Long Blonde Hair, Sky Blue Eyes Pt. 09

Long Blonde Hair, Sky Blue Eyes Ch. 9

The section between the next set of **** was the last part of Chapter 8 that I confessed in comments I failed to include in the version submitted. Sorry about that, but you get a longer Chapter 9 because of it.

From the end of Chapter 8: "Turn and look over your shoulder at him," Cassie told her with a wink, "you know the pose I mean." Annika looked at Erik, who grinned and nodded. She turned away, assumed the pose that SI memorialized, and gave him that smoldering look that sold so many magazines.

"Well, hell! Of course! Why didn't I see it right away? Your posters are hanging in locker rooms across the country, and dog-eared copies of the magazine are in lockers and suitcases!" Annika turned, gave them her wide-eyed-innocent look, and said, "I'm not sure I wanted to know that!"

****

The others laughed; KJ smirked, "What you don't want to know is what those perverts are doing to your body in their fantasies!" That turned Annika red and brought a crescendo of laughter.

"Oh, Annika, Baby, wrap those long legs around me!" Johnny exclaimed in a high voice, mimicking a teenage boy.

KJ chuckled and repeated the same words in the deep basso profundo voice you associate with pro football linemen.

Cassie said it again, in the lilting voice of a young woman in heat, and it might have continued but for the distinctive sound of the Notre Dame fight song playing on KJ's phone. He scrambled out of the hot tub and answered, "Hey, Brother, what's up?"

Erik was watching Annika's mouth fly open when he emerged from the water and Johnny was watching Hanna's. The girls looked at each other, then at Cassie, who was smirking at their reaction to her 6'5" 248-pound Norse god wearing only a shorty swimsuit with a large bulge.

"Oh my god!" Hanna murmured to her, "how in the world do you deal with THAT in bed?"

"Why do you think I work out daily and do Pilates? He is definitely a bed full!" Cassie replied with a chuckle.

Annika noticed Erik watching her and knew his ego was getting dinged. She waggled her finger at him and said, "Come here, Honey! You too, Johnny."

Erik stepped on a seat, then onto the patio tiles surrounding the hot tub and pool. Johnny followed, and Annika watched Cassie's mouth drop open. She recovered, looked at Annika and Hanna, and said, "Their clothes don't do them justice. I had an inkling, but - wow!"

Annika turned her back to KJ, wrapped her arm around Erik, and said, "I work out, run, and do Yoga for the same reason. Otherwise, he'd hurt me!"

Erik disagreed. "Ha! You run, work out, and do Yoga so you can eat something besides celery! All I hear is how the camera adds ten pounds!"

"Honey, the Krewe decided we should start the party tonight, in our pool. They're bringing drinks and snacks. I hope that's all right. I told them it must end by one," KJ said hopefully.

"Why not? The more the merrier, but no Everclear in the rum punch!"

"Yes, Dear," KJ replied meekly, "but you have to help keep an eye on Zach and Nancy."

Cassie turned to her guests. "You'll enjoy our friends, but they do like to party during the offseason, so be prepared!"

They must have called from just outside the house or just before they arrived, because KJ opened the gate into the back yard, and they came streaming in moments later. Erik was a decent college athlete, having been named Honorable Mention all-conference on a team that made the baseball College World Series, and he had continued to work out, as had Johnny, an all-state high school tight end.

But these guys were pro football players, and their wives were college and pro cheerleaders, models, movie actresses, and beauty contest winners. Even Annika felt intimidated for a moment, but the easy greetings, the compliments, and the camaraderie of the fourteen newcomers immediately put them at ease.

There was a mix of white, black, mixed-race, and Polynesian pro football players, including two running backs, three offensive and two defensive linemen, two wide receivers, a tight end, two linebackers, a defensive back, and another quarterback. All lived within an hour drive of Katy, and all were native Texans except the other quarterback, Dave Parsons, who claimed he got here as soon as he could.

The women were even more of a rainbow, because two were Asian and two were Latina, in addition to white, black, mixed race, and Pacific Islanders. The women were as gorgeous as the men were hunky, and everyone accepted Johnny, Hanna, Erik, and Annika as peers. The two men knew they didn't hold up physically against the elite athletes as well as their women held up against the other females, with everyone parading about in skimpy swimsuits.

They weren't cowed, but there was a degree of intimidation; not many 'civilians' experience hobnobbing with such a crowd. That lasted for about an hour, until a tipsy Cassie wrapped her arms around their waists and loudly announced they were "the best bosses on God's green earth!"

Most people just turned and smiled at them, but Abbie crooked her neck and said, "These are the dudes behind Greenlight? The company you work for now?"

Cassie replied affirmatively, and Abbie said, "Okay, I'm impressed. I pictured scrawny nerds with horn rim glasses!"

She was standing across the pool from them, so she was speaking loudly. "So, hot shots - I'm an investment advisor and I have questions! First, is the government going to finance the expansion for the logistics program? If not, I can take care of that for you, in a heartbeat.

"Second, when will you debut the safety, efficiency, analysis and maintenance module that many believe will change the world as we know it?

"And most importantly, when are you going public? That's an IPO my firm would LOVE to help you with!"

Erik looked at Cassie and then Johnny. "SEAMM is more accurate and better than EAMM, don't you think? Don't tell her and we'll just run with it," he said quietly. Cassie squeezed him and giggled in reply, Johnny mumbled his support, and then Cassie asked, "You going to answer her? She's as smart as she is beautiful, and very well connected."

As soon as she finished her questions, Abbie started around the pool to hear the answers up close. Annika and Hanna were in a group of men and women on the far end of the pool; they had heard Abbie's original inquiry, and then the questions. They were interested in the answers, but Trey, the 6'6" 260-pound tight end whose pro beach volleyball champion wife was flirting with one of the wide receivers a few feet away, was lightly flirting with them, and he had been joined by Roquan, a linebacker whose flirting was more blatant. His mixed-race wife was talking animatedly to the monstrous Pacific Islander, whose pretty Korean wife was standing close to KJ, listening to him with a come fuck me look on her upturned face.

Hanna didn't know a lot about partying with rich athletes and their spouses, but this reminded her of a swing party a date had taken her to when she was 19. She didn't like it then, and hard bodies or not, she wasn't getting involved now, only months before her wedding! She smiled at the compliments but didn't return the flirtation.

Annika, used to parties full of beautiful people in cities across the world, thought little of it. Flirting was normal and expected there, and, especially in some European countries, married people often left with someone other than their spouse. She wasn't concerned, because she was engaged and had no intention of letting it get past flirting. This was just a natural part of getting to know new people in the world of celebrity, and, in her experience, successful athletes were the most confident and aggressive form of celebrity.

Up close, the combination of Abbie's olive complexion, dark hair, and eyes was even more striking, and her voluptuous body even more impressive. Erik and Johnny soon learned, though, that Cassie was right - her most impressive attribute was her mind, and they began to see how she could be helpful as they ventured outside their comfort zone in building Greenlight.

She was disappointed that SEAM was months away, at best, and that no IPO would be offered in the foreseeable future, but enthusiastic about providing other people's money for their reorganization and expansion needs. They didn't tell her about Appleseed because they might need more seed money than they had, and they wanted to hear what she had to offer.

She and Cassie pulled out their phones, set a date and time for a meeting, and Abbie sashayed off, making sure they noticed her world-class ass and body. Cassie looked up and asked, "So what do you think?"

"She's a bit shy and retiring," Erik said with tongue in cheek, "but once you get past that, she seems to know what she's talking about."

"Ha! Shy isn't in her vocabulary, nor is retiring, but, yes, she is well-respected in the worlds of finance and investments. And I want to compliment you guys - even when confronted with that outrageous Kardashian-like body, neither of you drooled or sprang an embarrassment in your shorties."

Erik winked, "You must have not looked down when you rubbed my back and put your arm around my hip. Her body isn't any more outrageous than yours."

"Damn, working with you guys after having seen you nearly naked is going to be a challenge! Good thing we'll all be married soon! Although, if you want to get married, you two might want to go rescue your girls - Trey and Ro are drooling on them, and they have a high on-base percentage, putting it in terms an old baseball player understands."

It was a warm night for February in Texas, but in swimsuits, tees, and coverups it was still chilly, and groups were congregated around the patio heaters. The group their fiancées were in was composed of four women and four men, but Trey and Ro had eyes only Hannah and Annika, respectively.

"This is Annika's world; we'll see how she handles pro athletes as compared to pretty boy actors and models, but unless she disappears into a dark corner with someone, I'll give her a little longer to strut her stuff while I ogle all the luscious bottoms in thongs. Which reminds me, Cass: do you have a thong?"

She slapped him, shook her head, and turned toward her hubby. "You trust your fiancée with those two lotharios more than I trust KJ with the little K-Pop artist. And don't watch my ass while I walk away."

She took about a dozen steps, waggling her butt from side to side like Abbie, turned, and caught them leering. She giggled, tossed her hair, strolled to KJ, and took his arm possessively.

"So, this is how the other half lives?" Johnny asked.

"This isn't the 'other half.' It's more the top.2% of football players who make it to the NFL, and their spouses," Erik replied. "I don't keep up like I used to, but I'll bet they all make eight figures, counting endorsement deals, because every single one of them is a starter. We're in elite company."

"That's not something I'm happy about right now, because that big tight end has my little schoolteacher in his sights and I'm not sure how to compete."

"We can't compete; they have money, celebrity, and Greek god bodies! If Hanna or Annika falls for that, we should celebrate that we found out before we got married and move on."

"You take that approach; I'm following Cassie's orders - I'm going to go rescue mine!"

She didn't need to be rescued, but she appreciated the fresh drink and the intervention. "Nice talking, Trey, but I'm going with my fiancé now; see you later."

Annika heard Hanna, saw Johnny was with her, and looked for Erik: K-Pop Nancy had transferred her adoration to him as soon as Cassie reclaimed KJ and Johnny left to reclaim Hanna. That was bad enough, but the Salma Hayek lookalike had inserted herself into the conversation. Annika knew that Erik had a teenage infatuation with the sexy Latina movie star and had a thing for Asian songbirds like Jisoo.

Although she trusted Erik, there was no benefit in leaving him in the den with those temptresses. She politely disengaged from Ro and went to reclaim him. Ro was disappointed for all of four seconds before he went in search of someone else, as Trey was already doing.

Apparently, at a minimum, this smorgasbord of desirable men and women provided an opportunity to sample charms; did that mean they went home with someone charmed, or with 'those who brung 'em'? Annika vowed to be watchful the rest of the night, but from the safety of Erik's arm, which she had draped over her shoulder.

Erik, Annika, Johnny, and Hanna enjoyed their conversations with those who stopped by their table but were immune to attempts to lure them away, if only for a dance. As if choreographed, at one the visitors said their goodbyes, gathered whatever they brought, and departed with "We'll see you tomorrow at the beach!"

"I know they are a bit much when you first meet them," Cassie said as they walked to the house, "and yes, some of them do swing, but absent Everclear punch they don't push it on anyone else. Tomorrow, we gather at Zach and Abbie's before going to the parade and street dance, and their punch is purple sangria, so we'll have to watch the punch bowl. It's potent enough without adding pure alcohol!"

"It's usually Zach, Trey, or Ro we have to watch, but last year Nancy did it and we all got shit faced before we figured it out. The anonymity offered by wearing costumes and masks tends to make everyone less inhibited anyway, especially because neither wives nor husbands know what their costume is until thirty minutes before the 'masked ball' begins and the purpose of the costumes is to hide your identity.

"We won't know what you three men are wearing, and vice-versa. The women gather at one of three houses, the men at three other houses, you don the disguise chosen for you by this year's team leaders and come to the house in a limo. That's the first time you see the larger group.

"But that's Tuesday; we have tomorrow's parade and street dance, and Monday's Umbrella Parade and floats, and the dance at Saengerfest Park, so let's got get some rest. We leave for the Island at ten."

Once in bed, Erik ran his hand across Annika's chest until he captured her breast; he held it and quietly said, "I was worried for a while; I thought you and Ro were going to do the 'black on blonde' thing all the porn sites feature. He pinched her nipple lightly between his fingers and pulled on it. She whimpered, but asked, "What do you mean by 'the black on blonde' thing?"

Erik laughed. "Don't try to fool me; I remember the shoot where you were wearing white lingerie and Marcus was kissing your shoulder with his dark hand in the middle of your very white tummy! Black on blonde."

"Yeah, I remember that; the director said it was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. 'Scandinavian Princess and Nubian Prince,' he called it. Why? Did seeing your Scandinavian Princess with Nubian Prince Roquan turn you on?"

"Hardly, although the contrast was spectacular! I was concerned about you having one of those 'preferences' some white women have."

"My only 'preference' is for my fiancée, who's toying with my titty while ignoring my needy kitty!" she growled. He rolled toward her, captured her other breast with his lips, and then trailed kisses and nips across her tummy to address her needy kitty.

He licked her slit from taint to clit, raised his head, and observed, "Someone is extremely wet tonight. Did all those muscles on display and that testosterone-heavy air excite kitty?"

"About as much as Junior got excited about all those hot bodies with big tits and butts. Now flip around and give me something to play with!"

****

They had that well-fucked look when they came down for breakfast, which made it unanimous. A full breakfast was waiting, thanks to the cook/housekeeper. They ate, talked, laughed, packed, and headed southeast to Galveston in the GMC Denali XL. KJ offered to take his Hummer, but they told him that, after two attempts on her life, Annika only traveled in vehicles provided by the security firm. That sobered the conversation up, resulting in the group retelling the stories of the attempts on her life and the aftermaths, and they were crossing into Galveston when the stories concluded.

KJ asked, "That means you probably have security somewhere close by right now. Is that right?"

"They're pros, so they are hard to spot. We were told 'We'll be around but you won't see us,' when we picked up the Denali," Johnny explained. "I'm sure it loaded with GPS tracking and who knows what else, so they may be right behind us or miles back. In fact, they could be listening to us or watching us right now, or anywhere we go. Hanna and I agree with Annika; just pretend they aren't there and do what you do. They are benign 'ghosts' as far as we can tell, and when you're with Annika it's nice to think someone is looking out for her, and us."

The end of that conversation gave Erik an opportunity to offer training at the Ranger's course to Hanna, Johnny, KJ and Cassie, and explain why. They jumped at the opportunity, if it was during Hanna's spring break. Erik had confirmation before they got to the island, and it was entered in calendars.

The Saunders' house was in the "Historic Silk-Stocking District" in the heart of old Galveston, near The Strand. Cassie explained that it was a 'fixer-upper' they stole for two-thirds of a million dollars, and spent a million fixing up, but they loved the creaky old 'haunted house' that survived the Hurricane of 1900.

That disclosure set off two discussions: one, among the men, about the hurricane that scoured Galveston Island, turning one of Texas' largest and grandest cities into a ghost town with bodies rotting in the September sun; and the other, among the women, about why they called it a 'creaky old, haunted house!'

The men were still discussing the horrors faced during the hurricane, and the greater horrors after, when they got to the beautiful old mansion named after the original owner, "Miss Hattie" Boswell. It was painted in period colors, with period trees, shrubs, and flower beds, and a black, five-foot-high wrought iron fence with silver fleur de lis above each post. The grounds took up about half of the city block, and stood out, even surrounded by other restored mansions and Victorian homes.

They slowly rode around the block to see it from all sides, and then entered from the back. There was no garage, but they parked under the elaborate 'porte-cochère' (carriage porch) on the south side and entered through that door. Cassie entered the code for the security system that included cameras and infrared barriers along the fences.

The grand old lady had been restored to the finery of her heyday, with gleaming wooden floors, bead board ceilings in the entry, dining, and living areas, beaded wainscoting, and the muted pastel wallpaper and paint colors of the period. She was grand and glorious, and Erik was both in awe and a bit jealous. The home he had purchased and was restoring would be grand and glorious, but she would never be Victorian or have the history of "Miss Hattie," who conquered the great hurricane of 1900 and then served as a hospital for injured or ill survivors and a shelter for refugees.

Cassie and KJ gave them the tour, showed them to their rooms, and reminded them of the late lunch/early supper at the Parson's, where they would meet the rest of the Krewe. They were on their own until four, but Cassie offered to give them a walking tour of the 'Silk Stocking' historic district and Strand Street so they would have the lay of the land before the partying started.

They eagerly took her up on that, put their clothing away, and she led them out the back gate. The women led, three abreast, with the men admiring the pulchritude a few steps in front. Catching a flash high in the air, Erik checked his phone: the drone finder showed one hovering above them. "U" he inquired via text and got an immediate check mark.