Chapter 63 — Housewarming

_May 12, 1984, Chicago, Illinois_

{psc} "The only complication," Taya said when we walked into my bedroom, "is I want to spend the night, but Esme is my ride, and I absolutely need fresh clothes for the party tomorrow."

"I could arrange to get you home tomorrow morning. That way, you could come back with Esme in the afternoon."

"I'd like that. Let me go tell Esme not to wait!"

I nodded, and Taya left the room. She was back two minutes later.

"All set! She'll pick me up as planned for the housewarming party."

"I'm pretty sure I know the answer — boyfriend?" I inquired.

"No," she replied with a smile, "but if that's an offer…"

"I'm not ready for a relationship like that at this point," I said.

"Sorry, I know it's only been about five months."

"I'm also not sure I'm cut out for a long-distance relationship for three more years. I do remember what you said about a year ago when we were together. See me when you're home on breaks, finish your degree, come back to Chicago, and we'll see where I am. One thing I can pretty much guarantee is that I won't be in a committed relationship before you graduate from Princeton."

"I could sign up for that!" Taya declared. "Why are we still dressed?"

"I have no idea!" I chuckled.

We undressed, and I took in Taya's beautiful body — light brown skin with a hint of red, long black hair, brown eyes, an athletic build with small, firm breasts, and long legs.

"Ready for some 'young beaver'? she smirked as we climbed into bed.

"Indubitably!" I declared, recalling that Taya's Cherokee name — Tayanita — translated to 'young beaver'.

"Same as the first time? Oral, front, back, and another front before we sleep, then a long, slow sensual screw in the morning?"

"You really got off on anal," I said.

"I did! And before, when I said I wasn't quite as crazy as Katy and Esme, I meant I haven't been with anyone except you."

"That really isn't any of my business," I said. "But as you revealed that, may I ask why?"

"I had a lot of fun without having sex. I dated, but I didn't meet any guys I wanted to go to bed with. Katy and Esme, on the other hand…"

"Are enjoying that aspect of college!" I chuckled.

"Shall we?" Taya asked, moving on top of me

"Yes!" I exclaimed, and we shared a soft French kiss.

_May 13, 1984, Chicago, Illinois_

"That was heavenly," Taya said as we got out of bed on Sunday morning.

"It was," I agreed as we walked to the shower.

I turned on the tap, adjusted the temperature, and once the water was warm, we got in.

"How often can I see you over the summer?" she asked as I began soaping her body.

I actually needed a Friday date for the summer, as CeCi was working on Friday evenings, and Taya would be perfect.

“Why don’t we plan for Fridays; you could go out with Jack, Kristy, and me.”

"So, a regular date? Dinner and a movie or show, then spend the night?"

"That’s the norm, and it works for me if it works for you," I agreed.

We finished our shower, dried off, then dressed. We went downstairs, and I made breakfast. Once we'd eaten, I called for a car to take Taya home and, ten minutes later, escorted her to the lobby.

"Good morning, Mr. Kane," Burt, the weekend daytime doorman, said. "Miss Awiakta's car is waiting."

"Thanks, Burt."

Taya and I hugged, then Burt walked her to the car. Once the car had pulled away, I returned to the condo to begin setting up for the housewarming party.

"What do I need to do?" I asked Deanna when I walked in.

"Move the wine from the main fridge to the fridge in the wet bar, and stock more beer and pop in the fridge, please."

I acknowledged her, completed the tasks, then took a short break to hold Sofía after Bianca nursed her. When she fell asleep, I carried her to her crib, then went back to help Deanna.

"What else do you need me to do?" I asked.

"Right now, there isn't anything else," Deanna said. "Vanessa and Cheryl will be here at 10:0am."

"I meant to ask — are we paying them?"

"I offered them each $40 for the day. There was enough money in the housewarming budget to cover that, even after I reimbursed Kristy for the alcohol."

"And the artists?"

"Around 11:00am. I assume you saw the eight pieces I hung and the sculptures on the tables?"

"I did."

"There's a stack of catalogue sheets I created using the Macintosh on the dining room table. They describe each piece, name the artist, and note whether each piece is part of your personal collection or for sale. I know Keiko's family might show, so I put 'Nuclear Family' in storage for today. The last thing I want to do is offend any of them."

"I appreciate that."

We were interrupted by a knock at the door, which surprised me as nobody had called up to say someone had arrived. I went to the door and opened it.

"Hi!" Violet exclaimed.

"Hi," I replied.

We hugged, and she came into the condo.

"How did you get up without being announced?" I asked.

"My name is on some list, and Burt said I could come up."

"I gave him a list of regular visitors," Bianca said. "Violet, obviously, plus Jack and Kristy. They also have a guest list for the party, and I included everyone we invited. They'll just be allowed to come up because otherwise, we'd be answering the intercom non-stop."

"Good thinking," I said.

"I came early to help," Violet said.

"Well, right now, there isn't anything to do," Deanna said. "So you can just chill for about an hour. CeCi?"

"Yes?"

"Could you run down to the grocery store and get paper napkins? We forgot to get those on our shopping trip."

"Sure," CeCi agreed. "Anything else we need?"

"Not that I can think of. Fortunately, the store is in the building, so if we do think of something, it's just a quick elevator trip away."

CeCi left, and Deanna came to sit with Violet, Bianca, and me.

"You seem to have taken over the party planning," I said to Deanna.

"Bianca is preoccupied with the miniature human you two ordered!" Deanna replied. "And it turns out I enjoy playing hostess. I was actually thinking of a way to market Ateljé D and help art students make some money — providing hostess services, waitstaff, and art displays. I'm sure there are plenty of potential customers in Glencoe, Winnetka, Oak Brook Terrace, and right here in the Loop. The overhead would be really low, and our fees would basically be pure profit."

"Very entrepreneurial," I replied. "It's your gallery and studio and your friends, so go for it."

"And if you only hire hot girls, there's more money to be made!" Bianca teased.

Deanna laughed softly, "Madame D’s?"

"What am I missing?" Violet asked.

"They're joking about what are euphemistically called 'Escort Services' — high-class, high-cost prostitutes."

"You wouldn't really do that, would you?" Violet asked. "Run a prostitution service?"

"No, because it's not worth the risk," Deanna said.

"According to Al Capone, liquor, gambling, and prostitution were simply services he provided as a businessman to the public, which were in high demand due to the government banning them! And remember, they busted him for tax evasion, not vice or murder."

"You don't believe that, do you?" Violet asked.

"I certainly believe he said it, and he's not wrong about those things being in high demand or that the government had banned them. The public mostly either supported the provision of vice or was neutral about it until the Mob started killing members of the public and making high-profile hits like the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. If you ask me, those things shouldn't have been, and shouldn't be, illegal."

"Alcohol and gambling, I understand," Violet said, "and I agree. But prostitution?"

"I'm going to be a bit uncouth, OK?"

"Sure."

"First, what's worth doing is worth doing for money. Second, it's a private transaction between two people. Third, in the end, what's the _practical_ difference between buying dinner, movie tickets, flowers, and candy and simply handing over the cash?"

"Wait! You equate dating and prostitution?"

"No, I equate exchanging things of value in the hopes of having sex, and prostitution. The prostitute is actually more honest in that she always completes the transaction."

"WOW!" Bianca exclaimed, laughing hard. "That's…I'm not sure what it is!"

"True," Deanna said. "Think about High School or college guys doing all the things Jonathan said, hoping to get laid. They are, in effect, wagering that the things they offer are sufficient to convince the young woman to go to bed with them. With the prostitute, it's a sure thing."

"And take it a bit further," I said. "Assume I buy you an expensive gift, you agree to go to bed with me, then return the gift and get cash from the store. That's legal or close enough that we'd never be prosecuted. If I just hand you the cash, it's not legal, and we'd both be prosecuted. Tell me the _practical_ difference."

"Once again," Bianca declared, "living in Jonathanland results in the most bizarre logical results you can imagine!"

"Or," I said with a smirk, "think about this bit of insanity — it's legal to have sex for free, but not legal to have sex for money unless you film it!"

"Huh?" Violet asked, obviously confused.

"Porn!" Deanna declared. "It's legal to make pornographic movies, and the actors and actresses are paid to have sex on film. With VCRs and portable video cameras, you could pay for sex, film it, and sell tapes, and that would be fine. Make the same transaction without selling the tapes, and it's a crime."

"I'm not sure what to say about that," Violet said.

"That the government should butt out of our private lives and private consensual transactions!" Bianca declared.

"Think about this," I said. "I ask someone to come live with me in exchange for sleeping with me. They get, in effect, free room and board, and that isn't a crime, despite the fact that they are, in effect, being paid for sex."

"But would you do that?" Violet asked.

"My dad always joked that men _always_ pay for sex," Deanna said. "And that the government had simply outlawed certain forms of payment!"

"Jeri commented that one of her dad's friends maintains that getting married is the most expensive way to have 'free' sex ever invented!"

"Seriously?!" Violet asked.

"He has a point," Deanna said with a soft laugh. "Ask any of the guys at Spurgeon who are divorced!"

"Going back to your idea," I said. "I think you should go for it. As you said, the overhead is basically whatever it costs you to advertise, and you have an available workforce in the students who are always looking for spending money, and not just the girls. Write up a short business plan and then implement it under Deanna Haight Creations."

"What's that?" Violet asked.

"Her corporation," I said.

"You have one, too, right?"

"Yuusuke Holdings for my rental properties."

CeCi returned with the napkins, and almost immediately, there was a knock at the door. I got up to answer it and let Vanessa and Cheryl into the condo. They each greeted me with a hug and a 'society kiss' where our cheeks touched.

"Hi!" Deanna called out, coming over to us. "I'll give you a quick tour, then we'll talk about how I want to handle it."

I went back to sit with Violet, CeCi, and Bianca while Deanna did her thing. I realized she had, in effect, not just taken over the party planning but also running the household since Sofía had arrived. It seemed to be working well, and if Deanna wanted to continue, I was positive Bianca would be OK with it, given work and caring for Sofía. I was also very busy and would be busier during the summer, with classes three days a week, including on Saturdays until 1:00pm.

At 10:45, Deanna had us put out snacks, and I put one of the smooth jazz discs Deanna had bought into the Compact Disc player. Kassie, Kendra, and Stacey, the art students, arrived just before 11:00am, and shortly after, the first of our guests arrived. I greeted Pete Mueller and his wife Katy, and following them, a steady stream of our friends began arriving.

I was surprised when Noel Spurgeon arrived at 1:30pm with Valerie, his wife, and a few minutes later, Murray Matheson and his wife, Ellen.

"I think we're paying the kid too much," Murray said to Noel.

"I could always talk to Frank Meyer at Glenwood if you guys don't think I'm worth what I'm earning," I said.

"The kid has balls, Murray," Noel said. "Two years ago, he was afraid of me! Now he's mentioning jumping to a competitor as if he's talking about the weather."

"There's always Don Sussman at Paloma," I said, "though I'd have to move to Connecticut."

"Smart ass!" Murray said. "But Paloma is too risk-averse for your style. And Glenwood is heavily into convertible bonds, which are also not your style."

"And you don't think I could adapt if necessary?" I asked.

"Jesus Christ, Kane!" Murray swore. "You are a cool customer!"

"Yes, but I'm _your_ cool customer, and Noel's, and I'm sure as hell not going anywhere any more than you two are actually thinking of reducing my compensation!"

"That's enough shop talk, boys!" Valerie declared. "Let's get drinks!"

They moved away, and Violet came over to me.

"I know they were at Keiko's service, but their showing up here is huge."

"It is. It's about sending a message that they value my work. They both know that I could, eventually, go out on my own, so they're going to do everything possible to prevent me from seriously considering it. They'll only stay a short time, I'm sure, but that's the point of a housewarming."

I mingled with the guests, very happy that Deanna had hired Vanessa and Cheryl to act as hostesses, and I was pleased that my guests were interested in the art Deanna had hung both from my 'private collection' as well as from Kassie, Kendra, and Stacey, as well as two other students.

One oddity I noticed was Jeri Lundgren having a quiet, one-on-one conversation with Noel Spurgeon. That made me think of the things she'd said about finding someone to help her take on her mom, and I realized Noel Spurgeon fit the bill perfectly. Her challenge was that she was eighteen — three or four years older than the girls she said he preferred. That said, if she played the innocent virgin, it might actually work.

"Need your drink refreshed?" Cheryl asked.

"Thanks. Bourbon, neat."

She took my glass, went to the bar, filled it with bourbon, and brought it back.

"Anything else I can do for you?" she asked with a smile and a twinkle in her eye.

"Not at the moment," I replied. "But if I think of something, I'll let you know!"

She walked away, and I walked over to Dustin, Archie, Costas, and Trevor.

"Great place!" Dustin declared. "I'd like to shoot it and submit it to an architectural magazine."

"If you do, you need to credit Natasha Mazarov and Deanna because Natasha did the interior design, and Deanna hung all the art."

"I can do that."

"You did some kind of layout like that last year, right?"

"For a guy named Steve down in Woodlawn. He's from the same area as you, I think. How close is Milford?"

"About ten minutes by car from my mom's house to the High School. Deanna is from Milford."

"Maybe she knows him; she's about the right age."

"She went to a Catholic High School, so unless that guy was there, they wouldn't have been in school together."

"No clue. I actually don't know much about him. I did the photo shoot for Brown Construction because they finished the basement and installed a sauna that seats twenty-five or so comfortably."

"Is that considered big? I don't know much about saunas."

"They usually seat six to eight. And the house has a fucking elevator!"

"An interesting use for an elevator, but OK," I grinned.

All four of the guys laughed.

"I'm glad to see you returning to normal," Costas said. "I know it's been tough."

"I miss her terribly, but thanks to you guys, Violet, and my housemates, I've been able to stay on an even keel and stay focused. It was touch and go for a while."

"It's rough, man," Costas observed. "Great condo, by the way!"

"The only thing left to do is the pool table, which I'll buy in July."

"Then I'll wait to shoot until then," Dustin said. "I wondered about the large empty space, but now it makes sense."

"Jonathan," Archie said, "is there any way the four of us could get in on your fund?"

"Probably the only way I could do that is if the four of you banded together as an investment group, and I asked for an extra 'friends and family' slot. Well, unless you have $100,000 between you to invest."

All four of them laughed.

"Yeah, that'll be the day!" Costas declared. "I mean, I make decent money with the city, but nothing like that!"

"Give Nelson Boyd a call and ask him to set up a partnership, and I'll grease the skids at work."

I retrieved one of Nelson's cards and handed it to Costas.

"I'll call tomorrow."

"I'm going to mingle," I said. "If you need anything, just ask Vanessa or Cheryl."

"Over the top, Dude!" Trevor declared.

I saw Beth and Joshua come in, so I went to greet them, and Beth smiled and showed me her left hand.

"Congratulations!" I said, taking note of the nice diamond.

"Thanks!" Beth replied.

"Do you have a date yet?"

"My mom and grandmother are talking to reception halls to find out what's possible, then we'll talk to the Rabbi. Most likely in September or October."

"That's excellent! Enjoy yourselves! The food on the breakfast bar is all kosher."

"I appreciate that, thanks."

"I'm going to mingle. If you need anything, ask Vanessa or Cheryl, the hostesses."

"Thanks, Jonathan," Joshua said.

Next, I walked over to Alexa, who had just walked in with Sophie, Ivy, and a guy who I guessed was in his mid-forties.

"Welcome!" I said.

"You really traded up!" Sophie declared.

"He sure did!" Alexa smirked.

"I meant the condo! You'd be a downgrade!"

"Play nice, girls!" Ivy said. "They're like this all the time, Jonathan. Great condo!"

"Jonathan, this is Will Sorenson."

"Nice to meet you, Will," I said, offering my hand.

"And you," he said, shaking his hand.

"Make yourselves at home. There's food on tables and counters, and Vanessa or Cheryl will get you drinks."

"Thanks!" they all said.

They all moved off except Alexa.

"Want to get together?" she asked.

"I'm free Tuesday evening, if that works."

"It does! I'll come down from Northwestern on the CTA. What time?"

"We have dinner at 6:00pm, if you want to join us."

"Sounds good! And I can take the CTA back to Northwestern in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan!"

The housewarming was a smashing success, and once the last guest left just before 8:00pm, Vanessa, Cheryl, my housemates, and I began cleaning up. It took less than an hour, and when we finished, Deanna paid Cheryl and Vanessa, and they left, leaving just my housemates, or was it now 'condo mates', and me.

"That came off without a hitch," I said. "Deanna, you did a great job!"

"Thanks!"

"How did the artists do?"

"I'd say that went great as well," Deanna said. "It's really about meeting people and getting the word out. I'll put all the pieces on display at the gallery tomorrow, and we'll see if we have any sales from the housewarming. I also talked to Cheryl and Vanessa about my idea, and they're game."

"Sounds good! Let me know how I can help."

We hung out for about an hour, which included Bianca nursing Sofía and me cuddling her before CeCi and I went up to my room.

_May 14, 1984, Chicago, Illinois_

On Monday morning, after my usual routine, I completed the Series 30 license application and took it, along with my test score report, to Murray Matheson for his endorsement.

"A perfect score?" he growled. "Fuck you, Kane!"

"All due to your expert mentoring!" I replied with a grin.

"Don't bullshit a bullshitter!" he said with a laugh.

"Did you expect anything less?"

"Honestly? I'd have been disappointed if you’d missed any questions. Good job!"

"Thanks."

"Now, forget the fucking test and go make us some money!"

"On it!" I declared.

I walked back to the Research Department, and Violet stopped me as I walked into my office.

"There's an attorney on the line representing Marcia Blake."

"Did he say what he wanted?"

"No. Just to speak to you. I can ask."

"No, just put the call through, thanks."

I walked to my desk and picked up the handset when it rang.

"Research, Kane," I said.

"Mr. Kane, my name is Phil Lache. I'm an attorney with Washington, Thompson, and Rowe. I represent Miss Marcia Blake."

"How can I help you?"

"Miss Blake instructed me to contact you to withdraw her funds from your firm."

I shouldn't have been surprised by that and, in fact, should have not only predicted it but called Marcia out for accepting the returns on the 'filthy lucre' I managed. On the plus side, that freed up a slot for the boys' investment club, so I wouldn't need to ask for an exception.

"All Miss Blake needs to do is fill out the redemption form. She's not covered by any lock-up, as she has what we colloquially call 'friends and family' status, which has no minimums, no lockups, and is charged only half of the usual fees and commissions. I'll have my assistant fax it to you. Given she chose to involve an attorney rather than just calling me, I'll need that redemption notice notarized and couriered to us."

"Fine. How soon will the funds be made available?"

"We can issue a check on the last day of the month when the fund is officially marked to market. She could also accept the valuation as of April 30th, but that valuation is lower than today's."

"She instructed me to request immediate redemption."

"So be it. As soon as I receive the form, I'll send it to Client Services, and a check will be cut within two business days, with the valuation as of April 30th."

"Thank you, Mr. Kane. I'll await the fax. Let me give you the number."

I wrote down the number, repeated it back to him, then ended the call. I didn't have any redemption forms, so I asked Violet to get some from Client Services. She was back five minutes later with a small stack.

"Did you lose a client?" she asked.

"Not one that matters," I replied. "Marcia is redeeming her shares in the Cincinnatus Fund."

"Is it OK to ask why?"

"Because she's gone full Marxist," I replied. "She and I had it out about what I can only describe as my 'privileged' position and the 'disgusting' returns I earn."

And her anger at the fact that I wasn't interested in being her boyfriend, but I wasn't going to say that to Violet.

"Oh, please!" Violet exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

"I know. Let me fill out one of those forms, and then you can fax it to Phil Lache at Washington, Thompson, and Rowe."

Violet handed me the stack of forms, and I filled one out with Marcia's name, address, account number, and Social Security number. I handed the completed form to Violet and put the remaining blank ones in a folder in my desk drawer. Violet left, and I used my computer to flag Marcia's account as 'Pending Redemption' and marked the valuation date as April 30th.

As I did that, it dawned on me that Violet no longer counted as 'friends and family' as she was a Spurgeon employee. That meant that I would have an extra slot even after the boys formed their investment club. That made me think about a question I'd answered on my Series 30 license about 'friends and family', that is, investors who were not accredited by the SEC. Reg D permitted thirty-five, but Spurgeon limited it to ten, and I wondered why.

I got up and walked to the FX Desk office and asked Mia if I could see Murray Matheson. She gave a positive response, so I walked in.

"What's up, Kane?"

"Reg D allows for thirty-five investors without SEC accreditation; why does Spurgeon limit it to ten?"

"Mainly because it costs money to service each account. Have you looked at the breakdown of overhead charges?"

"No."

"You should, just to get an idea of what it costs to service each client. In the breakdown, there is a per-client charge against your fund to cover reporting, compliance, legal, and so on, which is the same no matter whether they have $1000 or $100,000,000 in the fund. Those fixed costs, and they include the cost of leasing our space, research, and so on, are a tiny percentage of the 'two' from the big investor but might not even be covered by the 'one' from your friends or family."

"That makes perfect sense. I haven't actually looked at the detail, but obviously, I should."

"The more you know about the internal workings, the better. That's especially true if you're going to run your own desk and have P&L responsibility."

"More like 'P'," I said, "because 'L' means I don't work here!"

Murray laughed, "Good point, but P&L is the term. Are you asking because you want to include more than ten?"

"There was a chance I might need to do that, but one friend dropped out, so I can use that slot."

"It's your fund, so you can change the rules if you want. Noel will have to approve, as he does for everything else. The Spurgeon Select fund uses the SEC limit. Mine has ten, but none of them are used because it's almost all currency trading, and small accounts make zero sense. I put my close friends into the Spurgeon Millenium Fund."

That was a fund that tracked total firm performance — a fund of funds. It returned less than Spurgeon Select, obviously, but wasn't limited to investors with at least $25 million in investible assets the way Spurgeon Select was. That minimum was likely to climb as the total fund value increased, as there was a hard limit on the total number of investors in any specific fund under Reg D. My Cincinnatus Fund wasn't in the 'fund of funds' as it didn't have a long enough track record — ten quarters — to be included. That would happen in 1985 and would provide extra capital for me to invest.

"I'll take a look at the expense breakdown and decide what to do. Right now, I don't need to make the change."

"I'll have Accounting send you the overhead breakdown."

"Thanks."

I left and returned to my desk, where I put the Series 30 application in an envelope and put it in the outgoing mail bin near Violet's desk. At 11:30am, Violet and I had lunch together, then went to the gym. The afternoon was routine until 4:30pm when Luke from the mailroom brought me a courier envelope from Washington, Thompson, and Rowe. I shook my head, opened it, verified it, and asked Luke to deliver it to Client Services.

At the end of the workday, I made my very short commute to the condo where only Bianca, Sofía, «Abuela», and Jessica were home. I changed and sat down with Sofía on the sectional sofas.

"Marcia redeemed her investment in my fund today."

"She's giving up better returns than she could earn anywhere because she's pissed you won't be her boyfriend?"

"I'd say that's the long and short of it," I replied. "That said, the public answer is that she's gone full Marxist, which will resonate with everyone at Spurgeon."

"I still don't believe she rejected any participation by you except for giving money blindly."

"I don't get it, really, because she's white and works for a black Congressman, and Congressman Hayes has about equal numbers of whites and blacks in his district. I quoted King's _I Have a Dream_ speech, along with JFK's call for colorblind hiring, and Marcia's response was that I didn't understand and she didn't think I could understand."

"Oh, bullshit!" Bianca exclaimed.

"I agree, obviously. The problem, of course, is that she was my political contact for local concerns. Gary works for Senator Dixon, but he's more focused on statewide, national, and international concerns."

"How important is that, really? I mean, Chicago or a single Congressional district?"

"It's more about developing contacts and relationships for the future, and despite Congressman Hayes focusing on underprivileged kids, he still deals with important national issues. I'm going to ask Gary and Jeri for some names and see what I can do."

"I saw Jeri talking to Noel Spurgeon. Isn't she a bit old for him?"

I laughed, "That was my thought as well! They know each other because Noel Spurgeon attends events hosted by the Lundgren Foundation."

Deanna and CeCi came in, and a few minutes later, Jessica left, and the rest of us sat down the eat dinner. After dinner, I excused myself to make a pair of phone calls. The first was to Nikki Forster to arrange our second date.

"Do you want me to come to Chicago?" she asked. "I'm sure there's way more to do there than in Milwaukee or Waukesha."

"If you want, yes. I'm free on Saturday after my exam, as well as on Sunday."

"What time are you free on Saturday?"

"Call it 2:00pm to be safe."

"Where should I meet you?"

"How about the museum campus? We could visit the Shedd Aquarium, the Natural History Museum, or the Adler Planetarium, then have dinner and either see a movie or a show."

"That sounds great! I know how to get to Chicago, obviously, but how do I get there?"

I gave her directions which were simple enough because she could exit the expressway at Congress and have basically a straight shot to the campus. We agreed to meet in front of the Shedd Aquarium, then we said 'goodbye' and I ended the call.

My second call was to Krissy Eubanks, who was home in Oregon. I was happy to find her home, as I had no idea what kind of schedule she kept.'

"Hi, Krissy, it's Jonathan from Chicago."

"Hi! How are you?"

"Good. How are things in Oregon?"

"Not much ever changes in Ontario! I'm waitressing at the same restaurant I have every summer plus Saturdays for about five years. I think some of the regulars have been coming in since before I was born!"

"Small towns are like that. I didn't go out to eat very often, but my neighbors went to breakfast at the same restaurant every Saturday morning for as long as I can remember. When do you come back to Chicago?"

"August 11th. I'm flying, and it would be cool if you could pick me up at the airport."

"I'll put it on my calendar. Could I get the flight details?"

She gave them to me, and I repeated them back.

"I hate to cut this short," she said, "but I need to get ready for work. I hope you'll call again!"

"I will!"

We said 'goodbye', and I ended the call. I went downstairs to find Bianca nursing Sofía, so I went to sit with them. Deanna had gone to Ateljé D, and CeCi was reading in her room.

"Mind if I ask who you called?" Bianca inquired.

"Nikki in Waukesha and Krissy in Oregon. I'm seeing Nikki on Saturday. Krissy will be back in August."

"Those two are very different from your usual girls! Usually, you fuck them first, _then_ start dating!"

"I guess I'm Swedish," I chuckled. "Anna said they did dating 'backwards' in Sweden — meet someone at a party or bar, have sex, then decide to date or not."

"Violet used to be the main outlier because you were dating, even if you didn't call it that."

"True."

"You've passed up opportunities recently."

"Don't read too much into it," I replied. "It really came down to feeling as if the 'art school girls', as you called them, were handing me off one to another. I mean, they weren't, but it felt like that and reminded me of Ellie."

"That's really bugging you."

"Only the constant escalation," I replied. "And I wasn't really interested in Claire or Britney. Cheryl did flirt lightly yesterday."

"Esme and Katy would love to have a chance with you," Bianca said. "But they know how much Taya likes you, so they didn't complain. I'm pretty sure they talked about it beforehand."

"I like Taya, too. She's interested in being my girlfriend but understands I'm not in any position to consider a committed relationship, not to mention she's around 800 miles away during the school year. I suggested it was a question for when she finishes her degree. She agreed and asked if she could see me regularly over the Summer. She'll be my regular Friday date until she goes back to Princeton.

"And Natasha on a few more Wednesdays, right?"

"She asked to extend," I replied.

Bianca laughed, "Of course she did! Big wallet, big dick, and knows how to use both? The sweet spot for any college girl! And speaking of a big dick you know how to use, you and I need to fuck sometime before our potential foursome with Nicole and Meg!"

I chuckled, "Meg is basically straight, so I'm not sure a foursome is in the cards, at least with regard to sex."

"Well, Nicole being bi would be a major plus if that works out. I like her, and she's hot!"

"I agree. Have you heard from Juliette at all?"

"No. Julianne and Josie said she has a new girlfriend already. I'd wager that started before she officially broke up with me."

"That would be low."

"Her loss!" Bianca declared. "She could have been living here in the 'deluxe apartment in the sky' and instead will be in the dorms. And that's not even considering the best sex she's ever had or will have!"

I chuckled, "Not that you have a high opinion of yourself or anything!"

"You've never once complained!"

"And I never will! And yes, I'd be more than happy to resume our lovemaking once you're cleared for action by Doctor Wisniewski!"

"I have a checkup in two weeks. Speaking of which, Sofía has her first pediatric appointment on June 11th at 3:30pm. Do you want to come along?"

"I think I should, at least for her first one. Is it in the calendar book? I didn't flip to June to check."

"Yes."

"Jonathan?" CeCi said, having just come down the stairs.

"What's up?"

"Could we discuss the photos?"

"Absolutely. What do you need and when?"

"What amounts to a modeling catalogue. Headshots, then various poses and locations, mostly clothed, but also some nude shots. Alexa is my female model, and there will be some joint photos. I figured that would be OK, given you two posed together already."

"You should take some _joining_ photos!" Bianca teased.

"The rubric expressly says 'no pornographic shots'," CeCi declared. "Otherwise, I would!"

"Then, for your private portfolio! Are you going to shoot movies?"

"Yes. 8mm film and Beta videotape."

"_Chicago Gigolo_!" Bianca teased.

"I think someone is horny because she hasn't had sex in months!" CeCi smirked.

"And I'm not sure making a porn movie is a good idea," I said.

"Even just for our private viewing?" Bianca asked. "And that's a serious question."

"I'd have to mull that one over," I said. "I don't have any particular objection to the concept, other than to note that both _Insatiable_ and _The Opening of Misty Beethoven_ were puerile and mostly boring. At least _Misty Beethoven_ had a semblance of a plot. And don't get me started on the stupid dialog in _Insatiable_, especially the pool table scene."

"So, find a virgin, fuck her on the pool table while CeCi records, and don't use the corny lines!"

"Let's just say that suspending disbelief about Marilyn Chambers being a virgin was tough, given she'd already had sex on screen! I know it was a flashback, but wouldn't you put that scene first?"

"Maybe," CeCi said. "It was part of the narrative flow, though I do see your point. But porn isn't supposed to make sense! It's supposed to titillate! Even the 'Golden Age' stuff is somewhat limited. That said, there are more mainstream films that push the edge of pornography or even cross into it, like _Caligula_, which was a project by Bob Guccione, the publisher of _Penthouse_.

"Something like _In the Realm of the Senses_ or _I Am Curious_, both 'Yellow' and 'Blue' are better. _In the Realm of the Senses_ is a Japanese movie that has a lot of sex but also a good plot; the two _I Am Curious_ films were Swedish documentaries with explicit nudity and sex. There was a court case about them, and they were deemed not to be obscene. Critics panned it, but Norman Mailer called it 'one of the most important pictures I have ever seen in my life'. It's basically a social commentary with sex scenes. I don't know if they're out on video or not."

"Have you seen those?" I asked.

"No, but I want to. I've read about them in one of my filmmaking books."

"Check and see if we can get them," I suggested. "Actually, we need to find a video store closer to use than the one in Rogers Park."

"There's one just down Delaware towards the lake, and they carry adult films."

"Then let's get a membership, and we'll watch those with you."

"Great! We can start shooting Sunday, if that works for you?"

"It does."

When Deanna came home, she spent some time with us, and then after the 10:00pm news, she joined me in my bed.