Chapter 22

Chuck

I woke up in a sweat. Remembering the night before didn't help with the PTS, with maybe a D on the end. That was close. I wonder why the bomb detonated, did it have a timer? Was there another person with a remote detonator? I doubt I'll ever know. I do know I was grateful to have carried Lisa out of the way.

A heavy-breasted person was at my back and it wasn't Frieda as the belly wasn't bulging. That's when I remembered Gina. My, oh my, what do I do after hearing Giovanni's unique call last night? Was he trying to match make me with his daughter? Didn't he realize I had a pile, a literal pile of women that I was committed to? Surely he knows, as his intelligence is so complete about everything else.

That's it, I have to get up. Too much to drink last night and I have to hit the head.

Ever so slowly and gently, I slipped from bed and hopped to the bathroom. On the way back to bed, I saw that the clock said five thirty. I knew I should probably go back to bed, but thought I might have some coffee and breakfast, along with a Bloody Mary to make my morning better. Besides, there was no way I wanted to go back to sleep and relive that dream of reality again.

While I put on some shorts, a t-shirt, and my peg, I was watching the bed full of women. Gina suddenly sat up and looked at me. She smiled and slipped over Lisa and came to me. After a gentle kiss, she went to the head and was soon back with me as I sat, ready to leave. I whispered softly, "I'm going up to the salon. If you want to come, please do, I'm sure there are robes in the cabinet."

I think she understood, but as I left the cabin, Gina followed me to the galley. She suddenly grabbed me on the arm, turned me around, and pointed at my peg. With a horrified look on her face, she asked, "You don't have a leg?"

The first thought I had was 'You noticed' or 'Son-of-a-gun' or perhaps I could just say, 'I misplaced it.' What I did say was, "I was injured in the military."

She looked at me very hard and asked, "Are you like my father, are you in his army?"

Now I was kind of surprised, "No, Gina, I was hurt in Iraq as a Marine."

Still looking at the peg, she asked, "Does it hurt? How do you get around so well? You had regular shoes on before, how?"

"Gina," I said, trying to calm her, "I have an artificial leg that I usually wear. I've worn it long enough that I know how to get around and walk just like anyone else."

She looked at me a little skeptically, "So you are all right, as good as whole?

I just nodded, "Yes, I work at being as good as whole."

Gina encircled me with her arms, putting her head to my chest, "I am so sorry you were hurt."

"It's okay, Gina, it wasn't your fault. Come on, let's get some coffee and go up to the salon."

The coffee maker was just finishing, so I pulled a mug from the cabinet and showed it to Gina. She smiled, so I pulled a second one out and filled both. With coffee mugs in hand, we went upstairs into the salon.

Almost as soon as we sat, Lisa came up to the salon, still naked, and carrying a mug of coffee. She kissed me, kissed Gina, and sat next to her. Lisa took a gulp of her coffee and asked me, "How about being the bartender and fixing us a Bloody Mary?"

I made three Bloody Marys and set them on the bar. By the time I was back to my tall chair, Lisa's drink was almost dry. Gina, sipped hers the first time, then sipped some more. The third time around, she took a healthy gulp, making me glad I didn't make the drink strong. Lisa asked, "Did you have trouble sleeping?"

She drank the last of her drink and got down from her chair to make herself another. As she made her drink, Lisa stated more than asked, "That was close, wasn't it? I mean, I followed you out and you just grabbed me up and ran. I don't know how you did it, but thank you, Chuck. That was close."

Lisa refreshed Gina's and my drinks before she came around to sit next to Gina. Gina looked at Lisa and asked, "Are you not afraid someone will see you?"

Lisa asked, "Do you mean am I afraid that people will see me naked?"

Gina smiled and said, "Yes, that is what I asked."

Lisa smiled, leaned over to kiss Gina on the cheek and said, "I think everyone on board has seen me naked at one time or the other so it wouldn't be the first time or a big deal. We sunbathe naked, on top of the salon, all the time."

Gina asked, "Are you not embarrassed?"

Lisa was grinning and asked, "What's to be embarrassed about? When we go to the Riviera, I'm sure we will go to a beach where everyone is naked. Would you go naked where everyone else is naked?"

Gina scoffed, "Of course, we have naked places in Italy. There are many places on the water where most have no clothes."

Lisa asked, "What's the difference? I don't think anyone on board will care that I'm naked. None of them will attack me or try to take advantage of me. Some of the women might be more aggressive than the men. Gina, on this boat, you are safe, dressed in anything or nothing."

Gina was smiling, although you could tell she was contemplative. She finally asked, "So I shouldn't have worn so many clothes to bed?"

Lisa leaned over and hugged Gina, "You can wear anything you want to bed, especially if you are more comfortable."

Gina thought for a minute, and then said, "I wanted more to happen last night, but I didn't want to appear to, ah, ah, I don't know the word. Too much a, ah, in my word, loose donna, ah yes, a loose woman. I didn't want to be a loose woman."

Lisa told Gina, "If you want something, if you want our man to love you, all you have to do is give him kisses and encourage him. He'll gladly love you and make you a happy woman."

Gina said, "But it may be the right time for me to get the child. You know, I could get pregnant."

Lisa smiled and nodded her head, "You don't take any birth control, do you?"

"Oh no, that would be against the church. The priest would have me doing penance, rosaries for a week."

Lisa told her, "If you want loving and don't want to get pregnant, I'm sure we can find some prophylactics in the cabin, you know, rubbers."

Gina said solemnly, "That would be as bad. That would be deceiving and not trusting that it wouldn't be the time for me to conceive."

Lisa asked, "Then how do you have sex, fool around, without getting pregnant?"

Gina said confidently, "Pull out."

I thought Lisa was going to fall off her chair trying to stifle her laugh. But she said, "Isn't that kind of dangerous? Most guys like to enjoy putting their stuff way up inside you."

Gina smiled and said, "Yes, I know, I have two babies that way." She said very seriously, "But I have learned how to take care of my man with my mouth. When my time isn't right, I take care of him that way."

Lisa was shaking her head. "Gina, I'm sure Chuck would love to make love to you, but he's going to want to put his stuff way up inside of you. He might not remember to pull out so you can use your mouth."

"Then I will have another baby. It would be meant to be. Chuck Johnson would have to take care of me and the baby after that."

Lisa looked at Gina, rolling her eyes, "I'm glad we got that out in the open. I think you have given Chuck an idea of how you feel and believe."

Gina was acting confused, "But that is good, isn't it? To be honest and to want to love make with a man I am attracted to? Is that so bad?"

Lisa said, "I think there is some confusion as to what is right and what is wrong. If you are not married to a man, is it right to make love to him?"

"I am not a virgin," Gina stated. "After having a husband and losing him, I am without the protection of a man, but not without feelings. If I have feeling for a man, it is good to love make to him. I have no one to tell me no. I have feeling for this man beside me and I would enjoy lovemaking to him just as I have enjoyed lovemaking to you."

Lisa hugged Gina to her again and said, "So you shall make love or love make with my man. We will enjoy ourselves with you and you will enjoy our man and us. You know, of course, that he made babies in some of his ladies."

Gina smiled and said, "Of course, who else would have given those ladies the chance to be a mother. It is good."

Gina looked at Lisa questioningly, and asked, "The leg, you don't worry about the leg? Chuck tells me he is whole, is he whole, you are not afraid he hurts?"

Lisa sat back and told Gina, "Yesterday, Chuck leaped from the stage to knock down that man. He carried him out of the stadium and dumped him. I had followed Chuck, and when he saw me, he picked me up and carried me to safety before the explosion. What do you think, isn't that whole?"

Gina was thinking over what Lisa had said, probably still translating everything. Gina smiled, "Chuck is a good man; yes, I think he is good as whole. I didn't even realize he did not have part of him until this morning. I guess I just didn't look."

Gina looked at me a second, then turned back to Lisa, "Will you tell me the truth if I ask you a question?"

Lisa just smiled, "Of course."

Gina looked at me again but asked Lisa, "Is Chuck doing business with the father? Is he in the same business as my father?"

Lisa said, "I don't know what business your father is in, but I can tell you that Chuck is a law officer, like a government policeman, a U.S. Deputy Marshal. He is a very good man."

Gina turned to me, and asked, "Will you tell me the truth?"

After I nodded, she asked, "How do you know my father? What do you owe him that you would take me and the children to the concert?"

"I don't owe your father anything. He came to me and we had a meal together while he asked me questions about some of your relatives and some of his acquaintances who disappeared in the U.S. and in Central America. He had heard many stories, and he wanted to know if I had been directly responsible. When we finished, he asked me to take his grandchildren to the concert. I felt it was a great honor to be asked to be responsible for them. You know the rest. That you came with the children has been good."

While squeezing my hand, Gina said, "I believe you."

Lisa said to Gina, "Come with me, I need to put on some clothes and you might want to put yours on too. If you need something else to wear, I'm sure we can find something among all the women on board."

The two left the salon, with me almost choking over her baby comments, keeping my feelings and thoughts back. This lady was a walking time bomb, or would that be baby factory. She would or could be a close second to Kathy.

Speaking of Kathy, the tall sweet lady came up to the salon and asked, "Can you make me something this morning? I think I want what you are having."

She then asked, "Are you okay after last night? That was close, wasn't it?" She accepted the Bloody Mary and said, "When I first met Steve, he was doing stuff like that a lot and that made me scared. I was afraid I would fall in love and lose him the same as my husband. No, let me correct that, I was falling in love and didn't want to lose him. Is that a problem with your women?"

I told Kathy honestly, "Brandy and that group get a little freaked out when I've been hurt or they know I've done something dangerous. I can't help it, Kathy, it's a part of my job and yesterday, last night, I was just in the right place at the right time to keep the situation from becoming a disaster."

Kathy smiled and patted my hand, "I know, and I'm thankful you were there. I think I'm over the worrying about Steve and if I'll lose him. I know that there are times he may be in danger, but I also know he is capable of taking care of himself, just like you. I'm not worried or afraid any longer. What will be, will be."

I was nodding as Lisa and Gina came back up the stairs, dressed this time.

Kathy said, "How about we ladies go fix breakfast? The kids will be up soon and they always want to eat right away. Come on, we'll make breakfast before Glenda gets up."

The three ladies went below as Steve came up. Steve walked behind the bar and made the favorite morning drink. Instead of making just one, he made his one, plus six more. Steve looked up at me and said, "They will all be claimed within minutes around here. I probably should make more."

Dewey came up and took one of the drinks. In another thirty seconds, Ben arrived to claim one. Sue and Beth both came up and claimed a drink. John and Wanda came up and took the last two. Steve looked at me and raised his eyebrows, holding his drink up in a victory salute.

I needed a refill, so I went behind the bar and made myself another, filled Steve's up, and made another six. Within minutes, the six were claimed by more folks coming up the stairs. As we were finishing our drinks, Taiying came to the top of the stairs, "Breakfast is ready. You better hurry or the children will eat it all."

As we passed the sweet little Asian, she put her arm around my waist and walked down the stairs with me. On the way down, she said to me, "You make me a very happy woman, Chuck Johnson. Sing feels the same and we are thankful that you have brought us into your family. Taiying held up her left hand, displaying her ring, "I am proud to wear your ring and be yours. Sing and I want to talk to you about giving you more children."

I stopped on the stairs, turned, and gathered Taiying into my arms, "Taiying, that would make me a very happy man. If you want to become a mother, I want to be the father." With that, I kissed her tenderly. The kiss lingered and grew until we were panting from the intensity. Taiying looked a little embarrassed and said, "We should not procreate in front of the children."

The way she said that made me smile. "You're right, it should be more private."

Taiying surprised me by saying, "No, private is not necessary for what I want, what I need. I would want everyone see me become a mother. But the children do not need to see it. They must learn many things before it is time for them to know of making life." The sweet little Asian gave me a very sweet kiss and said, "Sing and I may want to have more special time with you soon." Before I could ask her about the implants she and her sister had told me about before, she went down the stairs.

When we reached the galley, the kids were having a good time, eating and talking. I noticed the four Italian kids were not sitting together, but had made friends with others and were sitting with them.

The open place for me to sit was between Gina and Julie. This was getting nuts. Why was Julie doing her best to match Gina and me up? The odd thing was how Lisa was responding so positively, while the fruity five were also encouraging me to have a new lady. I have a strange group of ladies.

As the morning progressed, I noticed the ladies going up to the sundeck. One of them had been Gina, who had darker complexion than some of the others. She appeared to be colored similar to Sue who looked as if she was tanned all year long. She was darker when she lay out in the sun, but always was a little more tanned than most. Missy had pushed Merlin into getting some sun, and I would have bet he would be pure white and be an immediate burn candidate, considering his working hours and habits.

Steve and Mercy came to me, and Mercy said, "Come up and get some sun for a little while. You need some natural vitamin D. Mercy elbowed me and said, "In addition to that, you can scope out the lovely Gina. She is a fox."

Oh my, even my mentalist sister, Steve's Mercy, is acting the matchmaker. When Lisa asked me to come with her, I finally consented to go up on the roof of the salon to enjoy the warm Mediterranean morning sun. I was surprised to see a lot of the kids, including the two little Italian girls, lying nude in the sun. Sue motioned for Lisa and me to lie next to her and Glenda. I thought it was sweet that Glenda was lying out with all the rest.

I looked around and found it could have been a pedophile's dream with all of the nubile young waifs sunning themselves in the altogether. For myself, I was always interested in how sexy Lisa looked, but then, it was fun to check out Sue and her monster bazooms. And oh my, Gina is really built. A surprise was that she was very well trimmed at her junction.

I was treated like royalty, as Lisa and Sue massaged lotion onto my back. When they asked me to turn over, I pulled a towel over my middle to cover the excitement of having the women stroking me. Sue whispered to Lisa, "Perhaps we should take him below to take care of his problem. I'll bet I can get a few more interested in some morning fun. Maybe Steve would like to help Chuck work his way through some women."

I had to say, "Hush, Sue, you're making it hard to relax."

Sue and Lisa both laughed and both took hold of me beneath the towel, as Lisa whispered, "That's the idea, Honey, we want you to be hard for us."

I rolled back to my stomach to hide my pride and to discourage the two groping girls.

The sun was very warm and I didn't want to burn, so after about a half hour, I got up and told Lisa, "I'm going to work out for a while. I think Taiying and Sing were right about working out giving me more energy."

When I stood, I saw the two Asian sisters gently caressing lotion into our Italian guest's beautiful body. From the way the two were rubbing the lotion, I'm sure Gina was enjoying their ministrations.

Sue spoke up, "You know we are to attend Dennis' and Marie's wedding at eleven. Marie vanished after the concert last night to stay with her parents. Dennis was with us, of course, and sort of had his bachelor party with all of us.

Mercy said, "We should have brought in some dancing girls.

Sue pushed, "So let's all get going, we need to leave in about thirty minutes. Mercy, tell the kids to get ready."

There was a mass exodus from the sundeck over the salon. People were heading below to get ready. I asked Lisa, "Do you know how long this will be? Will we have enough time to get back here to shower before we have to go to the stadium to practice?"

Lisa thought about it and said, "We probably should just get ready to go straight from the wedding. Wear some nice clothes but take your jeans with you. I don't have to worry as they give me those leather pants and vest. That's all I will have on anyway."

There was a crush of people using the shower. Gina was a little surprised how we crowded in together, but joined in the fun of washing someone else's back as hers was being washed.

We all dressed nicely. I even wore a sport coat. Everyone gathered up in the salon before we went to witness our friend's wedding.

Our bus and Ed took us to a small chapel next to the Vatican. As we entered, Dennis met us and said, "This event has become a little bigger than I had expected." Dennis looked at Steve and said, "I didn't ask you, but will you be my best man? I didn't think we were going to be this formal. Ah, Marie even has bridesmaids. Ed set this all up for us, even rented the gown and the bridesmaid dresses for us. I'm surprised the priest is willing to do the service. The priest did have us in the confessional talking to us, so I suppose he must feel we are ready."

Steve went with Dennis, and as we walked into the Church, Tina came running out the door straight to me for hugs and kisses. I asked, "What are you doing here?"

Tina smiled as she answered, "I can't miss my brother's wedding, can I? Mom and Dad brought me over. Marie's folks were able to come earlier, but Mom and Dad waited for my shift to be over. It's so nice to be able to see you." She looked around at the other girls and said, "And I am really happy to see my other fellow women of Chuck's harem."

Tina hardly took a breath, "We just landed this morning and came straight to the Church. Do you think there is enough room for us on the boat?"

I said, "We'll make room."

The priest came to the doorway, and in perfect English, asked, "Will you please be seated, I must complete this service by eleven thirty as there will be a high mass today."

Tina took off in another direction as we all took a seat.

As soon as we were seated, some organ music began playing. In another few seconds, the first bridesmaid began coming down the aisle. There was one more bridesmaid before Tina, accompanied by Steve, came walking down the aisle dressed as the other bridesmaids in a very nice pink gown.

The bridal march began. Marie in a flowing white gown, holding onto her father's arm, began coming toward the altar where Dennis was waiting. This was really special. When the pair reached the altar, her father handed Marie's hand to Dennis.

The service was fairly short, but beautiful. I kept thinking I needed to do something like this, but with whom, just Lisa? Would that be right?'

The pair did the kneeling stuff, exchanged rings that had been blessed, followed by the priest presenting the pair as man and wife.

The newly married couple walked back up the aisle and out the door of the chapel.

As the rest of the group followed them out, I saw Ed hand the smiling priest a fat envelope. Ah yes, a good donation helps to make things happen the way you want, even at a church.

Outside, the group was standing, kissing, and hugging Marie and Dennis. Marie, Tina, and the other girls went back into the church and came out in their street clothes, carrying their gowns. Dennis announced, "We will meet you at the hotel in Nice. We are going early for a little honeymoon. Marie's parents are coming too, so don't worry about room on the boat. Mom and Dad, use Marie's and my room on the trip over to the Riviera. I know you can only stay here for a few days before you sail to Nice, but enjoy, have a good time."

More hugs and kisses were given, followed by Tina quickly handing out little bags of seeds to be thrown at the couple. They were well showered by the time they were able to get everyone into the taxi. And just like that, they were gone.

It was still ten to twelve, so I asked everyone, "How about we have Ed take us to a nice restaurant nearby for a good lunch? Lisa and I will have to go to the stadium soon, and I'm sure most of you would enjoy relaxing a little before those who want to get ready to come to the concert get ready."

Tina grabbed my arm, "What concert, what's going on?"

Lisa tucked her head down between her shoulders and said, "I forgot to e-mail you about that. Come on, get on the bus, I'll tell you all about it."

Tina insisted that she sit in the aisle seat, with me by the window, so she could hold hands with me while she talked to Lisa who was sitting across the aisle. The problem with that was that Gina was sitting next to Lisa. Tina kept being distracted by Gina's beauty as we made the short trip to a restaurant Ed had called to make sure they could accommodate us. Tina was really excited that Lisa and I were playing with a famous band. She was more excited that she was going to be able to watch us and listen to the performance.

I was more excited that Tina was going to be able to stay with us all the way to the Riviera.

The meal was great, but I had to watch out for the sneaky homemade wine that was served. Another glass and I might have been getting fuzzy.

Lisa and I took a taxi, while Ed loaded the rest of the people into the bus. I did notice he had put all the dresses in their bags and had them hanging at the back of the bus.

At the stadium, there was some intense increased security. One of the police officers recognized me from last night and was very friendly. In broken English, he said, "All of Italy know you today. They know you are a hero. You saved many last night. Italy and me, we salute you."

Lisa was elbowing me in a teasing manner as we were led into the stadium by a roadie. I noticed several police, and some uniformed army types, standing with rifles at the ready. I guess these people are serious about security after the attack. Somebody told me the army types were "carabinieri", the paramilitary national police force that used to wear the funny Napoleonic style hats. I met some of those guys in Afghanistan as part of the NATO civil affairs effort – smart guys, and tough, too.

The first thing we did was go to the stage where Kenny had us run through several pieces he thought needed some work. They sounded good to me last night, but Kenny knows what he wants to hear. We went over the playlist trying to eliminate a set or two, but ended up agreeing to do the show the same way.

Lisa and I changed into freshly laundered clothes, just a T-shirt in my case, and visited the makeup girls. Dan and Carolyn were in the makeup room when we went in. Carolyn asked, "Did you guys watch the news today?"

I could only shake my head no.

Carolyn said, "Last night's attack was part of a three location attack that was foiled by catching the guy who was pushing the detonator when Chuck almost got blown up. The man was apparently pushing a button on something, and kept running higher and higher in the stadium until the bomb blew up. He was tackled by several guys who had seen him and knew he was up to something. The police, or someone, was able to get information out of him about the other two attacks, so they were prevented. They have almost two dozen people in jail. They are as bad as we are back home at being politically correct by not saying the attackers are terrorists or Muslim extremists. They are calling them 'people creating a public disturbance.' If you don't kill enough people, you're not a terrorist."

Lisa and I had been through all of this many times, so we weren't surprised, except that was at home and this was Italy, where people are sometimes more vengeful. Moreover, Italy had experienced terrorist attacks as long ago as the '80s, but those were from homegrown Marxists, the "Red Brigades", so maybe they weren't sensitized yet to Middle Eastern terrorists.

When we finished with makeup, we went to the reception room where there was a bigger, younger crowd than last night. Lisa and I ate a little and had some iced tea before Kenny waved at us to come to the autograph table. It was chaos for a while, as people were pushing to get to the table. It finally settled down and when I looked up, I saw my group. Lisa elbowed me and said, "Look, another Gina."

Oh my, there was another lady that appeared slightly older than Gina, but oh my, she was as much a treat to the eyes as Gina is and could have easily been her twin. Something different was happening though, as Sue and Mercy had the new woman pressed up against Steve who kept trying to get away. I almost laughed as I knew how he felt. I mentally pushed at him, telling him to relax and go with the flow.

Steve got a startled look on his face and stared at me. When I winked at him, he smiled and ducked his head, almost in embarrassment. At that moment, Mercy came blasting into my head saying, "Mind your own business, this one's ours." Lisa looked at me and mouthed, "Did you hear that?"

I smiled; it was pretty neat for us to be able to communicate so freely with each other this way.

One thing was nice tonight. I had no feelings of premonition, fear, or apprehension. We were cool.

The show went off with the same enthusiasm by us and the crowd as Friday night. The crowd was as loud, but didn't seem to be as wild and raucous as the night before. When we were doing the encore, Lisa was grinning as she looked at me. We were tuned into each other, playing far beyond our abilities, surprising both of us and Fred.

As we packed up, Jack came over and asked, "Where did you two get those riffs. It was neat when you two played that crazy one, note for note together, with perfect precision. How long did you have to practice to get that right?"

Lisa said, "I know you won't believe us, but that's a new one for us. I hope you saved it so we can get a copy, I want to practice that one."

Jack and Fred were shaking their heads in disbelief at what Lisa said.

We went to the reception room, ate, and had one drink and a couple of beers while we signed more autographs. Our people were there, waiting to take us home, but there was another face that appeared, Giovanni Martinelli was there, and actually had the whole band sign a promotional poster.

When the autograph table broke up, I went to Giovanni and shook his hand. He motioned me to the side and said, "You have both of my daughters and my four grandchildren now. Treat them gently. My oldest is infatuated with your Steve friend. That is not bad, and I think even their mother might accept her two girls becoming part of a multiple wife family. All of the women of your group appear happy, especially the three pregnant ones with you, and the pregnant Irish ladies. Thank you again, Chuck Johnson, I want to do something for you, but my daughters may be doing that."

Giovanni continued, "Neither of my girls knows what my business really is. That is why they were raised and live up here in Rome, while I live in Calabria – South Italy. It would be difficult for them not to know that I do business with some unsavory people. They hear and read the news, so they know of our family and what is. I tell you this so you know my Gina is pure of mind. I need to have her ex be declared dead or something so she will be free. I tell you this so you will be gentle. If you don't want this to work, be gentle with her when you separate. Call me tomorrow."

Without waiting for me to say anything, Giovanni left me and left the room. I saw two men close on him to guard him as he left. He had been a surprise.

As I came back to the group, Gina took my hand and said, "Father is happy with you. He is happy with me for being with you and for my sister being with Mr. Steve."

This was becoming very intricate, very unexpected.

Tina came to tell me how much she loved the music. She said, "You always have serenaded us with your music. This was good, but our private music at home is always the best."

We went home to the boat where we all celebrated a little. The kids were pretty wired but Glenda knew how to handle that. She fed all of them some milk and cookies and in a very short time they were all yawning. The mothers put them to bed and came back to the salon. Sue came to Lisa and me, "How about a little hot tub time. I'd bet you two could use it to relax."

All I could think of was 'relax my ass.' I know these girls were working on something that was probably full of sex. I wondered whether I would be up for it, or would that be 'would I get up for it?' I smiled as I thought of all the nubile bodies that would be displayed in the big tub.

In short order, I was kissing six women who were pregnant and didn't want to get into the tub. Frieda said, "Go be a super stud and enjoy yourself. We're all so tired we're about to drop tonight."

The hot tub party was pretty awesome. Sue and Mercy had talked Don, Kevin, and John into joining Steve and me. Ben and Merlin were probably kept in the dark about this party.

Of Steve's women, Juanita and Mickey were missing but there was a variety of luscious women to partake of. Steve had Gina's sister, Giovanna, sitting between Sue and him. I was smiling at the confusion there must be when the family is together with all of the Gio's.

Barb went to Steve and kissed him, groping him under the water. She smiled at him and turned around, "I love these hot tub parties. It's the only time Sue and Mercy let me get at Steve." The forward young lady was working her way down on Steve who was a little embarrassed by the forwardness being displayed. Apparently they were distracted by Sue doing some intimate caressing of Gio's full top. In seconds, Gio's eyes displayed that smoky look of passion, and she began to try to hold and caress the buxom Sue.

The place quickly degenerated into a near orgy.

With Tina on one side and Gina on the other, I wasn't surprised that Tina went for me so fast. Lisa was on the other side of Gina and was already playing with her voluptuous body. Tina straddled me, kissed me, then leaned over to Gina and Lisa as they kissed and said to them, "As soon as I catch up on some loving, I will join you two. I've really missed you, Lisa."

Tina didn't waste any time and was well planted in seconds. I noticed the two Asian sisters were being attacked by Kathy and Mercy. It appeared all the other couples were initiating the evening by joining with their partners.

The party kept going and going until I had to get out or the warm water would affect the callus on my stump. As I sat up on the side of the big tub, Wanda and Jan came to me and Wanda asked, "Do you think you can handle two of your old playmates?"

Jan said, "I'd like to suck it out of him like I used to do every morning. Don doesn't like it every morning and doesn't give as much of a mouthful or taste near as good as Chuck used to. How about it, Chuck? Do us both, and when it's time, my mouth craves what you have."

My two friends were being very aggressive. I was able to satisfy both of their desires. I was tiring and I could see that Lisa was nearly down for the count as well. I told everyone I was too tired to keep going, but to be sure to continue as long as they wanted. I must be getting old, leaving a good party like that when I had not made my way through all the women.

When I joined the six girls in bed, Tina climbed on top of me and played with me until I could accommodate what she wanted. She leaned down and said, "I only want a little more. Lisa said she and Gina want some too, so you are to save the good stuff. I'll visit with the other luscious women I have been missing."

When Tina finished getting off on our coupling, Gina asked me to remain on my back. She kissed me all over, ending at my mouth as she too straddled me. As she rode up and down, she kept saying, "Tell me when it's time, tell me when so I can finish you."

When I didn't finish and she was well satisfied, I told her, "It's better to not be close to finishing if you want to remain without a big belly. Besides, Lisa gets a turn as well."

Steve

Man, that was one hell of a good time in the hot tub last night. I really enjoyed all of us in there having fun. I was feeling pretty good about myself at my age, since I had gone through Barb, my three ladies, Wanda, Jan, and, of course, Gio. I think Sue and Mercy want Gio for their private pet, but oh my, that lady is a minx. She did me, Kevin, John, and Don before coming back to me. She was between most of the girls' legs even while standing, leaning over getting had from behind.

I heard Sue ask her about birth control, and I know she said it was not a problem, so I hope it's not. I'm getting up, as today could get really long. I want to get a start on it. We need to get the boat ready to sail, as well as possibly going with Chuck and Lisa to the concert at an outdoor opera house that was being opened just for this concert. That place must be big, because Chuck said it seated close to twenty thousand. I wonder how they do it? These Romans have always been good architects.

As I began trying to slide from Sue's clutches, arms pulled me back and I felt kisses on my neck. As I turned over, Gio was in my face for more kisses. She whispered, "I will have you first this morning. You and your women make me feel wonderful."

As I turned her to her back, Sue leaned over to kiss Gio while playing with one of her large orbs. I dove for treasure to warm her up, but found she was already gushing. When I began coming back to nail this beauty, Mercy grinned at me as she sucked the nipple on her side into her mouth.

This woman had a magic box. It vibrated, it squeezed, it massaged until you wanted to squirt for a week. I only lasted a few minutes in her demanding embrace, but she became loud enough to wake up the others in bed.

Mickey said she didn't get much of a chance to play with the new beauty last night and wanted some time to become more intimate with her. She quickly replaced me on Gio, letting me know she was in heat, in heat for this exotic Italian.

I escaped the bed while most of the others attacked their new toy. That lady is really good looking, but what I don't need is another woman. As I entered the shower, Juanita and Kathy joined me to enjoy some special attention. The oldest of my lovely ladies were very attentive and received as much attention as I could give them. While we were drying, I could see that Mercy, Sue, and Mickey were still devouring the new lady, but she seemed to holding her own with her face hidden between Mercy's thighs. That is too much visual stimulation for me.

Kathy, Juanita, and I went through the kitchen to get hugs from Glenda and Beth. Chuck's two Asian sisters were assisting the women in fixing breakfast. It was Sunday; too bad we don't do the traditional sexy gowns on Sunday mornings like we do at home.

The three of us went up to the salon where no one was there to greet us. I flipped the TV on to a local English language station and heard that the police and military had rounded up another fifteen people related to the bombing at the stadium, bringing the total suspects up to almost forty. I suppose it is reasonable that there would or could be more terrorists here, considering how close they were to some of the host countries for terrorists. And, of course, they'd experienced terrorist attacks as long ago as the '80s from the Red Brigades, their homegrown Marxist radicals. Funny how the Italian Communist Party was considered relatively conservative by the "rebellious youth". I guess that all came to a screeching halt with the fall of the "Evil Empire".

Dewey came up and had a mug of coffee. He didn't make a drink and smiled at me. He said, "You sure have a popular lady staying with you. I think my two were all over the lovely Italian beauty, and they were planning to visit your cabin when I left. Chuck's new toy was equally as popular last night, but she was kind of reserved, considering she really didn't play with any of us guys, just the girls."

I agreed with Dewey. "Chuck has a lot of women who seem more oriented to women than men. Just like my niece, Tina. She really seems to be attached to Chuck, but she may like his group of women more."

Kathy said, "Tina is too busy with school right now to devote much time to a relationship. Chuck is the perfect companion or boyfriend. He's not demanding, and is always willing to accept what little she can offer. Another woman isn't as demanding, so it's easy for her to find pleasure without feeling obligated. I'll bet she wears Chuck and the ladies out while she's here."

A smiling Tina came up to the salon, "Were you talking about me? You're probably right about wearing Chuck out. He tried to sneak out of bed this morning, and I got him before any of the other of those greedy women could."

Juanita asked, "How is his, or rather the new, young lady doing?"

Tina said, "She's fine. She took over where I left off and has Chuck really panting. I think that girl has missed some loving, kind of like me."

Kevin and Susan came up with coffee mugs. Susan came over to give me a kiss. She whispered into my ear, "You really made your sister feel good last night. We have to do that some more."

I was really blushing when Tina asked, "Are you okay, Uncle Steve, do you need me to check your blood pressure? You look flushed."

She was grinning when she said that and also grinned at her mother. I'm sure she saw the mistake I made last night, lining up behind a group of women offering places to plunge. I plunged into the wrong place, and didn't realize my mistake until my sister's face turned to me to give me an air kiss while groaning through a good orgasm.

I wonder how careful Kevin was, considering his daughter was in the tub with us. His daughter was enjoying herself, as we all were.

Susan began making Bloody Mary's in sets of six. As more and more people showed up, she continued through three sets to accommodate everyone.

It is always fun to watch how more and more people wander up to the salon in the morning to begin the day. A few of the people were talking about going to church this morning, but Chuck and Lisa, who had come up with Julie and Gina, said "Lisa and I have to be at this outdoor theatre or opera house by noon. The show starts at two which means we're not going to be out of there much before seven."'

Chuck looked right at me and said, "What do you think, should we try to cast off tonight, or wait until the morning? Kenny said that it wouldn't be a big deal for Lisa and me not to get there until Wednesday. He said we only needed a couple of days of practice before the show. We're going to use the same playlist, and only mix it up with a couple of new pieces he has for the three shows. Our beginning and ending sets will remain the same, but we even shuffled sets last night."

Tina said, "I can't believe I actually watched you two on stage last night. That was one hell of a show. Marie's folks really got a kick out of the fancy club room you guys had to watch the show from. I think mom and dad ate until they could hardly move during the concert. That food was good."

I was looking at Dewey; "I think we should wait until Monday, tomorrow morning. It'll only take a little less than 24 hours to get there. If any of you want to, you can ride with the Irish Bell and get there in about twelve hours. Dewey, you might want to do that, since you have a lot of people you need to talk to."

Dewey nodded and said, "I'll run over to the Bell to find out what they think."

Ben and Merlin were with us now, and Merlin asked Ben, "I would be interested in going a little early to spend an extra day in the casinos. How about you, Ben, want to throw some money away on the tables with me?"

Ben was contemplative before he said, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I think it would be neat for us to go out to the casinos together. I'll bet Beth and Missy would love it."

Dewey said, "I'll check to see if they have enough room for three or four more couples. We can probably get into our hotel rooms early, so it would be fun. I guess we really won't be early, as I have the rooms available beginning Monday evening to take care of the folks from the Bell."

Dewey left as Sue and Mercy came up with Mickey and Giovanna. Giovanna was stretching and came over, hugged and kissed me before she repeated the hugs and kisses with Kathy and Juanita. She said, "All of you make me feel wonderful. I really like and need all of you. You are all like my long lost friends that I haven't seen for years. You make me feel so comfortable and the extra fun we have makes it even better."

Kathy made the new arrivals some Bloody Marys, refilled several more, and gave Mickey a glass of fruit juice. As she came back around the bar, she said, "I'm going to be glad to get home. This is really a lot of fun, but I'm homesick for our friends and our home."

Sue said, "The kids want to run around too, and they really haven't had much of a chance to do that. I think I'll take them up to the park in front of the yacht club after breakfast."

That was the signal for something, as Beth came to the top of the stairs, "Breakfast everyone. Glenda made a great breakfast for us. Should we go put gowns on for the occasion?"

That was what I was missing. Dewey came back from the Bell and followed us down. While eating, Dewey said, "Chanda and Michael are thinking about leaving early today. The captain said it should only take about twelve hours for them to get there. He's thinking that if they leave around nine or ten, they would be there about nine or ten tonight and everyone could spend the night in one of the big suites we reserved. I think I'd like to leave early and enjoy an extra day there. I do have a lot of people to talk to. How about you, Ben, and you, Merlin, want to go early? Michael says they easily have enough room for six more couples."

Both looked at their spouses who nodded in excited agreement. Kevin and Susan were in a heavy conversation. When they were finished, Kevin said, "We would like to go with you. We can spend some more time with Marie's folks. Susan and I would like that."

Sheila, who had gone over to the kids' table to talk to all of her kids, came over and asked me, "Would it be okay if the kids stay on board here? They say that there is even less for kids to do in Nice except to go to the beach."

Dewey said, "That's funny, Chanda and Michael said that their kids wanted permission to ask us if they could ride with us. What do you think, Steve, Chuck?"

Knowing that there was plenty of room in the crew's quarters, I told Dewey, "Sure, I'll go tell them so their kids can pack some clothes. I know they'll have a good time with our kids as usual."

Chuck was leaning over, talking to Lisa, when he asked, "How about three couples and a single? Would any of you mind if the band group went with us? We could do some practicing and the kids could play with them too. I'd bet the band would jump at the chance."

I smiled at Chuck, "Don't ask me, it's your boat. We'll have the room now and it would be fun."

I could see Bonita and Lizzy tuned in to the conversation, grinning and elbowing each other.

Chuck used his cell phone and spoke for a few minutes. He was smiling when he hung up, "They'll come on board this evening after the concert so we can leave early in the morning. I could hear Barb screaming in the background while I was talking to Kenny."

Dewey asked, "Where are they staying over there? Maybe we can get them moved to adjoining suites where we are. You guys will have a chance to get to know each other better."

Chuck smiled again and called Kenny back. He jotted the information down on Dewey's pad and told Kenny he would see him at the opera house. When he hung up, Chuck handed the pad to Dewey and said, "Do your magic."

Dewey said, "Only if you do your magic for me. I know Steve is lucky, but you've already shown us how lucky you can get. I'll do this for you, but you owe me." He looked at the paper and grinned, "This is the same place we're staying. I'll call and upgrade them to an adjoining suite."

Chuck laughed as he sipped some coffee after having finished a good breakfast. While I went up to the salon, Chuck and Lisa disappeared with their entourage, heading for their cabin. Brandy, Sue, and Mercy had taken Gio and Gina into the big lounge to talk. I wondered what that was about.

In a little while, Gina and Brandy went to Chuck's cabin, while Gio went below with Sue, probably to the office. I told Dewey, "You had better get your stuff together. Kevin and Susan won't take much time, since they probably haven't unpacked." I told Ben and Merlin to get going if they're riding with the Bell. I said that the folks on the Bell wanted to leave early.

I went over to the Irish Bell where Mac was in a great mood. He said, "We'll have some fun with an extra day in Nice. The kids are getting their stuff together and will be over in a few minutes. They assured us they didn't need a nanny to watch them while they are on your boat."

Mac told me, "I talked to my attorney at home yesterday and he has assured me that Sue's venture there will be very successful. He also said Sue's activity in Ireland has a few groups in England interested in talking to her. When I find out the details, I'll give them to Sue to follow up."

"That's great, Mac. Sue was really broken up about everything going bust on your deal. She's okay now and looking forward to bringing people to our plants to train."

Mac said, "People going to the States for training will let everyone know this plant is for real. You'll be deluged with applicants." Michael was nodding in agreement. Mac said, "I'm going to spend a couple of days with all of you in Nice, but I need to return home. There is some business that I must take care of." He smiled and said, "I'm having some Guild problems, imagine that. Perhaps I should borrow the people Susan was going to send to clear up her problems."

I was about to break up, as Sue had told me about her bluff. I didn't give her away, but just nodded in agreement with him.

"Let me get the couples that are going with you moving. They are looking forward to the luxury of your yacht."

Mac said, "Not mine, Chanda's and Michael's; they make the decisions and point this monster where they want it to go. I'm lucky to be able to be so indulgent to my daughter, her husband, and my grandchildren. Michael has made some good investments with Chanda's inheritance from her grandparents, so I think they will become even more comfortable than I am."

I told Mac, "I've seen Michael having some long talks with Ben. If he uses Ben, with his techniques and prospective deals, I'm pretty sure Michael will be successful."

Back on the Lucky Lady, the four couples were ready to go. Merlin and Ben had their big suitcases, since they were planning on flying home from Nice. My two mothers-in-law only had small cases as they were planning to continue on with us. Kevin and Susan had their suitcases ready, as they were going back home after some fun on the Riviera.

By nine, the four couples leaving were on the Irish Bell, and I was helping the Bell cast off right at ten in the morning. Most of the people on the Lady watched the massive boat leave. I couldn't help but think of how costly it must be to operate a boat like that. When I looked back at the Lucky Lady, I realized how great a sailboat this really is. The big boat was expensive, but I think we've already enjoyed it enough to justify the expense. This boat will serve Chuck and his family with years and years of comfortable sailing. I smiled, thinking of our boats back in Florida knowing how great they were too. I'll bet Dewey has had these same thoughts.

Back in the salon, Bonita was teaching the four new kids again. The kids from the Irish Bell were also right there, getting some tutoring from Bonita. That kid is something in the way she goes from kid to kid and watches how they are playing. She could already be teaching professionally if other kids would listen to a younger person. What am I thinking; she is already teaching.

Sue, Mercy, Julie, Lisa, and Chuck were in a deep conversation. As I enjoyed some coffee with Martin and Glenda, I watched as Chuck got on the phone a couple of times. When he was finished, Lisa and Julie, followed by Sue and Mercy disappeared below. Chuck came over to me and said, "You're going to either love or hate me. Hope you aren't pissed."

"What's going on, Chuck?"

"Our ladies have been listening to two sweet Italian women. Forgive me if I use a humorous identity, but our collective ladies want their new toys to join us. What's more, our toys want to come with us. Considering they have two kids each, this may become a big deal."

Chuck held his hand up before I could say anything, "I need to tell you a few things. These two women are daughters of this man, Giovanni Martinelli. He is the "Don" of a large family in southern Italy which controls some underworld activities all over Europe and South America. I don't approve of his activities and have told him that, but at the same time he has defended himself by saying he only provides and sells what others want. He submits by asking if he's wrong by what he is doing, or are the people who beg for them to sell it to them. That is a conundrum, isn't it?"

Chuck continued, "He knows that if I run into his people doing something against a federal law in the U.S., I will arrest them and push to prosecute them. He understands that as it is my job. The man has a great attitude toward people on both sides of the situation."

"Giovanni believes he and his people have an obligation to make sure innocents are not injured. He also believes that hurting others should only occur if a person harms another or injures the family. That's where the rub is, injuring the family."

Chuck scratched his head, "Giovanni has told me his daughters want to remain with us for a while. He doesn't know if they want to be a permanent part of our lives, but he said he would be in our debt if the two can travel with us for a while. He is sending their clothes and passports to them as we speak. The man can make a lot happen."

I said, "Chuck, I don't need another woman."

Chuck answered, "Steve, I don't need another woman either, but Giovanni has asked if they can travel with us to the Riviera and he would come to discuss our situation with his daughters while we are there. He wants to meet you. He is a nice man, and I'm sure he will be very respectful of you."

"Holy shit, Chuck, this is really a lot, very fast. What in the world are our ladies thinking?"

Chuck told me, "They see something in these ladies that is deeper than what you and I are looking at."

I said, "It's tough to get past the body on those two. They are both delectable."

Chuck added, "You know, I think the ladies think the same thing, but they seem to see something deeper. Hopefully they will be able to tell us about it."

"Oh man," I sighed, "I hope so. It just seems as if we're digging ourselves deeper into this."

Chuck said, "Go talk to your women, get them away from others and find out their motivation. There has to something we're missing. I'm doing the same thing, as I don't understand."

Chuck told me, "I need to find Lisa and get ready to go to the opera house. I think all of my women are going. You and all of yours are welcome, but I have to tell you, there won't be that much music that's different, just the order we play them."

I told Chuck, "I love the music and I should be around to help watch the kids. You know the kids wouldn't miss this for anything, and I'm a little curious about an open air opera house that holds twenty thousand."

Chuck wanted to shake my hand before he went below. As soon as he disappeared, Glenda said, "He is a very good man, Steve. I'm sure you know that. He's so much like you, but he doesn't have all of the life experiences you have. He doesn't have any kids yet either. You know what that felt like and how protective you feel. I think Chuck is thinking of Gina's kids, thinking they could be his, and he likes the idea."

Martin said, "And both of those ladies are easy on the eyes."

Glenda reached over and pinched Martin's arm, "You're just an old pervert, Martin. What would you do with either one of those two if you caught them?"

Martin laughed, "I'm going to put those two into my bucket list. I'll need a dozen Viagra to handle it, but I'm putting them into my bucket list.

I was laughing now, as Glenda attempted to pull Martin's earlobe off.

I'm sure Glenda knows she would never have to worry about Martin. Those two just have a good time teasing each other.

When Sue came up, she said, "The two girls' family will be here with clothes and their passports any minute. I know you're not enthusiastic about Gio, but look in my eyes, Honey; I want to see if she belongs. If she doesn't, we'll tell her to leave. There's something about both of those girls that really fascinates me."

I laughed, "Could it be how good looking they are?"

Sue smiled at me with a funny look, "There is that."

Chuck and Lisa came to the salon with all of his women, including Gina. He said, "The ladies are going with us early, as they want to take a tour of the opera house while we practice. Ed has arranged it. I'm told they have a reception tent the same as the stadium. Let Ed and a roadie direct you. I'll make sure a roadie meets you to take you to the reception tent."

The big group, including Tina and Gina, left to go up to the yacht club to get their ride. Knowing that people were bringing clothes and passports for the two ladies made me wonder why Gina would leave before her clothes arrived.

Mercy came up and told me, "Two men are coming right now with clothes for the two ladies, the kids, and all of their passports. They should be coming down the walk right now. There, there they are."

I went out to help the two with a bunch of luggage. We brought it all into the salon where I offered them a soft drink or whatever they wanted. They wanted iced tea, as it was something they enjoyed. One of them said, "Please watch these passports and make sure they stay safe. The two girls have a tendency to be careless with them. The kids don't realize their value, so please take care of them for us."

The two men asked if they could take the bags below to where they would belong, so I scooped up the passports and helped them carry the bags below. On the galley floor, I told them to separate Gina's and Gio's bags, and to also make separate piles for each of the kids' bags. When that was done, I led them to Chuck's cabin. His ladies had left it pristine. The two men were impressed and raised their eyebrows at the huge, oversized bed. I told them, "I'll take Giovanna's bags to her cabin, but the ladies are getting ready to go out right now."

Telling them, "Let's take the kids' bags down to their area," I led them below deck, down the stairway at that end of the boat. As we approached the crew quarters, the noise level increased until it was mind bending.

Bonita, seeing me, hollered and the area quieted. Bonita said, "Sorry, Daddy, we were playing some crazy music together. I hope we weren't disturbing anyone."

The four Italian kids came running to the men and hugged them, "Uncle Gino, Uncle Luigi, you don't come to see us much. What is this?"

One of the men talked to the kids in Italian, and all four became excited. One of them told Bonita, "We're going to travel with you so you can teach us more."

Bonita's smile was all I needed to know whether or not the kids liked each other.

After some conversation, the two men went back to the salon with me, where they said, "Giovanni says this Chuck Johnson is a good man. Do you think so, too?"

I smiled, "He's one of the finest men I know. He'll help anyone who really needs it. I can tell you he respects women a great deal."

As I was getting them a refill of iced tea, Gio came up the stairs, she exclaimed, "Gino, Luigi, what are you doing here?"

The three of them had a conversation in Italian for a bit, until Gio said to them, "Speak English, we are being rude. These are very good, very kind, people and I like this man a lot."

Luigi shook his head and told me, "Gio has never been bashful. Are you sure you want to try to handle her?"

Gio punched Luigi in the arm, "Let me tell you how well he handles me, Cousin."

The two men looked a little sheepish, as well as embarrassed. It wasn't but a few seconds before they wished me luck, hugged their cousin, and left.

Gio said, "It's so much fun to make them squirm. I know daddy had them bring our clothes and passports. Where are the passports?"

I told her, "I have them, Gio; I'll keep them for you."

She came to me, pressed her body to mine and kissed me. "Yes, keep them for me for a long time."

Mercy had come up and heard the conversation. She raised her eyebrows at me, grinning with her 'I got you' look.

I told her, "Get the other ladies and let's get the kids ready to go to the show. All of Chuck's women have already gone, so it's just going to be us, Barb, Glenda, and Martin, if they want to go."

In minutes, our group was assembled in the salon where Ed was ready to lead us to the bus. He said, "Traffic will not be that good on Sunday, especially around the Baths of Caracalla. We won't be early, but we will be on time."

Traffic wasn't as bad as Ed had anticipated as he gave a running tour commentary about where we were going. He explained that the Baths of Caracalla was the summer home of the Teatro de L'Opera which is the main traditional opera house. That location only holds about sixteen hundred so the summer opera house was being opened for the concert. He called it a majestic ruin a little south of the Porta Ostiensis, the Ostia gate. As the traffic was very decent, we arrived at the opera house about quarter to one. A roadie was waiting and took us directly to a good sized banquet tent that was the reception area. We all loaded up on food, talking to whoever could speak English with us. Gio did a lot of translating for us as we visited.

Right at one o'clock, a hush fell over the tent. The band came in, greeting as many as they could in a short time. Kenny announced to the crowd, "Listen, folks, we are going to be playing in an hour. We have to leave this here about twenty till two, so we just have only a few minutes to sign autographs. This is what we can do for you. How about this, anyone who wants an autograph sign up on our website, and we will mail you a poster with all of our signatures?"

There was a loud cheer, so Kenny said, "In that case, how about letting us eat a little, have some iced tea and soda, and we'll ship you an autograph."

All of Chuck's women had been with him, and they came to be with us as the band was getting mobbed. Lisa was almost hiding behind Chuck, as the crowd was pressing so much. One of the lady/wife singers had to slap the hand of a fan who became a little forward. Gio said that Italian men will take advantage if a lady doesn't stop him right away.

The time for the band to leave came all too quickly, and they did depart. A roadie said he would take us to our box. He asked what happened to many of the others. I told him, "Some of the people have gone ahead on another boat because they wanted to spend an extra day in Nice."

The box was very spacious, to one side of the stage, but low enough to see the players' faces. Chuck and Lisa were set up on our side, and as I remembered, they would be on our side for most of the show. They all did their tune ups, and Chuck did his roll across the drums after a last minute adjustment.

I recognized that they were getting organized and wound up for the opening, and the crowd must have sensed it too, as the noise from them grew louder. Fred hit the crashing metal chord and the group went into the low volume fast blues beat that Kenny used as his background to announce the group. As soon as he named the group, Chuck hit a rim shot and Fred went into a real fast blues rock number. It was just as good the third time as it was the first. After the first piece, they kept up what Chuck said was a bridge with bass, rhythm guitar, and drums, while Kenny introduced each of the band members. When they introduced Carlos, he did a solo bit on his harmonica, and when he finished, he waved up at our box where Lizzy was fascinated.

The show went off like clockwork. The last set was the usual, with Chuck playing bass while Lisa played her guitar, this time while singing her slow down song, "When a Man Loves a Woman." She was terrific and it almost brought tears to the eyes. The original piece that was the second to last, was even more powerful, and had the audience totally misty-eyed and quiet. When it closed the audience went nuts, but only for a second, as Chuck switched to guitar and Kenny went back to bass. They went through the entire battle scene along with Kenny whistling. You could hear the crowd laugh. When he closed, the crowd demanded an encore. Chuck had taken his guitar off and when Kenny started the piece again, Fred and Lisa began the battle, but at the same time, Chuck and Kenny began a battle of their own on their basses. It was really neat the way that the two bassists kept the heavy beat that augmented the wild riffs the two guitars were doing.

That's when it happened, Chuck went in front of Lisa and Fred, playing his bass and some awesome sounds came from the speakers that were a rival to the guitar riffs Fred and Lisa played. The crowd went nuts all over again as the three really were getting down. Lisa and Chuck did the synchronized bit again, making the crowd cheer louder, until Kenny whistled again.

Kenny told the crowd, they had to go as they were on their way to the Riviera. The crowd was absolutely nuts and Kenny was looking at the others. Chuck picked up his guitar and led them into one of their signature rock blues pieces that wasn't in the show, and that Fred usually played lead on. Chuck and Fred were doing some wild metal, playing some really far out riffs that would have made Hendrix cheer. The group brought the piece to a close and the group all waved. You could tell, no matter how much the crowd was going to cheer, the band was done.

Our whole group watched as the band put their instruments into cases, and this time a roadie brought out a flat cart, loaded up guitar cases, but none of the other equipment. Roadies began tearing down the drums and percussion equipment, as well as the stage set up.

A roadie said, "Come to the reception tent. The band is going to be there for only about an hour before they leave, as this show was almost four hours. They wedged in a couple of pieces Kenny wanted to do. Considering they didn't practice them, they did really good. That last thing with Chuck was really good. Chuck did that, he led them into that piece."

In the reception area, the VIPs were mobbing the band. Kenny whistled again, telling everyone to hold on a second while the band got something to drink. All of them held up long necks, and almost in unison, drained the bottles in one long drink. They all got another and began to circulate.

Gina and Lisa were hanging on to Chuck as if he was going to bolt. It was neat the way the band members' wives were standing by their husbands. The girls were dressed a little skimpy and that invited a few touches that were immediately repulsed. No one got punched, but the women were not gentle with their slaps on hands and arms.

After an hour, we noticed that the VIPs were actually leaving. I suppose closing the open bar had a lot to do with that. The agent was smart to close it as that would clear everyone out.

The band and agent came over to all of us and asked, "Okay, I understand you are sailing in the morning and it's going to be about twenty-four hours. Is that right?"

Chuck nodded yes and I told the agent, "We're early risers so we will be getting off about six thirty. That means we will get into the Nice yacht club about three in the morning Tuesday. The group can plan on practicing Tuesday through Thursday if they need it."

Kenny said, "We always need practice. I have a bunch of new stuff I want to learn. We'll practice the three days and do a run through Friday morning. We'll have it down."

The agent asked, "Why do you guys want to take your guitars on the boat?"

Kenny grinned, looking at the kids, "We're going to play with that unique blues band you have the recording of."

Jack was with the band members and said, "Hey, Guys, I'm coming along, but I can bunk with Dan." He did a Groucho Marx eyebrow thing that made Dan punch him on the shoulder. Jack continued, "I have to be with these guys in case they do something special. I'm going to learn to use that 8800 and record anything they do. I always need stuff for the files to mix a new album."

I noticed all the kids becoming overly excited because the band was coming with us. This was going to be all too short of a trip for the kids.

We loaded onto the bus with all the guitars and drove to the boat. On the way, we stopped at a little restaurant to have Ed run off the bus and come back with two men carrying huge stacks of pizza. Ed and the men went back inside and came back out with more pizza and a case of unlabeled wine, obviously more homemade stuff.

At the boat, we all stuffed ourselves on pizza and had some wine in the salon. The band members were tired, but gave into Bonita and got their guitars out and played along with the kids while they did some of their stuff. Lisa and Chuck watched from the bar as Bonita assumed the leader's role, pointing at Lizzy, Kenny, Fred, and Dan with her mini SG for breaks. What was a killer was Bonita and Fred began their own battle of guitars. Bonita couldn't keep up, but she did come out with some original stuff that sounded good. I think everyone up in the salon, which was everyone on the boat, applauded and cheered. My Greg imitated Kenny by sticking his fingers in his mouth and giving a shrill whistle. That caused everyone to laugh, especially Kenny.

When they began putting their guitars back in cases, Jack was grinning as he punched a few buttons on the controller, inserted a CD, DVD, or whatever it was, and punched some more buttons. When he was through, he held up the disk and said, "I have every note of the Lucky Lady Blues Band."

It was getting late and we were going to cast off early. The mothers began putting the kids to bed and Chuck and I showed our guests where they were to sleep. We had an extra room for Jack, so he didn't have to share a bed with Dan. I'm sure they have shared rooms before, especially in their early days.

Back up in the bar, it was just Chuck, Lisa, Gina, Julie, Sue, Mercy, and me. We had some of the good scotch discussing our plan for tomorrow. Chuck said, "I'll do an early shift, and we probably should change off every two hours, because I know I want to do some fun practice with the guys and the kids."

I said, "We're short Dewey, but Kathy is taking a turn at the wheel now. We'll let her have an open water shift so we can be with her if anything happens. Chuck, you and I can take the night shifts. Whoever is on in the early morning is going to be the one to dock. You should probably call a bunch of us to help tie up if you're on."

Chuck and I tossed a coin for the midnight to two. I won, so that meant Chuck was going to be the two to four AM guy, and be the one to dock for sure.

We put our glasses in the sink and all headed below for the night. Sue and Mercy were wired. That didn't help Gio, Kathy, Juanita, and Mickey stay calm. Instead of getting to sleep early, I enjoyed my regular five and Gio, to make it six. I think the girls enjoyed Gio as much as I did. That woman is a tiger, an Italian tiger.

Primary Editing by Pepere
Proofing and Continuity by Sagacious
European tours, by Rotorhead
Another set of eyes – Knight6
Last one through - Deenara2000