Chapter 8: Summertime, an' the Livin' Is Easy

The following weekend was Memorial Day weekend. I should have been relaxing and getting into the summer groove, but unfortunately had three slave drivers in my life.

Uncle Ben was planting and needed help in the fields, so as soon as I got out of school each day it was back to the farm to help my uncle and cousins.

Jim was insistent that we take the car to an all weekend car show in Bloomington to start getting some press, so instead of sleeping in a little, I was up earlier than usual to take care of chores and work on detailing my car. I tried to keep it clean, but Jim wanted it to sparkle, so extra wax and elbow grease was required.

Finally, my loving girlfriend, once she heard about the weekend plans insisted on helping Kelly prepare all the literature we wanted to have on hand for the show.

Together, the two ladies had created a slick brochure listing key features of the car as well as patent numbers and company contact information. I got pulled into final proofing on that Thursday so Kelly could get it to the printers first thing Friday morning.

By the time the weekend was in sight, I was as tired as I had ever been. Fortunately, Mom and Jeryl were understanding. Jeryl came over Friday night for a quiet dinner and some TV. As much as I wanted to take a long road home, she directed me to drive her straight home so I could get some sleep before heading down to Bloomington in the morning.

I gave her a deep kiss good night and then heeded her directions. I was asleep before ten.

Saturday morning was clear and sunny, and looked to be a great day for the first long distance drive. It was only forty miles or so to the convention center, but it felt like I was prepping for a solo crossing of the Atlantic. I knew everything in the car was solid, but I was still nervous.

Mom laughed at my fidgeting. "Are you nervous about driving or about being in the show?" She asked.

I shook my head. "Neither really, but I just seem to have a bunch of energy to burn off." I had gotten up at six and gone for a run already. It was almost eight and I was ready to be on the road.

"You can't pick up Jeryl before 8:15 and you can't check-in for the show until ten, so you better get a hold of yourself. I don't want you driving when you're all jumpy like this."

"I won't be. I think it's the waiting."

"Well, why don't you get your suit bag with your show clothes and then throw in a couple other changes of clothing. I decided last week to go ahead and book a room for you at the hotel by the convention hall so you won't need to ride back and forth all weekend."

"Really?" She nodded. "Thanks Mom. Are you still coming down?"

"Of course. And I know Kelly and Jim will keep an eye on you, too, so no sneaking off to a hotel room with Jeryl when you're supposed to be working this weekend."

"Hmmm, that doesn't sound like too bad an idea. I'll have to see what I can come up with."

Mom laughed and I went to my room to pack some additional clothes. I threw a swimsuit in as well as some clean running gear. I knew the show ran from 1:00 to 7:00 on Saturday, 12:00 to 5:00 on Sunday and 9:00 to 3:00 on Monday. I would have a bit of free time in the mornings and evenings.

Finally, it was time to pick up Jeryl and head to the show. I threw my clothes bag in the back seat and headed over to the Salaway's. Jeryl was waiting and had her own bag of clothes that I took and put in the back seat.

Jerly's Mom was watching us from the porch with a cup of coffee in her hands. I couldn't help but think that Jeryl was going to be just as attractive as her mother thirty years down the line. It made me smile at Mrs. Salaway.

"Okay, kids. Drive safe. Jeryl, Jordan or Jyl will be down to pick you up this afternoon. Have fun."

"Actually, ma'am, my Mom said she'd be happy to bring Jeryl home tonight. She's driving down to join Jim, Kelly, Jeryl and I for dinner after the show."

Mrs. Salaway smiled and nodded. "Only if it's no trouble for her." I assured her it wasn't and then loaded Jeryl's things in the car.

We waved and I backed out of the yard and headed south. Jeryl immediately grabbed my hand and gave my knuckles a quick kiss. "Are you excited? I am."

"Why are you excited?"

"This is the first showing of your car to the real GM folks, not just the lawyers."

"What?"

Jeryl giggled. "Kelly didn't want to tell you, but her dad arranged for some of the real engineers to come down and take a look along with some folks from State Farm. That's why she wanted the brochures to be complete and look good."

I chuckled. "And I bet there are more than GM engineers in the crowd. Jim probably made a call to Ford and a few others as well." I sighed and turned onto the highway heading south. "Well, so much for a relaxing weekend at the show. I was hoping to spend a little time with you, you know."

"You will. I plan on being right next to you during the show."

"It could be pretty boring. I don't want you to be tied down while I work. Wouldn't you rather do something fun?"

"Being with you will be fun."

"Okay, but if you get bored, I want you to tell me. You can always go over to my hotel room and relax if you want."

"Hotel room?"

I explained that Mom had splurged so I wouldn't have to get a ride back and forth all weekend long. I could hardly take the car out of the convention center at the end of each day.

"Well, maybe we can have a little fun after the show, then." She stroked my arm as she said it.

Thirty minutes later we were at the convention center and standing in line for the registration desk. Kelly and Jim joined us. Soon we had our badges and were carrying stuff into our booth area to set up. Kelly had boxes of brochures and Jim had a couple of boxes of stuff. Once we knew where we were going, I headed out to get the car around to the showroom entrance.

It was fun to see other show people turn and stare at my car as I waited to pull it inside. A couple of friendly thumbs up made me smile. It took twenty minutes to get through the line and inch inside to our area. Jim guided me onto the two low ramps for the passenger side, and soon I was able to turn things off with the car sitting up at an angle.

As I climbed out, Jim tossed me some towels and a chamois. "Go ahead and wipe everything down again and I'll get the lights put up." Jeryl and Kelly were laying out a display on a table.

Working together, we had everything set up and ready to show by 11:30. Jim put the last box under our table and suggested we get a bite to eat and then get changed into our show clothes. An hour later, we were sitting by the car waiting for the doors to open.

I was in clean khakis and the blue polo shirt Jeryl had gotten for me. She was in a short blue dress that almost matched. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but she had done something with her makeup to look very professional despite her age. Kelly was in a black dress and low heels. She looked good. Jim had opted for a gray suit, but no tie.

For the first time of the day, I had a chance to look at the display Kelly had built. It looked a little like a tabletop display case, but instead of merchandise, it held patent drawings and brief summary displays of some of the car features. The thing that caught my attention was the title spanning the display.

PT Innovations. Making cars safer now for the future.

"Nice tag line, Kelly," I said.

"Actually, that was Jeryl's idea on Thursday. I liked the way it sounded and looked so went with it."

I smiled at Jeryl who actually blushed. "Wow, beautiful and smart. I'm a pretty lucky guy."

"Yes you are," Jim said. "Now, look like a young genius. Channel Five is coming through before the doors open for some un-crowded shots."

Sure enough, a portable camera was coming down the aisle with a couple of reporters trailing along. They paused at my car long enough to shoot a few seconds of footage and then moved on. One of the reporters, a twenty-something reporter in a blue blazer and skirt stayed behind as the cameraman and entourage moved on.

"Hi," she said to Jim as she extended her hand. "I'm Shelly Gables from Channel Five. This is a unique looking car."

Jim shook her hand. "Thanks. It's not just unique looking though, it is truly unique. It has features that could change the car industry." He waved me over. "And it was designed and built by a sixteen year-old genius."

Shelly stood up straighter and looked over at me. I put my best smile on and walked over to say, "Hi, I'm Paul Taylor. I'm glad you like my car."

"Did you really design and build it yourself?"

"Yes, ma'am." I caught Jeryl and Kelly smiling at me.

"And you're only sixteen?" I nodded. "I bet you have an interesting story to tell," she said. "How would you like to be on TV?"

"I don't know, I might be a little nervous."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. Tell me a little more about yourself and then I'll go chat with my producer and see if we can get you in a spot. We're trying to get a full hour of material to use over the next couple of days as part of our evening news coverage."

"Okay. What would you like to know?"

"What makes your car unique? I mean, I bet a lot of kids rebuild cars. Is this the same thing?"

"Well, ma'am, why don't you decide for yourself? First of all, this car is a hybrid gas-electric vehicle. The engine does not connect directly to the wheels, instead it generates electricity to power the electric motors connected to the wheels. That lets me get pretty amazing gas mileage and also gives me some special driving capabilities, as well as the benefits of always having four wheel drive on the car."

"What sort of mileage?"

"I haven't finished all my measurements, but it looks to be about thirty-five to forty miles per gallon." The average coming out of Detroit was well below twenty.

"Wow. What are the special driving capabilities?"

I motioned her over to the display case and pointed at a couple of the pictures and drawings. "I can parallel park in smaller spaces with ease since all four wheels can be steered. I can drive in wet or icy conditions more easily because each wheel can be controlled independently for slippage." I went on to explain the drive by wire system that made it all possible.

Shelly looked up from her notes and smiled at me. She was attractive, but the predatory look she gave me made me take a step back.

"What else?" She was no longer an interested lady; she was now all reporter on the hunt for a good story.

"Well, I also focused on some new safety aspects in the construction. Once I had removed some of the limitations of the traditional drive train, I was able to re-design the passenger compartment with safety and comfort in mind." I moved over to the car and began explaining the reinforced cage surrounding the passenger compartment, the anti-lock brakes programmed into the power system, and some of the other patent ideas I had implemented. By the time I was finished, she was nodding.

"Okay, I can see this is a good story. I'll go talk to my producer and we'll be back with a camera crew to shoot it."

Jim patted my shoulder as she walked away. "Good job, Paul. You gave her enough technical detail to make her want the features of your car while also letting her know she had a heck of a human interest story as well. Not many sixteen year olds can be as articulate and as inventive or hard-working as you have been. We'll be on the news for sure."

"Is that what we want?"

"Of course. Just don't say anything about talks with GM. This is all very positive press. We want other manufacturers to hear about this before we strike a deal with GM."

"Why?"

"I don't want GM to assume they have exclusive rights to your patent portfolio. By getting some PR on your ideas and the company, we have some additional chips to play with at the negotiation tables. I've pulled in a few favors at State Farm as well. They've let a couple of the car magazine guys know that there are some interesting safety developments happening in a little farm in the middle of Illinois, and that they can learn a lot more at this show. You're going to be busy talking this weekend."

"Can't you help with some of that?"

"Nope. We need you to do it because it reinforces the human interest side of the story. You being the young kid working in obscurity to turn the industry on its head will sell. The inventions alone won't. We want the story out there."

"Okay. I guess I have to trust my attorney on that front."

Jim chuckled. "Not just your attorney, your friend and business partner too. This is a smart show to start with. There are a couple bigger ones over the summer, but this is the perfect start."

Shelly and a camera man soon returned along with a man I assumed was her producer and a couple of other assistants. She talked to her producer as the camera man set up and shot some pans of the car and the display case. Shelly waved me over.

"Paul, this is Steve Bickerman, my producer." I shook his hand. "He'd like us to start with some background about yourself and then focus on the car. We won't shoot the interview as one continuous piece. He'll edit it together later. If it looks good, you'll be on the news tonight."

"Wow, that fast?"

Steve nodded. "We're a sponsor for the show. We'd like to get an interesting story out tonight and help drive attendance for the rest of the weekend."

It made sense to me. I let one of the assistants apply some makeup to me and then let Steve tell me where he wanted me to stand. Soon the lights came on and I found myself looking at Shelly to avoid gaping at the camera.

"So Paul, tell me what made you want to build such a unique car..."

My face felt like it would freeze into an artificial smile by the end of the day.

"It's been a pleasure talking to you, Paul."

"Likewise, Mr. Samuels. Feel free to give me a call if you have any other questions."

I shook the reporter's hand and then glanced around at the show. Most people were packing things up for the night. It had been a long day. Jeryl and Kelly were putting brochures back into boxes as Jim began shutting off the small spotlights we had illuminating the car. I moved over to help him.

"I don't think I've ever talked so much in six hours," I said.

"You did a great job, Paul. So did Kelly and Jeryl. How about we go out to dinner to celebrate a very successful launch of PT Innovations? My treat?"

My stomach rumbled just enough to be heard as Jeryl came up and gave me a hug.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jim said with a laugh.

Minutes later, we had the car locked up and were in Jim's car heading downtown. I was in the back seat with Jeryl and Kelly while Mom and Jim rode up front. Soon we were at a nice steakhouse and the adults had ordered some wine while Jeryl and I had soda.

"Paul, I know you're tired of talking to people, but it was a very productive day," Jim said after toasting our good fortune. "GM and State Farm have agreed to split the cost of track time to get some performance data on your car next month."

"State Farm? Why are they interested?"

"They want access to the raw data to assess safety impacts and reliability for insurance purposes. If your designs actually decrease risk and improve reliability of the car as a whole, they would modify their actuarial tables for cars that have these kinds of modifications. If we want them to become standard in the automotive industry, having a major insurer on board is going to be critical."

I nodded my head. It made sense. And once State Farm weighed in, we would have additional leverage in any future negotiations.

We ordered dinner and I momentarily lost track of the conversation as Jeryl reached beneath the table and began stroking my thigh. I smiled at her. "Thanks for all your help getting ready for this and manning the booth today."

She smiled back. "I had fun. Kelly and I got to do a lot of flirting today." I frowned and she laughed. "I've got to keep you on your toes, you know. There are a lot of cute guys at car shows."

Kelly laughed. "Yeah, if you think overweight guys in T-shirts and baseball caps are cute, you had your pick today."

We all laughed.

"So, is there anyone special coming in tomorrow?" Jeryl asked Jim.

He nodded. "The head of GM R&D should stop by sometime. Also, AutoTrends Magazine is supposed to send a reporter."

"Jim, what do you think will happen from a negotiation perspective? I mean, will being public with these ideas help us or hurt us?"

Jim took a sip of his wine before answering. "I think it will help. GM is going to know other manufacturers will approach us now that they know about us. It's in their best interest to close a deal with us quickly. My guess is they will try for exclusive licenses. How would you feel about that?"

Exclusivity would give them a lock on my ideas. They would probably pay a premium for it, but I wasn't doing this just for the money. I thought hard for a few minutes. I had no idea what make or model of car Mom had been driving the first time through when she was killed. I definitely had no idea of the drunk's car model. If my safety ideas were to change the future, I couldn't limit myself to a single manufacturer.

I shook my head. "I think that would be a deal breaker, Jim. I don't want to make just GM cars safer, I want to make all cars safer. If that means I make a little less on this first deal, so be it."

Mom and Kelly smiled at me and Jeryl absolutely beamed. She reached over and gave my hand a squeeze. Jim just nodded.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Paul. I think it is the right decision as well, both ethically and economically. You'll be much better off getting less but being in every vehicle over the long run."

"So long as they are willing to license my ideas," I added. "I could see people taking part of the idea, changing a little and going their own way."

Jim frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Take my anti-lock brake system for instance. The idea has been around since 1930 or so. The idea is simple enough in control system terms. A sensor detects that a wheel is spinning faster than the others, implying a loss of friction. It then brakes that wheel only to allow the wheel to slow and regain traction. My solution is unique because it incorporates both the wheel speed as well as the fact that the wheels are independently steerable. My control system can tell the direction of movement is differing from the signal from the steering wheel and then brake or steer the other wheels to compensate for the wheel that is slipping. Since all wheels are powered, if you are not on solid ice, you should never lose control under normal operating conditions."

"Now, someone could take my idea, and apply similar logic to a traditional mechanical drive train system and just brake the wheel speed instead of steering as well. They could argue it was a different idea than my patent."

Jim shook his head. "Not when we're done with it," he said. "Kelly will start amending your filing to cover that as well as soon as you give Jeryl some notes on how it would differ from the system you've built. Do the same thing with anything else you come up with. We want to make sure the specifics as well as the general concepts you are applying are protected ideas."

I nodded. "I can do that." Especially since I was working backward from future concepts. I knew the mechanical ABS system I had described was invented in the mid to late 80's. I had just brought the idea forward a half decade or so.

The rest of dinner was pleasant and all too soon we were saying our goodbyes outside the restaurant. Mom gave Jim a kiss on the cheek as Jeryl and I climbed into her car.

"Jeryl, what time are you coming down tomorrow," my mother asked as we headed back to the hotel.

"I think Jordan is planning on driving me down right after church. I should be here by eleven."

"The show opens at noon," I reminder her. "I'm sure we can cover things if you need a little more time."

She scooted closer to me. "I should be fine. I actually had a lot of fun today. I'm looking forward to another good day tomorrow and Monday."

"Well, Jim suggested a cookout at his place tomorrow after the show, and Kelly thought you might like to spend the night with them so you didn't have to get up so early for Monday. You should discuss that with your folks."

"Cool, um I mean, thanks. I'll ask my mother as soon as we get home. I think they are planning on visiting the show Monday."

"Well, if you can talk them into changing their plans and coming tomorrow, I'm sure Jim would be happy to invite them to the cookout. Since I'm the one picking up the food, I know there will be plenty."

Jeryl snuggled against me, pressing her breast against my bicep. "I'd like that a lot," she said.

Sunday morning, I was up early and went for a run before breakfast. Afterwards I cleaned up and got into my 'show clothes': khakis, loafers, and a polo shirt. I was just about ready to head over to the convention center when there was a knock on my door.

I opened it to find two delightful ladies waiting to be let in. Jeryl was in a black skirt, cream blouse, and low heels. Her hair was loose and flowing around her shoulders and there was only a hint of makeup. Jordan was dressed in a yellow and white sundress with sandals and had her hair pulled into a loose ponytail. They both looked beautiful.

Before I could even say hello, Jeryl jumped me and locked her lips to mine. I forgot about Jordan for a minute as we stumbled back into the room holding each other. Finally, we broke our embrace. I smiled. "Good morning, sunshine." I managed to say.

"Good morning to you, sir." Jeryl let me go and then reached outside the door to grab her two small bags. Jordan laughed at us and came on into the room.

"Nice digs, Paul. I'm surprised my sister didn't try to get Mom and dad to let her stay down here last night." The room was a pretty typical Holiday Inn: king-sized bed, a chair and desk and then a reading chair.

"Like either of our mothers would allow that," I said.

"I can always dream," Jeryl said as she started undoing the buttons on her blouse.

"What are you doing, you hussy?" Jordan asked as she saw Jeryl shrug off her blouse to stand in her skirt and lacy white bra.

"You said you needed to use the bathroom as soon as we got here. I've got to change. Paul is ready to head over to the show. I want to go with him. Stop staring at me, go pee, and let me change." With that, she unfastened her skirt and stepped out of it.

Her lightly tanned skin contrasted nicely with the white lace bra and panties she was wearing. She turned around giving me a little show. She paused to show me her tight derriere and I forgot all about the convention center.

Jordan just laughed and headed into the bathroom.

"Can you hand me that small bag?" Jeryl asked as she pointed at the bag sitting on the end of the bed where she had dropped it. I stepped over to pick it up when she pounced on me again and pushed me on my back on the bed. She straddled my groin and ground herself against me as she leaned down to kiss me again.

"Thank you for letting me help you with this."

I stroked her arm and then kissed her collarbone. "Believe me, the pleasure is all mine." I gave her another light kiss on the swell of her breast just above her bra and then she jumped off me and grabbed her bag.

She pulled out another blue skirt, shorter than the one she had been wearing along with a white button down shirt. She rummaged through the bag for a minute, teasing me in her underwear, and then pulled out a blue hair tie. I drank in the sight of her as she lifted her arms to pull her hair back and tie it in place.

"You are incredibly beautiful, you know?"

She smiled at me. "I'm glad you think so. I wanted to make sure I was top of mind today in case any other cute female reporters try to turn your head again."

"What?"

She began putting on the shirt. "I saw that harpy eyeing you yesterday. Even my mother commented on it when she saw the news last night."

I did not know what to say. "I was on the news?"

Jeryl laughed and finished buttoning her shirt. "Yes. Mom and Dad said you got almost three minutes of coverage. Not bad for a thirty-minute news broadcast." She picked up the skirt and stepped into it. "She said you looked very handsome on the air as well and asked if many girls were at the show. It made me think." She fastened the skirt in place and then flipped up the edge high enough to flash me her panties. "I want to make sure I'm the only girl on your mind today."

I laughed, stood up and kissed her again just as Jordan came out of the bathroom.

"I thought you were in a hurry to get over to the show," she teased as I let Jeryl go.

"Two beautiful women in my hotel room or a car show?" I tapped my finger to my lips. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

We all laughed and Jeryl grabbed a makeup bag and ducked into the bathroom. Jordan moved over to sit in the reading chair and I decided to fold up Jeryl's clothes.

"Are you going to the show today, Jordan?" I asked.

"Yes. So are my folks and Jyl. Your Mom invited us all over to your lawyer's house for a cookout this evening."

"You don't sound happy about it."

She frowned at me and then forced a smile. "You definitely are wiser than your years, Paul. Steve and I broke up last week. He was being a possessive jerk. I can't say that I really miss him, but I was thinking about having an itch scratched this weekend. Going to a car show all day and then a lawyer's cookout doesn't lend itself to much itch scratching, if you know what I mean."

For the second time in ten minutes, I was left speechless.

Jeryl came out of the bathroom. "Jordan, can't you give it a break? If you think you're horny, think about me or Paul. We've been working together all week, but never alone. If we didn't have to get over to the convention center, I'd be jumping him right now."

Jordan blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be a whiny brat. Maybe I can help you guys out today at the booth."

Jeryl smiled at her sister and pulled a pair of classy heels from her bag to slip on. She then twirled again to model for us. "Do I look like a booth babe now?"

She did. Classy, sophisticated, but youthful and sexy at the same time.

"Maybe we can do a little itch scratching before we go," I said as I reached for her.

She danced away. "No time, Paul. But Mom said I could stay at Kelly's tonight, so maybe later."

Jordan shook her head, but eyed us both as she stood. It was the same look the reporter had given me yesterday. It was more than a little predatory.

"Don't forget your swimsuit, Paul." Kelly called as we separated at the exit of the convention center. "After two days of standing on your feet, I'm sure you'll like our hot tub."

"I'll make sure he grabs it." Jeryl said as she hugged my arm. "I brought my suit with me, too."

It had been another successful day at the show. Jeryl, Jordan and I were headed to my room to change and pick up clothes while everyone else headed over to Jim and Kelly's house. I had the directions tucked in my pocket.

As soon as the door was shut on the room, Jeryl was pulling my shirt out of my pants and wrapping her arms around my waist from behind.

"Ahem," Jordan said from in front of me as she turned around and saw what her younger sister was up to. "We don't have time for that, Jeryl."

Jeryl lifted her hands and pulled my shirt up and over my head. "If you stand around, we won't. If you give me a hand, we will."

"What?" I asked.

Jeryl dropped a hand to stroke my stiffening member through my pants. "You have to be as horny as I am," she said. "I saw you trying to sneak a peek up my skirt all day." Her fingers began unfastening my belt. "I've been thinking about this since you kissed me while I was getting dressed this morning. We've got just enough time for all of us to get a little relief."

"All of us?" Jordan asked.

Jeryl pulled open my pants and pushed them down my legs. "All of us," Jeryl said. My boxers dropped next as my girlfriend turned me sideways and dropped down to suck my dick into her hot mouth. She didn't stop until I was fully erect. It took about two seconds.

She gave me a long lick and then looked at her sister. "If you want a little of this to scratch an itch with, you had better get rid of that dress and get over here."

She returned her attentions to my dick as I looked over to see the confusion on Jordan's face. She looked at her sister sucking my cock, and then looked up to my eyes. Finally, with a smile, she reached down to the hem of her sundress and lifted it up and off in a single move. Her tan panties barely hid the dark strip of hair over her pussy. The matching sheer bra did nothing to hide her pointed nipples. I groaned at the combination of the sight of her and Jeryl's tongue working me over.

Jordan quickly reached behind her and dropped her bra and slipped her panties down her long, trim legs as Jeryl cupped my balls and proceeded to take me all the way into her throat.

"Oh, shit," I moaned. "This is going to be quick."

Jeryl pulled back and looked up at me with most of my cock still in her mouth. The look of adoration in her eyes was too much in combination with the rolling of my balls gently in her hand. I started coming immediately.

Jeryl took my load into her mouth and swallowed provocatively before standing up and helping me step out of the tangled pants around my feet. "That was a good start," she said with a quick kiss. "Now, go show my sister how you can scratch her itch while I get out of these clothes."

Jordan looked at me and took a step back to sit on the reading chair. I stepped closer and then dropped to my knees before leaning forward to capture her left nipple in my lips. She moaned and grabbed my head as I began stroking my fingers along her thighs. Soon, I lowered my head and began kissing my way down her tight stomach. A minute later, my fingers met my mouth at the juncture of her womanhood. Slowly I lapped along her lips before focusing on her clit.

"Oh, God! Thank you, Jeryl. This is wonderful. He has an incredible tongue." I knew what would get her going and dipped my head lower to take a swipe across her ass as she pulled her knees to her shoulders.

"Oh, god!" she moaned. I licked from her tight little asshole to her clit and back again. I could feel her breathing become shallower and more rapid as I probed her with my tongue. I used a finger to gather her moisture and then pushed gently, but firmly against her sphincter as I flattened my tongue against her clit.

Jordan bucked against my face and moaned. She dropped her knees over my shoulders and grabbed my head as she thrashed beneath my tongue. I felt her start to relax and twisted my finger only to feel another orgasm wash over her.

Finally, she pushed me away. "Enough, but thank you. Oh, God, I can't believe my sister's boyfriend just fingered my ass and gave me two earth shattering orgasms. Thank you."

I kneeled back and felt Jeryl's breasts press against my back. She wrapped her arms around me in a hug and kissed my neck. "That was hot," she whispered. "But now it's my turn, stud."

I turned and picked her up in my arms. She felt perfect against my skin. It would have been too easy to lower her onto my revived cock and have my way with her. Instead, I carried her to the bed and laid her down. I caught her feet in my hands and pulled them to my mouth and began sucking her toes.

"Oh, shit. Paul, that feels amazing. I can feel you in my pussy."

I continued sucking one foot, then the other. After a few minutes, she was writhing on the bed. "Don't make me beg, Paul. I want you to make me come, please."

I spread her legs and lowered my head to her delicate pussy. I licked along her furrow and then spread her lips with one hand and focused in on her clit as my fingers probed gently into her. She lifted her hips to me as I felt Jordan move behind me.

I was concentrating on Jeryl but looked down long enough to see Jordan slip her head between my legs and take my hard prick into her beautiful mouth. She didn't have the best angle as I continued to work on Jeryl, but it still felt damn good. If I had not just come so recently, I'm sure she would have gotten what she was after.

Jeryl began bucking against me. "Put your finger in me, Paul. Do what you did to Jordan. I want to feel you in my ass."

The language she was using just made me hotter. I gathered some moisture and did as she asked. As soon as my finger slipped inside her, she began coming.

"Oh, god, I can't wait until you actually take me," she moaned between her first and second orgasm."

I continued licking her. Her delicate, sweet flavor was possibly my newest favorite thing. I could spend a day lapping up her spend. A third orgasm hit and she clenched so tightly I almost felt my knuckle pop inside her rear end. Finally she pushed me away and then saw what her sister was doing between us.

I started to move away from her, but she looked up and guided my feet a little further apart so she could slip fully between my spread legs. She sat up a little higher to take me deeper into her mouth and lifted her hand to my dangling balls. She cupped them gently and then began massaging me right behind my sack. I felt a twinge as she gently probed and pressed in combination with her sucking. Jeryl got on her knees on the bed and hugged me as we began kissing passionately. A few minutes later, I felt my balls begin to boil and suddenly was coming in the back of her mouth.

We collectively caught our breath and looked at each other.

"Wow," was all I could say.

Jeryl and Jordan laughed.

"Do you think your itch is scratched, sis?" Jeryl asked playfully.

Jordan blushed. "Definitely. How about yours?"

Jeryl grinned. "Oh, yeah." She bounced off the bed. "Now, let's hurry up and get cleaned up so we aren't too late getting to the cookout."

"You are amazing," Jeryl said as I finished my run in front of the hotel.

"But you look amazing," I said as I darted in for a quick kiss. She was wearing loose tan shorts and a bright yellow polo shirt. It was a little after seven o'clock on a sunny day in June. We were in Chelsea, Michigan, a little way outside Ann Arbor. We had driven up the day before in convoy with Jim and Mom, and Kelly and Jordan. State Farm had bought us two days on the Chrysler Proving Grounds. GM was picking up part of the cost along with providing professional drivers for the tests. Chrysler engineers were also getting a copy of the final data to share with their bosses. We expected Ford to buy a set as well.

Since the car show, we had garnered quite a bit more interest in the automotive world. GM was still in negotiations with us, but now the other two of the "big three" were involved as well. It was a little heady to think of the money they were offering us.

Jeryl handed me a large plastic cup of water and a towel to mop the sweat off my face. "I knocked on your door and figured where you were when you didn't answer."

"Well, I needed to burn off a little energy." I sipped the water. "I'd have liked to burn of a little with you, but I don't think my mother would have approved if she heard those sounds through the door." We had adjoining rooms, as did Jim and Kelly. Jordan and Jeryl were sharing a room that Mom was paying for.

Jeryl blushed and swatted my arm. "You've got twenty minutes until we are all meeting in the restaurant for breakfast. We're supposed to be out at the proving grounds at 9:00."

"Okay, I better get moving then."

We walked inside and parted at the door to her room. Twenty-five minutes later, we were all eating from the breakfast buffet. As we were finishing up, a short, stout man entered the room and spotted us. He walked purposefully to our table.

"Is this the Taylor party?" He asked.

"It is," my mother responded.

"I'm Rich Calais." He said it like we should know him. "I'm your liaison for the next couple of days while you're at the proving grounds."

"Good to meet you, Rich," Jim said as he stood and shook his hand. "I'm Jim Daniels. I'm general counsel for PT Innovations. Paul," he motioned to me, "is the chairman of our board and primary engineer and inventor. His mother, Beth is the president of the company. Kelly is my daughter and our legal secretary. Jordan and Jeryl are friends that decided to travel with us this week."

"Nice to meet you all," Rich said with a slightly fake southern twang. He reached across the table to shake my hand. "Especially you, Paul. I've been reading some of your work. It's very impressive."

"Thanks," I said.

"Any new ideas on the horizon?"

He asked it in a friendly manner, but Jim jumped up. "Mr. Calais, your company is in negotiation with ours over this young man's portfolio of ideas. I have to insist you not try and get something out of him for free." Jim took a deep breath as if calming himself. "Let's just keep the conversation on things that already exist, if we can."

Calais looked like he had sucked on a lemon, but nodded.

We all finished quickly in silence and then headed for the door. Jim put a fatherly arm across my shoulder as we walked back outside. "Answer any questions about the car directly, but don't give them anything else for free. Understand?"

"I do. Thanks for jumping on that quickly."

"That's what you pay me for. Try to keep close to someone else from our party for the next few days. This is big business and that means it could get nasty."

Rich was standing next to my car, admiring it. "She is a beautiful car, Paul. Is it alright if I ride with you? I've got your proving ground passes and they know me at the gate."

"Sure." I unlocked the passenger door and opened it for Jeryl to climb into the back seat. Rich settled himself in as I went around to the driver's side. He admired the interior finishing as I started up and pulled out of the parking lot.

"It sure is a quiet ride," He said. "I suppose it would be without a big V-8 under the hood."

"Actually, it's got a 3.8-liter V-6. It's quiet because it's sound mounted and I don't need the mechanical couplings to the drive train, so I can keep noise and vibration out of the passenger compartment." I pushed down the accelerator and was rewarded by the startled look on his face as we surged forward. "It has plenty of power without all the noise of a normal car."

"What about exhaust?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm running a lot cleaner than EPA standards right now. Since I can generate more power than the car needs most of the time, I run the engine at optimal output power without dumping extra fuel into it."

He nodded. "Impressive. How do you think your motors for the wheels will handle the endurance test?"

"I'm pretty confident. I spent good money to make sure they were up to spec. Each is a doubly-fed induction motor rated for 100,000 hours MTBF. I've done a little testing, and two motors operating can still drive the car pretty easily. Of course, the next couple of days should tell me a lot more about the performance curves for the car."

Rich looked at me and shook his head. "I'm sorry if I sounded like I was pumping you back there. It's pretty obvious that you know your stuff, especially where this car is concerned."

"Thanks," I said.

I followed Rich's directions and pulled into a gated driveway with a sign announcing our arrival at the Chrysler Proving Grounds and Test Labs. Rich showed some identification and let the guard know the two cars behind us were with us as well. Soon we were in the parking lot of a low glass and concrete building.

"This is it," Rich said. "We'll go in and get you all some badges first and then come back out and take the car around to the garages for initial inspection."

"What sort of inspection?" I asked.

"We'll put it up on the rack and make sure everything is lubed and in good repair. We'll then top off the tank and head over to the track to let the drivers have a couple of test runs around the oval. Then we'll get into the full test regimen."

I nodded. It was what had been agreed to.

Rich continued. "Your party will have full access to all the test areas and results, as we've agreed to. You can check the car between any events or as needed based on any readings we get. I understand you have pretty complete telemetry in there already, right?"

"Yes. In fact, for some of the runs, I'd like to ride along and take readings. I also added a two-megabyte drive to capture data during the runs." That drive had set us back almost two thousand dollars, but I had convinced Jim, it was needed.

"What are you capturing on it?"

"Engine performance and motor parameters each minute, and all command inputs."

"Will two megabytes be enough?"

"It should be good for two days of data capture."

"Any chance we can get a copy of the data?"

"It's part of the agreement."

"Excellent."

The remainder of the morning was probably boring for everyone but me. In fact, I know it was since everyone except Jeryl headed back to the hotel for lunch with a promise to come back and pick us up around five. She stayed near me taking notes as we took the car through its preliminary inspection and then let the drivers take a couple of turns around the track. I was impressed with her as she noted each driver change and captured split times from each lap they did, but I really appreciated her when she noted how much fuel was added before the first speed-endurance run.

"Paul," she said. "It looks like their familiarization runs had them each averaging almost fifty-three miles to the gallon."

"Really?" It was better than I had calculated, but within my margin of design.

She nodded. "They kept the speed down below sixty for most of them. The next run on the protocol they have set up is for one lap to get up to sixty-five and then an hour running at sixty-five. Then they will repeat it at seventy-five and then at eighty-five."

I nodded. "We had opted for the higher speed tests to better assess wear and tear on the car and systems. After those runs, we'll check everything and then do the full speed trials. We should be to the endurance runs by dinner."

"Are we staying all night as they run those?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I'll check out the start of them and then maybe call and see how they are doing after dinner, but we won't even be able to see them most of the time they are on the track." The almost five-mile test loop was only being used for the first three timed runs. The fifteen-mile endurance road circled the proving grounds with multiple routes and grades for the drivers to negotiate. The plan was for them to run an eighteen-hour run, changing drivers when they needed to fuel. They planned on starting the endurance run by four in the afternoon.

"Thanks for staying here with me," I said as I gave her a hug during the second speed-endurance run.

She gave me a smile and quick kiss. "Thank you for bringing me along. I never really thought about everything that goes into the cars we take for granted. I mean, look at this place. How many people do you think realize places like this exist?"

"Not many. It's one of the reasons I love technology and tinkering. The scale of accomplishment makes me feel a sense of awe. Think about the effort that went into building this facility to test cars. It's amazing."

I reached over to hold her hand as we sat on a grassy berm by the oval access ramp and waited for the car to come back around. It was a peaceful, happy moment for me as I realized for the first time in my life, I was sharing my joy and passion with someone I was passionate about. As my car came by with quiet speed, I gave Jeryl's hand a squeeze.

"Turn right at the next corner," Jeryl instructed as she glanced through the back window to make sure Jordan was still behind us. We had finished our days at the Chelsea Proving Grounds and I was now delivering her to her grandmother's in Bangor, Michigan. She and Jordan were coming up a week earlier than the rest of their family.

I was a little nervous about meeting the lady Jeryl had spent that past couple of hours telling me about. She sounded like a very strong-willed woman who had very specific ideas on how her daughter and granddaughters should act and behave. I wasn't certain I would measure up.

"There's the lane," Jeryl said as I turned onto a wooded road.

I slowed and turned in between two large stone pillars. Brass letters announced we were entering "The Meadows". I asked Jeryl about it.

She blushed a little. "Well, it started as an iron magnate's country estate in the early 1900s. Grandpa bought it right after the war. When he died, grandmother sold all their other property, but kept The Meadows. It's about four hundred acres. Part of it is an artist's retreat she opened when Mom went away to school. Now it's her and her staff for the retreat."

She looked nervous. "I probably should have mentioned it before now, but I wasn't sure how to bring it up. Grandmother has a lot of money. She always seems to worry about someone going after one of us girls to get it. She may think you are after it as well, since I haven't mentioned your car and the discussions with the manufacturers to anyone in my family."

"Surely Jordan at least knows after the past few days seeing the interest of the engineers," I said.

"She suspects, but I've been pretty tight-lipped on any specifics. I agree with your thinking that the fewer people that know the happier you, and I, will be. The truth is that you'll probably have more than Grandmother's fortune over the next couple of years. I'd hate for my own sisters to turn into gold-diggers and try to steal you away from me."

"That would never happen."

"Well, they've both already given you as much or more than I have," she said with another blush. We had not managed any private time yet on this trip. While Jeryl was happy to share certain things with her sisters, she insisted that the first time she wanted to try more than we had already done, she wanted it to be just the two of us.

"They can only give me their bodies, though. You've given me your heart. I'd rather have that."

Jeryl leaned over and kissed me as we pulled up in front of a stately colonial style house of red brick with white shutters and a slate roof. A matching, three-car detached garage was off to the left of the house. A slim older lady was coming out the large front door as we climbed out of the car.

"Gram," Jeryl said as she ran up to give her grandmother a hug. Jordan was not far behind her. It was clear that their mother and they both got some of their looks from their maternal grandmother. She had to be in her seventies, but still cut a nice figure. She was dressed in a calf length green skirt and a cream blouse with sandals. Her bright blue eyes seemed to laugh at her granddaughters even as she gave me a sterner look.

"And who is this young gentleman?" She finally asked. I stepped forward as Jeryl came down the steps and grabbed my arm.

"Grandmother, this is Paul Taylor, my boyfriend. Paul, this is my Grandmother, Cynthia Morgan."

"Ma'am, it's a pleasure to meet you. Jeryl has been singing your praises since we left Chelsea this morning." Her eyes were definitely a bit cooler as she took my hand and gave it a perfunctory shake.

"I'm not sure I like the idea of a young man, such as yourself Mr. Taylor, driving all the way up here alone with my youngest granddaughter, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for her sake," she said.

"Oh, grandmother," Jordan said. "Paul is the kindest and most caring young man in the world. I was behind them all the way up to Chelsea and here. He would never harm a hair on Jeryl's head."

The old woman gave me another look and made a huffing sound. "That may be the case, but I don't want him to think that now he has four hundred acres to chase her over and hide around in. You girls will be in the house in your usual rooms. Paul can stay in the apartment over the garage, assuming he is not staying until your parents and sister arrive."

Jeryl had told me about the old chauffeur's apartment over the garage. It had sounded very nice until now. Now it sounded like I was being sent to east Siberia.

Rather than make a mountain out of a mole hill, I decided to take the higher road. "Well, how about I grab your ladies' things out of the cars and you can show me where they need to go. Then I can get my things. I'll only be staying tonight anyway, ma'am since I've got to get home and back to work on the farm."

I headed around to Jordan's trunk to collect bags as Jordan and Jeryl leaned closer to Cynthia for a whispered, but heated conversation. By the time I had my arms filled with bags, they were looking at each other crossly. I began re-assessing my plans to stay for even the night.

I walked back up to the stairs leading into the house and Jeryl came over to open the door and show me up the stairs to rooms the girls were staying in. Jordan and Cynthia seemed a little calmer by the time we came back down for the second load.

"Paul," Cynthia said. "Perhaps I was a little short where I should not have been."

I paused for a second and smiled at her. "No need to apologize, ma'am. If I had daughters or granddaughters as beautiful and smart as yours, I would be a bit protective of them as well. I completely understand." Jeryl and Jordan beamed at me as I grabbed another load of bags. Their grandmother didn't realize her jaw was hanging as she stared at me.

The grounds at The Meadows were immaculate. I enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere even if my quiet walk with Cynthia had my mind and stomach in turmoil. She had sent the girls on a quick errand after lunch and asked me to join her on her afternoon walk. I could not decline without being rude. I refused to give her the upper hand, but my nerves were still taut as we walked idly down a path toward the artist's cottages which were about a quarter mile from the main house.

During lunch she had been polite to me, but really focused on Jeryl and Jordan, drawing them out about the past year since she had spent time with them. It was obvious from her questions that she was kept well informed in their lives and plans. Anytime the subject threatened to shift to me, she had deftly guided the conversation elsewhere.

She was definitely a master at the art of conversation. Hence my nerves. I had never really considered myself to be a good conversationalist, let alone a great one. I always believed in keeping my mouth shut and being thought an idiot rather than opening it and removing any doubts.

Finally, she seemed to reach some sort of conclusion and took a deep breath. "I apologize if I seemed rude to you earlier, Paul."

An apology without saying she was sorry or admitting she was wrong. She was a master. I kept quiet, relying on my old strategy of silence.

"It's just that I want the very best in the long-term for my granddaughters in life, and that sometimes means they won't feel the best in the short term."

I nodded. "As do I. You realize, though, that the two are not always mutually exclusive, don't you?"

She grimaced. "I've been successful, in life by assuming things that look or feel too good to be true, usually are. In my life, I've seen almost no 'young loves' survive college and the real world and grow into a happy, prosperous family. I want my granddaughters to have a happy and prosperous life filled with love. Surely you can understand that."

"I do. I have many of the same thoughts and concerns." She took a deep breath to continue, but I held up my hand to ask for a pause.

"However, treating Jeryl as a real, thinking, feeling person is my first concern. Not treating her like a stereotypical high school cheerleader, or farmer's daughter, or dutiful granddaughter, or any other label you choose to apply. She's not an object, but a real person with feelings."

"Exactly my point. Her feelings will lead her astray as they have young women for ages."

"Do you just think of her feelings and being led astray? I think of her and her happiness and ask her what she wants and why she wants it. Understanding comes from the why, not the what. Do you give her the same consideration?"

"Bah, she's too young to know why she wants what she thinks she wants. Girls her age can be slaves to their emotions. I won't stand for it."

"How do you know? Have you asked her? Have you paid attention to her actions to see if she is serious about what she wants and takes action to get it, or do you just assume you know best." I was getting heated as I thought about how Jeryl's loving grandmother was actually treating her.

"Of course I've asked her and given her my counsel. Just as I have with Jordan and Jyl, and just as I did with their mother."

"So, Jeryl called you up and discussed her situation with me last month to get your advice?"

"What? No, of course not. She probably knows that I would have told her to focus on school and not worry about boys like you right now."

"Not much of a counselor when your advice is only listened to when they are a captive audience." I should have stopped, but Cynthia's whole attitude grated on my nerves.

"Jeryl told me that her dream is very much in line with yours. She wants to be a supportive wife and loving mother with a successful partner. She doesn't want to change the world, but she wants to help people that do."

"Which is why she needs to not settle down as a sophomore in high school."

"I agree and have told her as much. But I've also told her how I feel about her and shared some of my future plans with her. We seem to be very much aligned with our dreams."

"Dreams change with age. Young dreams die the soonest." She sounded a little bitter with that statement.

"Perhaps. You tell me if my dreams are going to die." I took a deep breath. I did not really want to get into particulars with her, but I felt that if I did not disabuse her of certain ideas right now, I ran the risk of losing Jeryl as she spent the next three weeks in this woman's presence.

"I have twelve patent applications submitted to the Patent Office that have ignited a bit of a bidding war among the Big Three automakers here in the US. I have ideas for another dozen patents that will get filed in the next few months. I'm probably a couple of months away from licensing those ideas for millions of dollars. My financial future is secure. I'll be writing a check from my own account to attend either Stanford, MIT, or Carnegie Mellon to work on a double major in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. I will just as easily be able to write a similar check for my wife or girlfriend.

"And, just so you don't think I'm too self-centered, I'm making arrangements for some of my good fortune to find its way to my cousins to ensure they get the education they want, and to relieve family debts associated with running our farm."

"Money is no assurance of happiness."

"But it can sure help control them." She stepped back as if I had slapped her.

I took another deep breath and then decided to jump even further in. "Mrs. Morgan, you say you want the best for your granddaughters, but what you really seem to want is control of your granddaughters. I hate to tell you this, but control is an illusion where people are concerned. Influence is the best you can get. Before you try to scare me off, or scare Jeryl away from me, you should ask yourself why neither Jordan nor Jyl have ever brought a boyfriend up here to meet you. I'd venture to guess they have already decided to remove your influence from their personal lives let alone abdicate control to you."

Her eyes went wide.

I knew I had said too much, but somehow she seemed to be able to push my buttons. "Now it is my turn to apologize for seeming rude. I get that you don't like me and I even understand it to a fair extent. Rather than causing problems with you and your family, I'll leave today. I just hope you can realize that you are the one damaging your relationships with your granddaughters, not I or any other person you may choose to blame. Thank you for lunch."

I turned and walked back up the path with long strides that she could not match.