Long Blonde Hair, Sky Blue Eyes Pt. 02

Having endured the mandatory safety talk, 99% of which was common sense, everyone was anxious to be off. The flow was gentle where they launched, about seven miles from their destination, but they were warned it would vary according to the width of the river. As she had been the entire vacation, Annika was excited and animated while learning the basic strokes of canoeing, which they practiced before they needed them in faster water.

Axel, Elle, Johnny, and Hanna had chosen Kayaks, but Mary and Carl preferred the canoe. All had left them behind during Annika's lessons, but they waited a half-mile downstream, out of the current, in an open, swampy area after a big curve in the river.

Annika couldn't prevent her enthusiasm from bubbling over, which set off the others, and soon they were floating along in close proximity so they could talk about the beauty of the river, the fish and frogs they could see in the water, and the strange vegetation growing along the banks. Erik kept them going the right direction and listened, marveling at the differences between the woman he met in the restaurant and the girl sitting in front of him today.

Carl caught his eye, grinned, rolled his eyes, looked at Annika, and put his hand over his heart. "Thank you," he mouthed. Erik patted his heart in return and nodded.

The river had been narrowing, and the "rapids" began about three-quarters of the way to the lake. These rapids were more like those on the Guadalupe River below Canyon Dam than those he had run in Colorado, but they certainly raised the level of excitement and focused Annika on steering from the front. When they completed the trek a half-mile later, she turned to him wide eyed and enthusiastically said, "That was scary! I thought we were going to turn over!"

"Sounds like you want to turn over - do you?"

"No, but I'm kind of hot; could we swim for a moment?" He signaled their intention, found a sloping grassy bank, and beached the canoe. Their impromptu swimming party was only a mile or two from their destination, and might have gone on longer, but there were little perch in the stream that tried to bite the hairs and freckles on your body. The screams of "the fish are biting me" and "carnivorous fish!" caused a sudden flurry of splashing water all the way to the bank.

In spite of Erik showing them the tiny perch couldn't hurt you, no one of the feminine persuasion would get back in, so they reloaded in the canoes and kayaks and caught the current. As Carl warned, they were early and their food wasn't there yet, so they turned in the watercraft and went for a walk.

The park was located at the mouth of the Platte River, but there was no delta to speak of. The warm clear waters of the river surged into Lake Michigan, where a rocky beach had formed. Kids and parents were playing in the mix of waters, and some were trying to create rapids by setting rocks side by side. A number of teens were there as well, holding hands and wandering, and a good number of seniors were wading, walking, and talking.

Some were obviously grandparents, but many seemed to be on a romantic vacation, or maybe a romantic interlude. Annika looked sideways at Erik, pulled his arm closer, and said, "The older couples are so cute! I hope that's us, someday, holding hands and remembering our long, happy lives!" He kissed her on the cheek in return. "That would be beyond wonderful."

The food wasn't there yet, so Elle proposed they play in the water until it arrived. Lake Michigan was normally cold, especially after the warm river water, but they found a place where it merged, waded out past the rocks into the chest-deep water, and played "Shark!" Johnny and Erik were the most fearsome, but Axel was fishlike in the water and could hold his breath for more than a minute, which scared the women as much as his stealthy attacks.

Their screams of delight drew a crowd, and then several other teens asked if they could play. When the crowd of teens reached a dozen, the twenty-somethings separated and watched from nearer the shore. "Elle is certainly drawing a crowd of male sharks," Hannah observed, "and Axel spends a lot of time protecting the pretty little redhead."

Annika chuckled. "The little redhead is playing him like a trout on her line! Every time she gives him that helpless look or shrieks in mock horror, the hook is set deeper. She will make sure he has her number before we leave, and I suspect Elle will have as many numbers as she wants!"

"Well, to be honest, if I was a teenage boy, I'd be in the competition. She's a most compelling compilation of Olsson genes and her mother's. I feel for Carl in the years ahead."

They heard Mary's loud call and saw her waving, so they interrupted the fun and games, gave them time to get numbers exchanged, and drug Axel and Elle with them to the picnic area. Fish tacos had never tasted better, nor had fresh cherry cobbler, but Axel was distracted. When Annika turned to see what was distracting him, she saw the pretty redhead with her parents and little brothers at a nearby table.

After the meal, Annika insisted the cleanup was the responsibility of her and her friends, and told her mom and dad to find a shady spot to relax. She winked at her siblings, and told them not to wander off too far. Axel didn't; he went directly to the table to the east and introduced himself. Red made room next to herself, and her parents watched their daughter at work. Mom was amused; dad was bewildered by his little girl having her mother's manipulative skills at such a young age, and at the future he now dreaded.

He knew he lacked the ability to handle his wife, and he knew he wouldn't be able to handle is daughter much longer... if he ever had. That realization explained why she had always gotten whatever she wanted from him; he looked pitifully at his wife and whispered in her ear for a few minutes. She laughed and kissed his cheek, happy that he had finally come to understand.

Elle wandered just far enough that the observers could see she was alone, and suddenly a crowd of enchanted boys materialized around her. She played them all, posing and teasing and touching, and giggling. Mary was amused; Carl was not, but Mary kissed his cheek and had a talk with him that probably mirrored the talk Red's parents had.

Annika watched her sister with delight; Erik contemplated life if Annika gave birth to his daughters, and they looked like her, or a combination of her and his mother. His sour face earned him a kiss on the cheek, an arm around his waist, and a warm body pressed against his side. "Aren't they cute?" she whispered. He grunted in return, and continued worrying, just in case it ever happened.

Carl and Red's dad got lucky; the bus back to the rental place arrived, and both families began packing up. Only two of Elle's suitors were riding back, which left five heartbroken. Red hurried to the back of the bus with Axel close behind. She primly sat down; he sat beside her like a happy puppy, and she continued practicing her wiles.

Elle's seventeen-year-old admirers were on their own; their parents had remained at the motel and let them kayak to the lake. They followed Elle to a seat midway to the back. She took a seat, turned sideways, and urged them to sit behind her; they did, and she worked her wiles on both.

Red's parents sat across from Carl and Mary with their young sons sitting behind them, in front of Hannah and Johnny, and across from Erik and Annika. Red's parents introduced themselves, apologized for Deborah running off with Axel, and introduced Billy and Rob.

Hannah's teacher instincts kicked in, and she and Annika began a conversation with the boys that lasted all the way back to the parking lot. Meanwhile, Carl and Al commiserated about the prospect of raising beautiful daughters while the wives leaned forward and talked in front of them. Johnny and Erik watched everyone, and considered the pros and cons of married life.

The two avowed bachelors had never given it much thought before, but this vacation had provided insight into what naturally happens beyond the irresistible attraction and incomparable sex. Johnny was about ready, but Erik remained fearful of a committed relationship with someone all men wanted, and who earned millions for making clothing look good or perfume smell seductive, and who was being offered roles in movies. Even at that, he found it hard to contemplate life without her.

When they exited the bus, Red stopped in front of Annika and shyly said, "I know who you are, and you are even more beautiful in person. I'd like to be a model, but I'm afraid I'll never be tall and thin enough."

Annika pretended to examine every detail of young Deborah, but she had already formed an opinion. "There are many kinds of modeling jobs, Deborah, and most don't require you to be six foot tall and skinny. Give it another two years, and if you're still interested and your parents agree, give me a call.

"I will warn you right now, however, that it's far from the glamourous lifestyle it appears. In fact, I've only recently learned how much I've given up being a model, and I'm trying to make up for all I lost. That's not meant to disillusion you, because you certainly have the physical traits that are in demand. I'm suggesting you make the most of your family and your teen years, and make sure you're willing to give up those you love to spend twelve hours a day in photo shoots."

Deborah impulsively hugged and thanked her, returned to her family, and coquettishly said, "Goodbye, Axel. Call me sometime." Axel grinned and promised he would, and no one doubted it.

The two boys who were drooling over Elle overheard the conversation. The tall one looked at Elle and asked, "So your sister is Annika, the sports illustrated model? No wonder you're so gorgeous!"

Final goodbyes were said, and they went their own ways.

Given tomorrow's schedule, Carl decided to take the direct route to Traverse City and stop at the Cherry Republic store. Unusually, as soon as they got started, Annika pulled out her phone, turned it on, read emails and texts, and began texting. She apologized to Erik, explaining it was business she needed to take care of.

The Texans saw something new along the route back; hops farms. The vines grew high on cables stretched between poles, often in plots of fifty acres or more. They had no idea the essential ingredient in most beer was grown up here, or how it was grown.

About half-way back, Annika sent a last text and then put her phone away.

Her dad glanced at his phone when it dinged, quickly read the message, and smiled over his shoulder at his eldest, who looked exceedingly self-satisfied. Nothing was said, and she began a conversation with Elle, who was sitting in the seat behind her. She looked mighty good in shorts, and her new position gave Erik the chance to rub her thighs without being seen, so he did; she responded by widening them to provide better access. He took advantage, but also noted her demeanor.

Annika looked and acted happy, content, playful, and loving, characteristics he had seen develop over their vacation. That she returned to her world tomorrow, and he to his, was discomfiting. Once vacation ended, he couldn't offer what her world did.

Out of her element in water and the wild, she had been like a happy sponge, soaking up new experiences and learning, but soon he would be in his office and she would be in Alaska having new experiences with others. He felt a pang of jealousy and resentment.

At the insistence of those who know Traverse City, they stopped downtown to shop at Cherry Republic, picked up some Cherry Capital, TC, Sleeping Bear, and M22 Tee shirts to commemorate their Pure Michigan vacation, and then stopped at the seafood restaurant on Grand Traverse Bay for a last meal of fresh-caught lake fare.

The house was as welcoming as when they first got there, and they used the remaining sunlight to play yard games. Before they adjourned to take baths and prepare for bed, "Dad" called a family meeting to disclose that someone had secured a ride home on a private plane, so they didn't have to make their nine A.M. flight on Sun Country. Instead, they would be picked up around noon from a private terminal, leaving time for one more adventure, or sleeping in. Sleeping in won handily.

****

The wonder of the early night returned with first light for Annika and Erik, who were intent on using every second to get the loving needed to tide them over during the upcoming separation.

Once they were in the air, though, the family orientation of the trip changed, with school shopping plans being made by Mary, Elle, Axel, and Hanna, while Carl reviewed his calendar, Erik and Johnny planned the remainder of the workweek and next week for them and their new team, and Annika's laptop presented the portfolio of clothes she would be modeling in her next two jobs.

Assuming Alaska took five days, she would then have two days to get to the French Polynesian islands, including a stop in Honolulu to change planes. Once there, she would be modeling a spring line of swimwear and evening wear for another American designer; one she had worked for since she was thirteen, and that job worried her.

Not the job per se; it was Erik's reaction when she told him what she would be modeling, where, and with whom, that concerned her.

It was late for winter wear, but Donna liked to forego traditional methods of advertising and offering her products. She believed in a blitz of online and on-air offerings just after the first cold fronts pushed south, and had enjoyed great results over the past two years with this strategy. Her products were aimed at the young and middle class; no haute couture for her.

Donna's clothes were comfortable but attractive, even sexy, but without the mesh, skin, and shock value Tom's "Top Ten Percenters" loved to flaunt.

Donna was all about sweaters over leggings, boots and minis, puffy jackets, and matching jewelry and footwear. No one item cost a fortune, but you made a substantial investment when you bought the entire set.

Mr. Tom, on the other hand, was always pushing the limits, and his Neiman Marcus clientele expected that; therefore, he wanted his ads to stop and shock. Annika could control that, to a degree, and she could keep most of the X-rated photos that unfortunately get taken in such situations from making their way to scandal sheets and websites. But she would spend several days largely unclothed, in and around the beaches of the islands, and on that tiny, beautiful atoll Evenings would be spent barely clothed in Mr. Tom's enticing evening wear, posing in the exclusive hotels and on the walkways of the incredible resorts of the islands.

Erik had helped uncover the "real Annika," but neither he nor anyone else knew this version well enough to trust her - including Annika. Would she revert to type? She thought not, but the world in which she is royalty is seductive. Nonetheless, it's her world, she's on the pinnacle right now, and that wouldn't last.

She had to make the most of her opportunities, just as Erik was doing with the merger. Her grandfather wouldn't work forever, Erik was a potential pick to succeed him when the time came, and he would be focused on making the merged businesses thrive and prosper, while she was doing the same with her opportunities... or so she told herself.

Touchdown came too soon for Annika to resolve her concerns, but before she left the plane she reminded Hanna that they would be leaving early Wednesday and disclosed they wouldn't return for two weeks. "What? No, I agreed to go to Alaska for five days, not two weeks! School is starting after Labor Day, and I wouldn't have any time to prepare my classroom!

"I'll do Alaska for five days, tops, but I won't be gone for two weeks!"

Her green-eyed best friend was smart, beautiful, organized, committed to her profession, and hard headed. It was also clear from the look she gave Johnny that leaving him for two weeks wasn't happening. Annika knew she couldn't win that argument, so she settled for Alaska and thanked her for agreeing to go along.

Then she snuck in; "The next ten days aren't in Alaska though - they are in the south Pacific. Have you heard of the French Polynesian Islands of Tahiti, Moorea, and the atoll of Tetiaroa, in the Society Islands? That's where I'll be filming."

"Bitch! Let's do Polynesia first, and then you can go to Alaska by yourself!"

****

Eric turned the feedback loop over to Johnny just before two; Annika had waiting impatiently since noon and was threatening to come drag him out of the office, so he would need to listen to the recording after she left Friday. The new team had already provided some interesting feedback from their practice efforts; some would be useful in redesigns, and some indicated more training was needed before turning them loose with real ships, trucks, trains, and planes. But Johnny could handle the remainder of the conversation without him.

The first items on Annika's agenda were a rowdy afternooner, some cuddling, a shower with sex, and a catered meal to tide them over. After that came sex, sex, and more sex, the changing of the sheets, another shower, more cuddling, and more sex, before bedtime.

Her intentions were good, their bodies were fit, and the lust was there, but the second round of cuddling turned into a nap that lasted until just before dawn. They did get started on some rowdy morning sex that turned into making love and promises, and then two refreshing showers before the chauffer came to get her things and take her to the airport.

With the girls gone, Johnny and Erik worked late Friday before stopping at a bar and grill for flame-kissed burgers and brew. Erik had just turned the bolt when his laptop dinged. He approached, clicked the link, and was greeted by Annika in a short, white, lacy dress, wearing white stockings and shoes, with a striking 'pigeon-blood' ruby locket dangling in the valley formed by her round mounds.

He was stunned. She struck several poses before coquettishly saying, "That's exactly the look I wanted! I assume you like this little white dress?"

He nodded, and regained his senses enough to tell her, "You look like an angel, except the ruby looks enticingly sinful where it lays."

"Oh, I'm so glad you like me in white! Let me show you the rest!" A quick zip under the arm and the dress fell to the ground at her feet. Now he could see that the stockings were actually thigh-highs with a red band at the top, the push-up bra had a red jewel at the front catch, and the thong was white with a lacey red trim.

"This could be my wedding dress, Honey! Tom says he had me in mind when he designed it! What do you think?"

"I think he knows your body, mind, and soul a little too well, or is brilliantly insightful. I'm also concerned about you wearing that in the snow up there."

"Oh, no, this is for a little wedding chapel over the water on Moorea; I'm just modeling it for you! They did the fitting this afternoon because it will be the first shoot when I get down there. Tomorrow I'll model some of Donna's cute little clothes."

While she was talking she was standing with her feet apart, swaying to and fro as if moving to some unheard music, and running her hands with their red nails over her spectacular body. She bit her ruby-red bottom lip, ran her left hand inside her bra to cup her right breast, and pushed her right hand inside the front of the thong.

"I'm thinking about you holding me like this before I left Friday, giving me one last climax before we parted. Do you remember, Baby?"

"Yes, and I remember you rubbing that magnificent butt all over my cock and squealing while you came on my fingers. That wonderful taste still lingers on my tongue after I licked them clean!"