HOPE FOR CHANGE... But Settle for a Bailout (35 page)

“I’ll tell them to name it after Grandma’s
mom and dad,” said Larry, leaning in within inches of Calvin’s
ear.

“Or just the mom... Astrid Ullagård Park,
with that little thingie over the ‘a’ so people know she wasn’t
American. I’ll get a bunch of ballerinas from the Nutcracker to
dance at the ribbon cutting.”

The twitching continued.

“I’ll tell the Mayor not to say anything
about the Old Man or the family,” said Larry. “It’ll all be about
the Scandinavian.”

.

“How good for you that Larry’s computer room
is so comfortable,” said Anekee, checking the bonds on Ed’s wrists,
and then unfastening the necktie that she had used to keep a
balled-up pair of nylons in place, as a gag. “You are right, about
having nothing for losing.” Anekee pulled up the single chair and
sat alongside the bed, fully clothed. She gave Ed’s tent a squeeze.
“How many times I have seen this bed, from Larry showing himself to
me. He is the only man I can trust. None else are honest. He tells
me how he wants me and does not hold back. The others are sweet and
pretend they want only words.” Anekee moved the chair so sat close
to Ed’s hips. She gazed at length at Ed’s pulsing tent. “Perhaps
with the blood fully in, you are larger then Larry... but... no… I
don’t think so. He is the real man.” Anekee slowly walked around
the room. “Not very much here, is there? And Larry, now so wealthy,
could have anything or anyone, but that is not what he seeks. You,
on the other hand, pretend that my daughter’s smile is owed only
for your wallet.”

Anekee looked back to the bed, where Ed was
following her every step. “No man is as worthy,” she said, wiping
her forehead and then peeling off her top, leaving her standing in
just a bra and clingy skirt. “California is certainly warm.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Or Hardly Workin’

“Amazingly, the domain name isn’t taken,”
said Ed, as he, Larry and Anekee sat in the sun on Emma’s balcony.
Gina carried out a pitcher of orange juice. Ed stared openly at
Anekee.

.

I looked at my phone. Larry’s fourth call on
a Sunday morning. I gotta tell him today. I gotta get out of this
thing.

“Yeh, Larry. What?”

“Come have breakfast with me and Gina and Ed
and Anekee,” said Larry. “Can you? I need your advice.”

“Look, Larry,” I started.

“My grandma’s house, okay?”

“Larry, really, look....”

“If you can,” said Larry. “I know it’s
Sunday, but, please….”

.

“Gina, this is my friend, Lawrence,” said
Larry, introducing me to yet one more incredibly attractive woman,
with flowing wavy brown hair and olive skin.

“Oh, you were Lori’s husband?” said Gina, as
I took at seat at the breakfast table.

“I was,” I said.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” said Gina.
“Pardon while I check on Emma.” I watched as she walked into the
kitchen.

“We have an idea that kind of ties a lot of
things together,” said Larry, breaking my trance.

“Models Talk dot com was still available,”
said Larry. “But not anymore.”

As Larry droned through a short speech about
empowering beautiful women to have a place to show that their minds
are as beautiful as their bodies, a blonde bombshell swished from
the kitchen out onto the balcony. Her chest arrived first.

“Lawrence, I’d like you to meet my friend
from Italy,” Larry said, alone in standing as the blonde came to
the table. “Anekee, this is my primary advisor, Lawrence. We went
to school together. He is a banker.”

“A real American capitalist pig?” said
Anekee, in a thickly-accent voice. “Since you’re Larry’s friend, I
will shake your hand, but watch out… I bite.”

“Anekee will be the face of Models Talk dot
com,” said Ed, leaning back in his chair.

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, first to Ed and
then to Anekee. I found it very difficult to break my eyes from
her. She may have been 25. Couldn’t have been much older, though
she carried herself as someone who had seen quite a bit of the
world and had grown weary of it.

“She said, ‘be careful, I bite,’ ” said
Gina, rejoining the group on the balcony and taking a seat next to
Larry. Ed motioned with his hand to a spot near him, which Gina
ignored.

Anekee smiled. Gina smiled. Larry smiled. Ed
did not smile.

“I apologize,” I said, knowing I had missed
something central to the conversation, as I looked from Anekee over
to Gina. “What are we talking about?”

“Models who chat, but not strip… for talking
on the mind,” said Anekee. “Much sexier.”

“Some people can only think of one thing,”
said Gina, looking to Ed.

“It will be provocative. Lurkers can do what
they like, but I will debate and force them to think,” said Anekee,
reaching for a basket of croissants, bread and crackers. She placed
a croissant on her plate and passed the basket to Ed, who scooped
several pieces of bread and crackers onto his plate and kept the
basket moving.

After I passed the bread basket to Gina, Ed
handed me a platter of cheeses and vegetables.

“Beautiful womens, for making the eyes
hunger, but not stripping,” said Anekee. “Men pay for brains and
also am getting the beauty.”

“Like the statue in the foyer,” Gina
laughed. “That could be your logo.”

“Ewa can chat in Polish about the music
industry, and Ane can write about… well, anything, really,” said
Larry. “… and other models can join to make money by being smart.
It isn’t a freak show or just about what you see. It’s about what’s
inside.”

“Lonely men pay for beautiful women with
brains,” said Ed. “It’s surefire.”

“Well, that may be what you’re advertising,
but that’s not what the men will be…,” I said.

“Who cares what they do in the privacy of
their cave?” said Ed. “As long as they whip out the VISA or
MasterCard.”

“As a business model, it’d probably make
money,” I said. “What’s the name again?”

“Models Talk dot com,” said Larry.

“Don’t you think that’s a problem?” I asked.
“I mean, switch the ‘s’ to the second word, and what woman would
want to be associated with that?”

“Huh?” said Ed.

“Oh,” said Gina.

“The lurkers are stalking anyway,” said
Anekee. “Maybe a hidden thrill to keep them paying.”

“You’ll got technical needs, so we’ll be
looking at either an IT vendor contract or hiring bodies. And
unless these models are all in one location, you’ll need this to be
self-administering,” I said, looking across the table to Anekee.
“You’re in Italy, right?”

“Milan,” replied Anekee.

“Milan, California... system compatibility…
yeh, there will be a lot to do and I doubt anyone here has the
skills that will be needed, so this will have to be fleshed out
before choosing whether to hire bodies or contract for the
construction of the site.” I looked to Gina, as she placed cheese
onto a slice of bread. How does Larry draw these incredibly
beautiful women into his life?

“I think I can find someone,” said Ed.

“No,” said Larry. “I will find someone.”

Gina smiled.

.

Ralphie held the door to the Lincoln open,
as first Lori’s parents, then December, and, finally, Larry and
Lori stepped out to the American Airlines terminal at Los Angeles
International airport. “The white zone is for immediate loading and
unloading of passengers only,” intoned a voice over the terminal
loudspeakers. “No parking.”

“Let’s do it here,” said Lori, thanking
Ralphie, as he set her duffel bag beside her, on the curb.

December threw herself into Lori and held
tight, as Lori wrapped her arms around her. December leaned her
head up and Lori gave her a gentle kiss. “Good luck, Baby.”

“It’s just training, Dee,” said Lori. “Yer
coming to Nebraska for the Nationals, right?”

December pulled Lori into a long, deep kiss.
“You better believe it, Soldier Girl.”

Lori turned to her dad, who stepped up,
smiled, and hugged his daughter. “Good luck, Sweetheart. Your
mother and I are very proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” said Lori, hugging her
father, who held her in his arms and then stepped back, alongside
his wife, who then threw herself into her daughter’s arms.

“We are so proud of you,” said the mother.
“… So proud of you…. No matter how you do.”

“I know, Mom,” said Lori.

Larry slowly stepped up and Lori reached her
arms out and pulled him into her embrace.

“Thank you, Bix, for making this possible,”
said Lori.

“That part was easy,” said Larry, tearing
up. “This is the hard part.”

“You’re gonna see me in a month,” she said,
as his tears fell onto her broad shoulders.

“Hey!” yelled December, from alongside the
Lincoln.

Larry and Lori looked up from their embrace,
as Ralphie and December unrolled a professionally-printed banner,
reading, “
TEAM LORI LEWIS. GO SOLDIER
GIRL
!
”

Lori laughed and wiped away tears.

“We gotta have something you can see when
we’re in the stands,” said December.

.

Anekee and Larry sat on either side of the
toddler, who was closely examining the plastic train before her.
The child looked up to her mother and then to Larry, reaching to
touch his nose before returning to the train.

“Nine years we’ve known each other and
finally we can spend an evening together,” said Larry, smiling to
the child, who peered up occasionally.

“The Ed one, he will steal from you and
cheat,” said Anekee. “Just to warn.”

“I know. I’m firing him,” said Larry,
watching the child move the train along the wood floor towards her
mom. He held his hand flat to the floor and the child used his arm
as a rail bridge, the train climbing up to the elbow before she let
go and let the toy tumble to the floor, as she giggled.

Larry, his eyes on the child, smiled, and
the two repeated the action.

“Is he useful?” asked Anekee, gently
stroking her daughter’s hair.

“He knows a lot about investing and it’d be
nice to keep him, but I don’t like him anymore.”

“She grows tired,” said Anekee. “My friend
takes over soon and we can spend time alone,” said Anekee, laying
on her side, propped up on an elbow. “We have much to compare
during her nap.”

.

Gina held her arm for Emma – sitting up on
the edge of her bed – to grip, and the two slowly walked to the
kitchen table, where they sat together.

“Brød?” asked Gina.

“Nej,” said Emma.

“Larry is a nice grandson,” said Gina.

“My grandson is odd.”

“He loves you more than anyone in the
world.”

“His heart is full for me; empty for my
son.”

“Are you sure, no food?”

“No, I was just wondering if I had forgotten
how to walk, yet.”

.

Larry leaned in close to his father’s ear,
whispering. “Lots of little girls, in pink ballet outfits....
They’ll be standing with the Mayor, as he cuts the ribbon….”

Calvin’s jaw moved slightly.

“… with big Chamber of Commerce
scissors….”

.

“She’s asleep,” said Anekee, taking Larry by
the hand. “Come.” Anekee guided Larry to his computer room, with
its single wooden chair, twin bed and plain wooden desk on which
sat Larry’s ancient desktop PC and webcam. Anekee closed and locked
the door.

.

Lori, her duffel bag on her shoulder,
followed a woman in her 30s and in a yellow windbreaker into a long
dormitory hallway, before arriving at room 211.

“Dining hall is 6, 10, 4 and 8, with two
hours for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” said the woman in the
windbreaker. “All the meal and training schedules are in a packet
in your room on the table. Curfew… yeh, for you, I don’t think
that’s going to be a problem.”

“Which is dinner? Four or eight?”

“Eat early, eat late, it’s up to you,” said
the woman. “Curfew is eleven. Blood testing is random and
universal, so watch your substances. Welcome to the Olympic
Training Center.”

“Feel like I never left the army,” said
Lori, dropping her bag with a heavy thump.

.

Anekee, wearing only panties, lay on her
side on the twin bed, the soft weight of her enormous breasts
spilling onto the pillow she had propped under her shoulder to
support her upper body. One hand gripped Larry’s enormous, flaccid
penis, occasionally squeezing.

Larry lay next to her, his head near her
feet, and wearing only a tee-shirt. His hand rested lightly on her
calf, as he talked. “I think it will be a success,” he said.

“Your advisor is right,” said Anekee, as she
squeezed and hoisted Larry’s penis. “Much is technical. It must be
easy for the log on or no woman will come back.”

“True,” said Larry, running his hand over
Anekee’s leg.

“Don’t we feel like an old married couple?”
said Anekee.

They both laughed.

.

“The sun is too much,” said Emma, holding
Gina’s arm. “Too bright, still.” The two took a slow, veering turn,
curving away from the balcony doors to instead walk slowly towards
the studio.

.

Ralphie stepped into the entryway of Larry’s
apartment, as Anekee and Larry played with a small child.

“To the airport?”

“Thank you, Ralphie,” said Larry. “I’ll help
with the bags.”

“No need,” said the nanny, entering the
living room from the bedroom. She and Ralphie moved the suitcases,
car seat, stroller and other items out, as Larry and Anekee
continued playing. The child looked up to Larry and smiled.

.

“So you can let me inherit the whole mansion
and turn it into a park,” said Larry, leaning close to his father’s
ear, “or you’ll just have to pull through. The only way you’ll ever
be able to yell at me again is to live. I don’t care.... it’s up to
you.”