring, and an outdoor training ring. Allen was the only one of the four who had actual riding clothes, including jodhpurs and knee-high boots. But he spent time with each of them seated on barrels, seeing that their stirrups were properly adjusted and then instructing them on how to sit in the saddle and cue their mounts. Then he actually brought horses out, saddled them, and had the three mount.

They spent quite a while in the training ring as Allen gave them continued instructions until he considered them ready to go on a trail ride. Henry was certain he heard his horse sigh as they left the barnyard.

All told, it was a fun afternoon. Allen led the way with Chastity behind him. Avery apparently had no more experience than Henry did, but Henry enjoyed watching her bounce in her saddle as she rode ahead of him. His horse was content to simply maintain his place in line and do whatever her horse did. It was nearly five when they finally dismounted at the barn, removed the saddles from their trusty mounts, and set about brushing them down and feeding them carrots to thank them for their kindness on the trail.

“Ah!” Henry grimaced as he took the back seat next to Avery. “I think I have a blister on my butt!”

“That’s interesting,” Avery snorted.

“Sorry. I’m just thinking of how much sitting remains to be done today,” he laughed.

“I’m not looking forward to that, either,” she agreed.

“I saw the play Arsenic and Old Lace at our high school this past winter,” Henry said. “I recall something about it having been a wonderful compliment to one of the women when her riding companion said, ‘Madam, you have a good seat.’”

“Ooh. I’m glad you noticed,” Avery said. She raised an eyebrow at Henry and offered him her hand. He took it with a smile and they held hands all the way to the restaurant.

“Where are we going for fireworks?” Allen asked as they all got in the car again about eight o’clock.

“Out to the point,” Chastity answered. “Avery and I brought blankets, so we can sit and watch the display over the river.”

Allen drove out to the crowded parking area, but several people were leaving because the family day activities had ended. They found a parking spot and the guys were given the blankets. They passed the security checkpoint and headed down the trail.

Henry’s other hand was soon occupied by Avery’s. He saw Chastity and Allen holding hands ahead and quashed an instant pang of jealousy.

There was no reason to be jealous. He and Chastity were not an item and he had a perfectly delightful and lovely woman holding his hand. Allen was a couple of years older than they were, but Avery had also just graduated. They were all well-matched. Chastity had been doing a good job of getting Allen out of his shell and he was pretty funny when his sister tormented him.

“This looks like a good spot,” Avery said, pointing out a location on the Fort Duquesne lawns. People were scattered all over the area, which was large enough to not be crowded. They spread out their blankets to wait for the nine-thirty start of the show.

The first fanfare burst over the river and Henry automatically leaned back to look up at the sky. Avery leaned back against him. She was incredibly cuddly. Between explosions, she leaned in to whisper in Henry’s ear.

“Are you going to ask me out again?”

“That sounds like a great idea to me,” he answered. “Would you like to go out?”

“Oh, yeah. I just wanted to make sure we’d be doing this again before I kissed you.”

With that, Avery moved her lips to Henry’s and they started little kisses, interrupted by each explosion in the sky. The longer the display went on, the longer their kisses became. When the last barrage was launched and everyone started cheering, Avery and Henry were in a serious clinch.

“I think we need to get up and fold our blanket,” Avery whispered. “People are leaving.”

“I really enjoyed the day with you,” Henry said. “Shall we find something for next Saturday?”

“Yeah. I know we can’t really do anything more often. You’re working and studying. I’m working. Chastity has me convinced I need to enroll in classes over at the Community College. Saturday will be a great time. Maybe something a little easier on our asses,” she giggled.

Henry held his arm around Avery as they walked back to the car. He no longer noticed Chastity and Allen.

“She’s pretty damn cute, isn’t she?” Chastity asked on the phone the next day.

“Yes. You got me there. She’s really sweet,” Henry answered.

“Just treat her nicely, okay? She’s more a girlfriend type than I am. Don’t mistreat her.”

“You know I won’t. Thank you for introducing us.”

“Yeah. Allen’s nice. We’ll probably hang out a few more times this summer, but I don’t think it’s anything long-term.”

“Hey, Chas. Are you going to be okay coming up with the thousand for the LLC buy-in?” Henry asked. “I think I could help.”

“You know, I have no objections to accepting things from you, but for my own self-esteem, I think I should furnish my own buy-in. You know, it’s the first time I’ll really feel like an equal partner with the other three of you. I can make the numbers.”

“Good. You know, I consider you an equal partner regardless.”

“Yeah, in the LLC. But we all know that as far as a share in the company goes, there wouldn’t be one without what you are developing. That’s definitely a majority share. That doesn’t make me feel bad. I recognize that I offer something different. And even with a lesser share in the corporation, I know it’s going to be profitable. Profit isn’t the only reason I’m here, but I wouldn’t be here without it.”

“That’s clear, Chas. I’m devoted to making sure you are always happy with us.”

“It’s not too hard, babe. At least not all the time.”

The car Paul Riordan, Luke’s father, had helped Henry pick out was economical and reliable. The Chevy Spark was nothing like the Corvette Luke was driving across country, but it did get Henry to and from his job and classes, and most importantly to Avery’s house to pick her up for dates. With almost two months of summer left, the two made the most of their time with outdoor activities every weekend. They discovered a mutual fondness for hikes, especially on long day trips down to Blackwater Falls. There was always a place near some trail or other where they could spread out the blanket from Henry’s backpack and spend some quality time making out.

It was mid-August, though, when they decided not to rush back to the city and took a room at the Billy Motel. The manager didn’t seem too surprised to have a couple of eighteen-year-olds booking a room at the last minute. This was West By-God Virginia, after all. After dinner, at the motel’s restaurant, they found themselves together in a somewhat rustic room.

“Is this okay?” Henry asked as he held her, looking at the motel room.

“It’s not the Hilton, is it?” she laughed. “But this isn’t our honeymoon, either. And I don’t think there’s enough room in the back of your Spark for either of us to do what we want to do. It’s fine, Henry. As long as you’re gentle and the same considerate guy you’ve been through all our dates, I’m happy.”

She demonstrated her happiness by kissing Henry and drawing him toward the bed.

Their lovemaking was gentle and comfortable. Henry grabbed a condom from his pocket before he allowed her to guide him into her. They moved slowly and kept eye-contact through the whole time. Avery stimulated herself with a hand between them and managed to get off before Henry did. They spent a long time cuddling in the afterglow.

“I’m glad we got a chance to do this,” Avery said. “You start freshman orientation this week and I’m moving to full-time evenings and weekends so I can go to school during the day. We aren’t going to have time for day-long outings to the mountains, not to mention that it will be snowy and dangerous in a couple of months. I’m so glad we stopped here tonight.”

“You don’t want to continue seeing me?” Henry asked.

“Oh, sure. If we can manage it. But we’ll both be in new worlds from here on. I don’t see much chance that we’ll be able to keep it up.”

“Wow! I guess I never thought about that. I’ve enjoyed having you as my girlfriend.”

“I’ve enjoyed it, too. You really are a great guy. I like being with you. I guess, though, I never seriously considered this more than a summer thing,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind doing it again now, though, if you’re up to it.”

“Yeah. I guess we can just enjoy each other with no expectations, right?”

“Only the expectation that you’ll continue to treat me like your girlfriend right up until the very last minute.”

They coupled again, held each other as they slept, and managed another time before they showered, dressed, and went out to breakfast the next morning.

“There’s something else, isn’t there, Avery? Something you haven’t told me?” Henry asked as they drove back to the city. There was a long silence.

“I guess so. I never intended to bring it up, but here it is. My high school boyfriend and I broke up at graduation. He left to try to get better work out east. But he called me this week and said he’s coming back home. He kind of wants us to get back together again. I don’t know if it will work. Chastity convinced me to give college a chance and I’m going to the community college this fall. I don’t think he’ll go back to school, but he’s taken a real interest in automotive maintenance and says he’s got an internship at a car dealership when he gets back. We’ll see how it goes.”

Henry took a deep breath and relaxed. This was considerably more final than what they’d discussed the night before.

“Thank you for making my summer a little brighter,” he said, reaching for her hand. She took it and held it until they reached her home.

“Hey! It’s about time! How was the road trip?” Henry asked Luke when his friend got back to town. The friends had all decided to get together on Saturday before they had to start classes.

“It was pretty damned amazing. The second half wasn’t as much fun as the first half, after Sheila bailed on me in California. But five weeks getting out there in the slickest pussy you’ve ever imagined was pretty fine,” Luke said.

“I never did get why she bailed on you,” Henry asked.

“She’s going to Stanford this fall. Figured my ’Vette was more fun than flying. I have to agree.”

“At least you had a few weeks. Have you talked to Isobel?”

“She got back to town last night about the same time I did. We had just a few minutes to plan lunch today and our drive out to Villanova together Monday. I don’t know yet if we’ll pick up where we left off or not. I’d like to. How’s Chastity?”

“She’ll be here shortly. We’ve talked and even double-dated a couple of times. She’s excited about getting our venture up and running.”

“I’ve got the papers ready. We just need to sign and register them with the State. There’s still stuff we need to do after they’re signed, but we can probably handle the rest over Labor Day weekend. You know, like opening a bank account to deposit our investments,” Luke said. “You’re sure the LLC should be equal shares?”

“We might not have equal roles in the corporation, but having this founding part equal just seems right to me,” Henry said.

“Once we raise capital, we probably won’t even have a controlling interest,” Luke said. “We should get as much done as we can before we actually bring in capital.”

“I agree. We need to actually have a value before we invite someone else to participate. Look! Here come Chastity and Isobel.”

The two women ran from their car to greet Henry and Luke with hugs.

“My God, Henry! I’ve missed you!” Isobel said collapsing against him and hugging him fiercely.

“Life just isn’t as interesting without you around,” Henry laughed. He turned to hug Chastity and received a sweet kiss on the lips.

“They’re holding a table for us,” Luke said, pointing the way to the club restaurant. “I made the reservation for noon, but told them not to expect us before 12:30. And look! Here we are, right on time.”

They went in and were immediately ushered to their table. A waiter took their orders and brought them soft drinks.

“I thought sure you were going to text us and tell us you were married,” Chastity said. “How did you manage to escape?”

“Mama. I thought my dad would have a heart attack when I announced to the family, I wasn’t a virgin and was heading back to go to college. Dad wanted me to go straight to confession, but I told him I’d already gone to confession here and that I wasn’t going to any priest in Argentina. Then Mama, bless her soul, announced we were leaving for Costa Rica the next day. We spent three beautiful weeks on the beach. Magnificent,” Isobel rattled off.

“Will your mama adopt me, too?” Chastity asked.

“Oh, sure. But you have to follow her rules. Even Luke has promised to take the catechism when we’re at Villanova. Mama won’t have any non-Catholics hanging around. And Luke had to make that promise in order to drive me to school Monday!”

“I don’t mind,” Luke said. “There are worse things I could be asked to do. Here’s the LLC agreement. It’s short and sweet. Just that we agree to create a company with the purpose of investing in technology and other business endeavors as needed. It declares us equal partners and lists the opening investment.” He handed around copies of the single page agreement.”

“So, Luke is the managing member,” Chastity said. “I’m fine with that. Isobel is treasurer? Okay. What do Henry and I do?”

“Henry keeps developing and you keep an eye on him,” Luke said. “And really, all four of us need to be focused on learning everything we can about getting a for-real corporation established. One of the downsides of our little group is that Henry is the only technology guy among us. If we need to get him help, that will be your job, Chas. Hopefully, not before we get established, but there’s going to be stuff that he needs help with. It’s the nature of the beast.”

“How’s that all going, Henry?” Izzy asked.

“Not badly. I’ve got new apps for you guys to test, but they don’t go any further than us four for now. I’ve filed patents on the tech and copyrights on the software. It’s real stuff now and we need to protect it. The biggest thing I’m likely to need help with is the UI. We won’t be able to go to market with a command line program, even if it works great that way. If people don’t have an icon or an emoji to look at, they have no idea what to do.”

“And we can’t expect Henry to keep up the pace he’s been working this summer,” Chastity said. “He’s been working here at the club, finished two classes at the university, and has continued developing in what is laughingly called his spare time. I barely got him out on dates all summer.”

“You’ve been dating?” Izzy asked.

“No! Not me. I just arranged for him to meet someone who needed to get out more, too.”

“When do we get to meet your girlfriend?” Izzy asked Henry.

“Whenever I get one. We agreed to break it off last weekend. It was friendly and I like her a lot, but there were other complications. We’re good,” Henry said.

“Bummer,” Luke said. “Chastity might need to find you another girlfriend. We don’t want your creative juices getting backed up.”

They all laughed and continued their lunch as old friends.

5
The Challenge of College

“WOULD YOU be interested in a little playtime tonight?” Henry asked Chastity after their lunch with Luke and Isobel. “We might not have much time for entertainment after classes start next week.”

“Worried about your creative juices getting backed up? Get used to having a girl in your bed this summer? Yeah. I’m up for that,” Chastity said. She linked her arm in his and headed toward his little car.

“You know it wasn’t like that,” Henry said. “We only got together like that last weekend. Then we said our goodbyes.”

“Henry! No! I didn’t know that. When I saw her at work, she was all goo-goo-eyed about how nice you were and how she loved spending time with you. That bitch!”