Freeing Kirsty Ch. 05

"Isn't that s-o-o-o beautiful," wept Meg in enormous relief. Within seconds Kirsty had joined the tear shedding.

The next evening Brian and Marg were at the Raymond seniors for dinner, with Merrick and Kirsty also invited. Mary, looking a million dollars in a sleek black dress with silver trim hugged Merrick and her welcoming kiss was rather raunchy for a sixty-four year old.

"I was wrong, sorry," she cooed. "Avon is a wonderful name for my darling new grand-daughter."

Alec gave Merrick a bone-crunching handshake and said that he hadn't heard many of those in forty years, which rather puzzled his former deckhand.

"Heard what?" asked the puzzled visitor.

"My wife apologizing to anyone for anything – and that includes me. I reckon I could count those apologies over forty years on one hand."

"Are you being your charming self again, darling?"

"I'll get the drinks," Alec said, scuttling away out of harm's way. Mary watched him go with an obvious 'I-deal-with-you-later-you-bastard' expression.

When everyone was relaxed and on to their third pre-dinner drink – grandma had already lovingly rocked Avon to sleep – Merrick went out to his vehicle, returning with two photographic albums.

"I amused myself babysitting yesterday," he confided. "Here are the results."

He handed one album to Avon's parents and one to the grandparents, advising Kirsty he had a full set of prints at home for them.

The oohs and aahs came thick and fast as the earlier pages were viewed, there were chuckles at the set of photos of Avon wearing the paper hat, tilted a little sideways with the weight of the crookedly stapled rose. There was silence when they viewed the baby dressed in black, broken only by Alec saying "All babes look good in black" followed by a thump of Mary's fist striking his chest.

Merrick waited for real adverse reaction when Mary and Marg turned to the next page in their albums. Mary's mouth tightened, but she said nothing, at seeing her innocent granddaughter in a black mask with hideous Dracula teeth drawn down her chin; Marg looked startled for a moment before her mouth trembled and she began giggling; Brian looked up at Merrick with a heavy frown while Kirsty smiled and said, "Oh, how cute."

Mary sniffed and turned to the next page and Marg followed suit.

"Oh, how cute!" emphasized Mary as everyone looked at the cute photo of Merrick asleep, a protective arm around Avon with her hand around the thumb of his other hand. "You are a good photographer, Kirsty," she acknowledged.

Mary and Marg turned to the last spread – a full page photo covering the entire left-hand page which had been 'flipped' at the processing studio on Merrick's instruction and placed on the facing page so that in both shots Avon was looking into the centre of the album.

"Bloody marvelous, Merrick," responded Alec, first off the mark.

"Oh, my beautiful baby, thank you Merrick," Marg said, reaching for her handkerchief.

Her husband punched Merrick on the arm and choked "Bonza mate," while Kirsty just studied the photo in awe.

Mary seemed to be smiling and weeping at the same time. "This is one of the most beautiful photos I've ever seen, Merrick. I thank you from the bottom of my heart." That declaration caused her husband to sit slack-jawed, but wisely he held his tongue.

Technically it was a superb photo. Clear, precisely focused and with magnificent flesh tones. He'd used a tripod and because he didn't want to use flash, it meant a longish exposure indoors.

During processing Merrick had the studio to clear-cut the background and replace it with the same cream color of the surface Avon was sitting on, but five per cent lighter so it was possible to see a realistic line where the horizontal and the vertical surfaces bisected. Avon's chubby legs were out on front of her, ending with pink booties, and she clutched a toy tiger. Her hair had been combed, with a slicked lock hanging down her forehead and ending in a curl.

"How did you get her to sit so still and looking up to above right of the camera lens?" Kirsty asked.

"She's sitting on the kitchen table as we have good window lighting on one side, with good reflected light off the white cupboards opposite, and good window lighting behind the camera. I had her at an angle on the table so that my shadow would not fall on her and I opened the face of the wall clock and she sat fascinated, looking at the swinging pendulum.

"But Merrick," said Marg. "What I can't understand is Avon can't yet sit up unsupported, yet here she is sitting up unsupported."

"I put the microwave on the table and a pillow between that and Avon's back. I could see both the pillow and part of the top of the microwave when focusing the camera, but of course they disappeared in the clear-cutting. For my birth gift to Avon I've ordered an A3 size copy of this photo on twenty millimetre artmount and laminated. You may wish to hang it in her nursery. It should last her lifetime."

"Thank's pal," said Brian while Marg kissed him and patted him affectionately.

"Well, not long before we will all be together in Los Angeles," Alec said as Mary called them to the table. "Kirsty, have you done any big boat sailing? I was thinking you and Merrick might like to come out with us on Stan's yacht – my old boat – which is rather different to small boat sailing."

"She'll want to know if she will be safe; she's done all of her sailing on super yachts eighty to one hundred and fifty footers," grinned Merrick.

"Wow," said Alec impressed. "Is that out of New York?"

"Yes, but daddy's got a half-share in an eighty-footer which he doesn't use much now because he's become totally addicted to golf. But after the wedding he may take you out – it will be a nice break for you, as 'Silver Bullion' is based in San Francisco."

Alec's eyes popped. He patted the chair next to his around the corner of the table and said to Kirsty, "Come and sit here, my dear. I would also appreciate you telling you daddy that I play golf too, a rather mean game in fact."

As the others were walking up to the table while Mary was out in the kitchen, Kirsty said to Alec, "Perhaps you better extend your stay, Mr Raymond. I think you and daddy may have several interests in common, though you may have to watch that he doesn't lead you astray. He's rather addicted to sport, drinking and he fancies the ladies a bit."

Alec beamed as said to Kirsty, "Listen my dear, please call me Alec from now on."

Four assignments - three for magazines and one for a major British newspaper - were completed, the variety and complexity of the editorial requirements taxing the inexperienced Kirsty, but rather than recruit another journalist Merrick assisted her. Mainly that work required only one or two direct interviews for the principal figure at the centre of each assignment and digesting and writing summaries from supplied reports or other documents written to length as specified by the commissioning publication.

Both Merrick and Kirsty were aware that she was progressing quickly. It was a matter of having to; one of the assignments covered secret trials of a disguised (to conceal it from the motoring press) prototype of a new all-wheel drive Japanese vehicle. Two of the others were more mundane economic/political delegations.

However the fourth really flustered Kirsty: it concerned a claimed breakthrough in the long search within the dairy industry to find an efficient and economic way to extract water from milk to reduce its bulk so that the near-solids could be collected and moved around between processing units more economically. An acceptable solution would save millions of dollars annually in milk collection costs.

Not only was this a highly technical subject, but the parties involved in the research and pilot development scheme while wanting the publicity through the European dairy industry publication, didn't want to release information that would benefit direct competitors. Fortunately Kirsty had the more experienced and harder-headed Merrick at her side to help negotiate a mutually acceptable compromise.

Merrick's solution was to set up a joint three-person editing team (including himself) to discuss and modify the article as it was being written by Kirsty. An email from the journal editor congratulating Kirsty and Merrick for getting more information than she had expected pleased the two Kirtsy and Merrick no end.

Finally their last night before leaving for the wedding arrived. It was a Tuesday and before beginning her duties Mrs Stewart handed them wedding presents, which they opened. Inside the parcel was a retro hair dryer for Kirsty and ultra-modern European hand-held battery shaver for Merrick designed to remove excessive nose and ear hair. He looked surprised until Mrs Stewart said, "You mightn't think it's of much use to you now but you are entering the age group where you will need it more and more; the quality of both products is such that both will last a lifetime. I got them from a rep who supplies equipment to our salon."

She was invited to lunch which began early to avoid her being late for her second cleaning appointment of the day.

"Goodbye, you two," she laughed as she left. "I'm so delighted Merick went to New York to bump into you, Kirsty. You will make such a lovely mother for his second lot of children."

Kirsty was preparing the dinner when Merrick came up behind her. He placed his hands around her and leaned forward gently blew into her ear. That usually got her going. He'd offered to take Kirsty out to dinner but she declined, saying they would be eating out a lot during their whole month away.

"Oh God," she said. It was her standard acknowledgement in such circumstances that she was feeling herself revving up.

"Take off your apron," Merrick murmured.

"What, do it here your naughty man? The lights are on, the curtains are not drawn. What will the neighbors say?"

"Nothing, but if they do bother to look they'll either pull their blinds down in disgust, or simply switch off their lights, pour drinks and sit back to be entertained."

"The window sill is high enough to conceal the real action."

"I know. Get that apron off."

She tugged it up and over her head.

He reached around and immediately felt her wetness. "What, not knickers?"

"No, I didn't put them on after my bath because I thought you would be randy on your last night before we go."

"Very perceptive of you; and you're not randy?"

"Not really," she lied, knowing before long he'd be feeling her juices oozing over his fingers.

"Christ, you're wet."

"I know," she said, reaching around to undo his belt and drop his shorts.

"You sneak - you've got no undies on."

"I know, I guessed you would be looking for a quick hit before we had dinner."

She sunk down slightly, flexing her knees, driving into his fingers. She groaned as his right hand snaked between the buttons on her shirt and began grinding a stiffening nipple.

"Oh fuck," she groaned.

"That's the general idea."

She seized his erection and worked it between her legs.

"Careful, you might hit the wrong hole," he said, increasing the rate of his finger-humping.

"I wouldn't mind," she gasped, "but the bigger hole is best because I want that baby."

"Me too," he grunted, withdrawing his fingers. With both hands he pulled her hips back to give him a better angle of entry and with one thrust moved forward and in exactly on target and without hand-help from either of them.

She gasped with the shock of it. "Gosh, that was quick."

"Yeah, look, not hands mum."

"What does that mean?" she puffed, as he slapped in and out of her enthusiastically with appropriate heavy squelching sounds.

"It's a joke, I don't know if it's exclusive to New Zealand, but it's something when kids building up their experience riding their first two-wheeler bike say to their mum when they take their hands off the handle bars and ride along masterly – before crashing, according to the joke, and knocking out their front teeth."

"Ohmigod, I can't say I'm in danger of having my front teeth knocked out but it feels as if you're well past my navel."

"At that unexpected verbal stimulation Merrick through his head back and yelled, "I'm coming!"

Kirsty was slightly behind him. She went "Eeeeeek", pleased that she could still feel him pumping when she got away.

"Quick, let me go down on to the floor with my legs up," she said. "I want to give your tadpoles their best chance."

The phone went.

"We enjoyed seeing the bobbing heads but actually saw rather little else, though you look rather cool standing there there in the nude with the telephone. What's that thing I can see?"

"Sally?"

"Yes."

Realising it was Sally their closest neighour, Merrick casually lowered a hand to conceal his gear.

"Sorry if we offended you."

"You didn't dickhead. You're got us so worked up that we're off to have it off in the shower. The kids are happily watching a DVD. Why don't you two come over in half an hour for a drink and share dinner with us. We won't be seeing you for a month, you know."

"That's a beaut offer, I'll check with Kirsty. She's lying on the floor trying to get pregnant."

"I think it requires that earlier sort of activity to do that," Sally said dryly.

Merrick went to brief Kirsty.

"It's OK, I could hear her talking – she's so worked up that she was almost shouting. Kevin is going to get a good pounding in the shower. Tell Sally that I'll bring our steaks and uncooked veggies over and two bottles of our best red to compensate them for having to watch us hooning about."

"Did you hear that Sally."

"Loud and clear - she's catching the Kiwi idiom very well. These digital phones are great, aren't they. Gotta dash."

Merrick and Kirsty laughed their heads off. She said, "Get me a glass of white wine, darling. I'll drink that and will be ready to go again."

Merrick trotted over to the fridge and pulled out the wine.

"Nice butt," she called.

He was almost ready to go again.

To Be Continued