Cherry (chapter 6) free porn video

Chapter 6

The next morning, I got up and had an unusual craving for a bagel (of all things). So I got up and made a quick trip to the local ‘mom-and-pop’ convenience store which had a fresh baked goods section. While standing in the short line to pay for my bagel, I looked at the headlines in the town paper and had to read it a few times to believe what I was seeing. The big story was about the mayor meeting with the Governor to discuss getting State funds to fix the intersection! I snatched the paper off the rack and started reading; completely forgetting why I was standing in line or even THAT I was standing in a line. My eyes scanned across the print in a flash and I was barely aware of someone repeating, ‘next in line, please?’ Finally, the guy behind me snapped me out of it by saying, “Hey, buddy: that’s you.” I looked up to see the cashier waiting for me to step up and I apologized while handing her the money for my bagel and still looking at the lead story in the paper. She asked if I was buying the paper, too, and I found myself once again asking for forgiveness, “Oh! Yeah! I’m sorry—this story—never mind: I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

The cashier seemed less than interested so I didn’t bother to explain why it had me in such a state. She clearly just wanted me to hand her some money and move it along. I complied with her unspoken wishes, dumped the change in the tip jar (more so as an apology as opposed to great service), and finished reading the article before I got in my car to leave. The story didn’t mention me by name, but it did say that a plan to change the intersection had been presented at the town hall meeting by a local firefighter and that the mayor liked the plan and needed funding to implement it immediately. To say I was thrilled would be an understatement. Something that was my idea and I worked on was now getting attention from the Governor! I felt successful already. Even if the plan was shot down, I knew I did my part (although I wouldn’t let it go that easy). Already I was formulating a plan to start getting signatures of voters that wanted the change to be made—just in case the funds were not approved.

It wasn’t until I was juggling my keys to open my door that I remembered that I also bought a bagel. I sat at my table while absentmindedly eating my bagel and reading the story several times as though it wasn’t real or maybe there would be more information the next time I read it. I finished eating my bagel and my head was so far away that I couldn’t even say if it had tasted good.

I called Cherry to tell her the morning news (literally) and she congratulated me.

“David, that is amazing! And you made that happen; I’m so proud of you!”
I gushed a little and said, “Well, believe it or not, you helped. You are like my muse: you helped me focus and to think clearly.”
Cherry said, “Muse, my rear end—you did it and you know it! Mona Lisa was a muse, but without Di Vinci’s talent as an artist, no one would know her name today. Getting the Governor to look at your idea only happened because you were smart enough to find a good solution to a bad problem. It’s as simple as that.”
I said, “I’m sorry: you mentioned your incredible rear end and I didn’t hear anything after that. All I can see or think about now is your butt.”
“You’re a pig,” Cherry said matter-of-fact with a hint of amusement.
I chuckled and said, “Yeah, but I’m your pig.”
“You are coming to the game tonight, right?” Cherry asked, changing the subject.
I replied, “Of course!”
Cherry said, “Good. Olivia is having a small party at her place after the game and Mom says I can go. I’ll tell you more about it later, but I have to go for now—school…”

I looked at the clock and realized she was about to be late so I let her go after we told each other ‘I Love you’. It wasn’t until I was off the phone that I began to digest what she said and a few problems came immediately to mind. The biggest problem seemed to be that if Olivia was having something at her place, how was I going to be able to be there with her parents there? With their conservative ways, I was sure they would not approve of me being there. And, provided that they didn’t mind my presence there (unlikely), how could we be certain they wouldn’t say anything to Cherry’s Mom?

Clearly, it was pointless to worry about it all day, so I let it go and waited to hear from Cherry after school. She texted me during her last class of the day and told me to meet her in the parking lot when school was out. I looked at the clock and saw that I had 15-20 minutes before I had to go, but I left early anyway.

When I pulled into the parking lot, there was a short line of cars; parents waiting to pick up their kids. I took position at the rear of the line and waited like everyone else. Soon enough, Cherry came out and jumped in the car with me and planted a big kiss on my lips. She was wearing a fruity lip gloss that made her kiss all the sweeter.

Breaking the kiss she said with a happy grin, “Drive.”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
Cherry said, “We are supposed to have coffee together! Did you forget?”
I said, “Oh, right. And no, I didn’t forget!”

While driving to a local coffee shop, Cherry began filling me in on the plans for the night. In a nutshell, the plan was to make an appearance until Olivia had several people at her party (at least so she wouldn’t have to be alone) and we would take off and do our own thing. Cherry’s Mom wasn’t expecting her home until later the next day and Olivia would cover for her in case she called there.

I said, “That’s a pretty good plan, but there could be a problem with it.”
Cherry asked, “What’s the problem?”
I explained, “Olivia’s parents: they will know we aren’t there and will probably say something—as conservative as they are.”
Cherry looked at me funny and said, “Yeah, they are conservative, but they won’t be there. They are out of town for the weekend.”
“Well, that’s convenient,” I remarked.
Cherry agreed, “Yes it is.”

She seemed to reflect on the point I made and was milling something over in her head. We pulled up to the coffee shop and went in to order our beverages before taking a seat to wait for them to be served to us. Cherry was unusually quiet as she continued thinking. I began thinking again about that guilty feeling from the night before and decided I had to tell her.

I said, “So there is something I need to tell you, but I’m worried you might get upset.”
Cherry asked a little concerned, “What is it?”
“It’s a bit of a confession; It isn’t something I meant to have happen; it just happened.”
Cherry waited for me to continue, saying, “Ok…”
I explained, “I wanted to surprise you last night and I came to see you. But before I could knock on your window, I saw that Olivia was there. I really didn’t know she was there beforehand, honestly.”
She said, “Yeah; I know.”
“You know?” I asked.
She said, “I knew you were out there.”
Surprised, I asked, “You could see me?!”
Cherry said, “No, last night I didn’t know you were there. I just figured it out now.”
Even more surprised I asked, “How?”
She explained, “You said that Olivia’s parents were conservative. I never told you that. There’s only one way you would know that…”
I said, “I’m really sorry. Are you mad?”
Cherry said, “No, don’t be sorry; I’m not mad. It’s actually kind of funny. So, did you leave as soon as you saw her there or did you watch us?” Her tone was teasing and she sounded sure she already knew the answer.
“I’m a little embarrassed to say that I couldn’t leave; I had to stay.”
Cherry laughed and asked, “Remember that reward for your attention to detail that I owe you?”
“Yeah?”
She said, “Well, consider that debt paid!”
I joked, “Hey! That’s not fair: you didn’t know you were rewarding me! That doesn’t count!”
She asked, “Were you surprised?”
“Yes…”
“Did you enjoy it?” she asked further.
“Yes…” I admitted.
She said, “Debt paid!”
I gave a well defeated sigh and said, “You’re right: that is fair. In fact, that was so hot, I think I might owe you now…”
Cherry laughed and agreed, “You’re darn right you do!”
“Me and my big mouth…” I said. “Can you do me one favor though: don’t tell Olivia?”
She said, “Knowing her, she’d probably think it was funny, too. But I won’t tell her.”
“Why on Earth would SHE find it funny?” I asked.
She explained, “For one, she isn’t at all shy about her body. And, because you came over to spend time with me and had to sit outside and watch her spend time with me instead. She loves irony like that.”
I nodded and said, “Yeah, when you put it that way, it is pretty funny…”

Our coffee was served to us and we barely took notice, content in just the conversation and spending time together. We were excited about having the night to ourselves again and began trying to figure out what do. Cherry said that she was feeling adventurous and wanted to do something that had an element of ‘danger’ to it. But it was up to me to come up with the idea; that was how I had to ‘repay her’ for watching her and Olivia last night.

I was still brainstorming on an idea when it was time to go so she could start getting ready for the game. Fortunately, her cheerleading uniform was in her locker at school. She went inside to change and meet with the other girls while I sat in the car thinking about the night’s plans.

A few ideas were coming to mind, but nothing seemed ‘just right’. She wanted something adventurous and with an element of danger, but I also wanted to make sure it was relatively safe (meaning we wouldn’t get caught/arrested), too. I was deep in thought when I noticed the parking lot was starting to fill with cars and people were lining up at the gate.

I got out of the car and, as I suspected, Cherry was coming over to get me. She escorted me through the gate as she did the week before and the ticket guy didn’t even look at us this time. I took the same spot as I had the week before so I could watch Cherry during the game and continued brainstorming as they went through mostly the same routine of welcoming the football team on the field.

Moments after the kickoff, a familiar voice came from my right.

“I see you are back again. Did you ever get that coffee,” he asked.
I turned to look and was not surprised to see my ‘buddy’. “Oh, hey. ‘Jim’, right?” I said.
Jim nodded and asked, “Was it Dan?”
“David,” I corrected.
He said, “Oh, right. So, how about it: did she meet you for coffee or what?”
I said, “Yeah, we sure did.”
Not accepting minimal answers he asked, “And—how’d it go?”
I said, “It was great. We are going out again after the game.”
“You’re fucking lying!?” he asked in disbelief.
I said simply and matter-of-fact, “I’m not.”
Jim said, “Shit: I got to hand it to you—you have skills!”
I just shrugged my shoulder like it was nothing.

We continued making small talk; mostly he was making the conversation—I was just answering him. He got around to asking me what I do for work and I told him that I was a firefighter from the next town over.

Jim said, “Oh, that’s pretty cool. Did you hear about that accident a few weeks ago with the lady and her kid that got hit by a big rig?”
I clammed up a bit but answered, “Yeah. I heard about it.”
He said, “Yeah, man; that was pretty fucked up. But I hear they have a plan to fix that intersection now. Did you hear about that?”
I replied, “Yeah. I heard that, too.” Not wanting to continue the subject, I asked, “So, what do you do?”
Jim said, “I’m a security guard.”
I looked at him and said, “Yeah, I can see you as a security guard.”
Jim said, “I’m not a mall cop, though: I work at the trucking distribution center a few miles from here. It’s a pretty cool job. I usually work the midnight shift so, there isn’t really a lot going on—I just do my own thing and no one messes with me. Trucks come in and, because the place is pretty much locked down, sometimes the drivers just park it and leave until morning. Or they opt to sleep in the back of the cab. Either way, it means a peaceful night for me.”
I said, “That sounds like a pretty cushy job. You are working after the game, then?”
He said, “No, not tonight. Another guy is covering for me. But he’s a bit of a slacker. He is always asleep at the desk. This school’s marching band could practice in there tonight and I’d bet he wouldn’t notice.”
I shook my head and said, “Yeah, some people are like that: no pride in their work. What can you do?”

Jim continued talking but I was only half listening: a light had turned on in my head. I could take Cherry there and we could do some sneaking around or something. The more I thought about it, the better my plan became. Before long, I had a great idea that promised to bring every element Cherry requested and I found I couldn’t wait for the game to end.

The game was a much tougher battle for the home team that week and I groaned with feelings of torture as it went into overtime. Eventually the game ended with Cherry’s school squeaking out a win and we were soon free to go.

On the way to Olivia’s house, I told Cherry she would need to go home and grab a change of clothes and put them in her overnight bag (without her Mom’s knowledge, of course). And the darker the clothes, the better. She asked if we were going to a heavy metal concert to which I scoffed and only replied with ‘you’ll see’. We pulled up to Olivia’s place and Cherry ran down the road to her home to get the requested apparel while I waited there for her. Olivia invited me in; her tone much more accepting of me now.

Olivia said, “I want to apologize to you.”
I asked, “Apologize? For what?”
She said, “I’ve been a real bitch towards you. You didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry.”
I said, “Don’t give it another thought, honestly. Believe it or not, I get how you felt.”
She said, “Cherry said she told you about us—her and me—especially about me—you know. Are you really ok with me being…” her words trailed off as though she couldn’t finish saying it.
I asked, “You mean a lesbian?”
“SHHHH!” Olivia looked around reflexively, clearly nervous.
I said, “What? We are the only ones here right now, right?”
She said, “Yeah, but…”
I asked, “What’s the problem, then?”
Olivia said, “This is just new to me. Not being a—you know—but for anyone besides Cherry to know that I am.”
I said, “Olivia, you do know that it’s ‘ok’ to be a lesbian, right? That is a part of who you are, so why hide that from the world?”
“You obviously don’t know my parents,” she replied.
“I think I know their type: ultra conservative, right?” I stated more than asked.
Olivia rolled her eyes and huffed, “You just don’t know…”
I said, “I can only imagine how difficult it is for you to hide such an important part of your identity for fear of their reaction. It must be painful. But Olivia, their feelings on the subject are THEIR problem; not yours.”
She said, “Yeah, but you don’t know how painful it is going to be for them if they find out. And what they will put me through with the bible verses and pastor speeches and endless lectures...”
I said, “You are concerned about their pain? What about your pain? Who’s concerned about that? And I’m sure they will react exactly how you think they will. But that’s likely to just be their initial response. Eventually they will get used to the idea and get over it, but only if you ‘stick to your guns’ and never concede to them.”
Olivia thought for a moment and asked, “What if they don’t get used to it? What if they reject me?”
I said, “You are their daughter; they love you, I’m sure. But, even if that does happen, you’ll be happier without them and honest about yourself than with them and lying to the world. You understand? Besides: I’m sure you aren’t planning on living at home forever…”
Olivia nodded slightly while reflecting quietly before saying, “I guess so.”
“I want you to do something for me, Olivia,” I said.
She asked simply, “What?”
“I want you to say the words out-loud—just between you and me—say, ‘I’m a lesbian!’”, I challenged.
She was embarrassed and said, “Oh, come-on…”
I said, “You come-on! This is a part of you: own it! Say it with me: I’M A LESBIAN!”
Olivia hung her head and muttered, “I’m a lesbian.” Her words almost fell flat on the floor.
“Seriously? That’s the best the captain of the cheerleading squad can do? I’m five feet from you and I barely heard you. Pick your head up! Be proud of it and say it like you mean it!”
Olivia picked her head up and said with a defeated sigh, “I’m a lesbian!”
I wasn’t letting her go that easy. I said, “HM. No pride; no spirit; no smile: bullshit—I don’t believe you!”
Olivia yelled, “I’M A LESBIAN!”
I said, “That’s better, but I still don’t see you smiling. Say: ‘I’m attracted to girls because I’m a lesbian!’ DO IT!”
Fighting a smile, Olivia said, “I AM a lesbian! I’m attracted to girls and I’m a LESBIAN!”
I made up an impromptu cheer and said, “It’s o-k—to be gay—girls are hot—guys are not!”

Olivia’s face brightened as I’d never seen before on her as she became more confident while repeating various lesbian cheers that we each were making up. She danced as what must have been years of self oppression slowly melted away; replaced with finally being happy about her feelings. Olivia hadn’t just been ‘in the closet’: she was at the bottom of a pit at the back of the closet in the basement. But that seemed to be changing now. Before long, I couldn’t tell if she was laughing or crying; I decided it was both.

Olivia jumped up at me, hugging my neck and said, “Thank you David! You have no idea how you have made me feel!”
I said, “It was my pleasure, Olivia.”
Cherry said, “What did I just walk in on?”

Startled at the sudden third person in the room, Olivia and I separated like we were both diseased and faced Cherry.

I said, “It’s not what it looks like!”
Olivia agreed saying, “We didn’t—I wouldn’t do that to you! We just…”
Cherry cut her off and said, “I think it’s exactly what it looked like,” and she paused to get a reading on our faces.

Olivia and I just looked at her in stunned silence, neither of us able to speak.

Cherry said, “It looks to me like a couple of lesbians are in here making up gay cheerleading routines.”
It took a few seconds for her words to soak in, but when they did I sighed in relief, “You saw us—cheering?”
Cherry said, “I heard you from the driveway screaming that you are a lesbian. That was hilarious, by the way. So yeah, I’ve been watching you two lesbians for about five minutes now.”
Olivia said, “Oh my god Cherry: you scared me! I thought you thought… OH, I’m going to get you for that!”
Cherry looked at me and said, “You have quite the effect on people. Do you know how long I’ve been trying to get her to be happy about this? I’m gone for ten minutes and ‘BAM’ you’ve got her dancing in the streets.”
Olivia agreed and added, “I’ve decided I’m done hiding it. I’m making tonight my coming out party.”
Cherry said, “In that case, we’ll stay here with you!”
I said, “Yeah: we’ll be here for support.”
Olivia said, “You don’t have to stay. You can for the first part—when I tell everyone. But after that, it might be better if you do go.”
Cherry was surprised and asked, “Why?”
Olivia said, “You and I have been so close and everyone knows that. If you stay, they might assume and you know how people talk. But if you leave with David, they’ll know. And you guys should probably act surprised at the news, too. I just don’t want anyone to spread rumors.”
Cherry said, “I wouldn’t care, but I know what you mean. We’ll do it your way if you are sure that’s what you want.”

Olivia just nodded emphatically and the plan was set. Only a few minutes later, their friends began to show up; most of them just let themselves inside. Everyone was just hanging out and talking—mostly gossip about various relationships at school. When everyone was there, Olivia looked to us for a final vote of confidence and we both just nodded once to signal ‘go for it’.

Olivia said for all to hear, “Everyone…Guys!” The room began to go quiet and a few came in from the kitchen to see what was going on.
She continued, “There is a reason I wanted you all to come here tonight. For the longest time I’ve been too embarrassed and afraid to admit to something. And I wanted the friends I care about most—all of you—to be together when I say for the first time to anyone: I’m a lesbian.”

The response from the small crowd was not surprising. It was overwhelmingly positive—some were shocked, others were happy while lights clicked on for some that were now able to make sense of things in the past (like why she was never dating anyone). Everyone was supportive and congratulated her for her courage to come out to them; thankful to be one of the friends she ‘cares about most’. Cherry and I knew, of course, that it had little to do with what she truly considered her ‘inner circle’ and more to do with timing and who just happened to be there.

Cherry congratulated Olivia (for show) and said that we had to get going. Olivia thanked us for coming and it was perhaps the most genuine ‘thank you’ I’d ever heard.

Cherry changed into her dark clothes before we left the party and headed for the trucking distribution center; she still didn’t know where we were going or what I had planned and I wasn’t telling her until we got there. It didn’t even come up in the conversation.

Cherry said, “Thank you for what you did for Olivia.”
I said, “Don’t thank me: she did it.”
Cherry said, “She wouldn’t have been able to do it without you! You really helped her tonight!”
I replied with a wink, “I was just her muse.”
She picked up on my reference from our earlier ‘muse conversation’ and said, “You’re not funny.”
I said, “Yes I am: that’s why you are having trouble hiding a smile right now!”

Cherry put the back of her hand to her mouth to hide her widening smile and turned to look out the passenger window.

“Ok: you’re a little funny,” she said. Then she added, “Fine! A muse does help.”
I said, “There: was that so hard to admit?”
Cherry said, “Well played, Mr. Mann—well played.”

We were just getting to our destination when Cherry couldn’t resist curiosity any longer.

“You realize there isn’t much out here, right? What are we going to do, anyway?” she asked.
Pulling the car into a nearby parking lot, I said, “We are going to play a game.”
She said, “A game? Out here?”
Pointing to the distribution center, I said, “In there.”
She said, “Look at that place! They have security for sure! We’re going to get caught! And what kind of game are we going to play in there?”
I said, “Leave the security up to me: I have a plan.” I didn’t tell her about the surely sleeping guard. “As for the game, I’ll tell you once we are inside.”

We got out of the car and made our way through the gate while sticking to the darkest shadows. It was easy enough since the place was as dark and quiet as a church cemetery. We slipped between some parked big rigs and in no time we were at the back of the lot and in almost complete darkness. Only the moon (and some lights from town reflecting off of clouds) lighted our way. We found the approximate center point of the back fence.

I whispered, “This spot is where the game starts and ends.”
Cherry asked, “What’s the game? How do we play?”
I asked, “Have you ever played ‘capture the flag’?”
She said, “Sure…”
I explained, “This game is a lot like that. But we aren’t going to use a flag: we are going to use our clothes—all of them!”
“WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!” she yelled in a whisper.
As I started removing my clothes I said, “I’m going to hide my clothes over on this side somewhere; you are going to hide yours over there. When they are hidden, we meet back here and the game starts. Whoever finds the other’s clothes and makes it back here first wins. The only rules are: you have to keep all of the clothes together in one pile and no hiding them in or past the trucks—you have to stay back here where it’s dark. I would recommend staying very quiet since some of these trucks might still have the driver sleeping inside.”
“You really are crazy,” she said as she began undressing. “Can we keep our shoes on?”
I said, “You wanted adventure with an element of danger: here you go! And yes: it’s a good idea to keep shoes on.”
She turned to walk toward her side and I heard her say to herself, “I can’t believe I’m doing this!” Then she stopped and turned back to ask, “What does the winner get?”
I said, “The winner gets their clothes back!”
“And the loser?” she asked.
I said, “She has to ride back to my place naked!”
Cherry said, “I think you mean HE has to DRIVE back to your place naked!”
“We’ll see,” I said with a smirk.

We each went to ‘our side’ to prepare the start of the game. I found a small drainage pipe that was dry so I put all of my clothes just at the end of my reach inside of it. It was so dark that there was no way she’d see them in there and even if she did, she would never be able to reach them. I felt my victory was certain as I headed back to the starting point.

I made it back a few minutes before she did and we stood there in the dark completely naked with the exception of our shoes. I verified that she hid her clothes per the rules and she assured me she had. I did the same and was ready to start the game. But she stopped me before I could say ‘go’.

Cherry said, “This game is sexy as hell! It’s really got me turned on! And I can see it has you a bit aroused, too. How about I take care of that for you?”
My dick began to quickly grow at the proposal and I was powerless to decline. “Oh, UM—ok,” was all my stupid brain could muster.

Cherry knelt down in the grass and slid her soft lips around my now rigid cock’s head and darted her tongue around the base of the tip. Her hands went to my ass cheeks and she slowly, agonizingly slowly pulled towards her as my cock pushed into her mouth. Even after the head touched the back of her throat, she kept pushing it further down. Her face turned red even in the darkness before she came up for air. Her tongue went back to dancing at the base of the head while she looked up at me; her eyes shining in the moonlight.

Still looking up at me, she said, “I want you inside of me now! Lay down and I’ll get on top of you!”

I did as she asked and she straddled my cock, pinning it between us. I tried to move her up to get her in position.

She said, “Wait: not yet. I need to rub myself on you—I’m not wet enough yet.”

I said ‘ok’ and waited for her queue. She was purring like a cat in heat in my ear as she glided her hot pussy along the length of my shaft. I thought I was going to explode if she didn’t do it soon. I was certain I’d orgasm by the time I was half of the way inside of her and she wasn’t even ready yet! I told her I was going to cum if she didn’t do it now, so she moved up and I put my cock head right at the entrance to where it so desperately wanted to go. Before I could push in, she dropped the lustful sound to her voice and whispered in my ear with a very serious tone.

She said, “It’s going to be really difficult to run with that boner.”

Before I could react, she sprang to life and was running as fast as her legs could carry her naked body towards my side!

“OH, YOU CHEATER!” I nearly yelled way too loud.

Her laughter faded into the darkness along with her as I tried to stand and run to her side of the game field. My cock seemed to be telling me that ‘he’ would never forgive me while I pleaded my case that this was ‘his’ fault. I ran while looking for anything that could be used to hide a small pile of clothes, but other than a few empty boxes, I wasn’t finding very much. I slowed down and began looking closer but I was coming up empty. Doubling back, I began looking in the tall grass along the fence line: nothing. I didn’t imagine that she would go along side one of the trucks parked there, but that was the only answer. So I began looking there as well; careful to look for signs of life from anyone that might be inside the truck. After searching for at least 20-30 minutes, I’d almost forgotten that I was naked and amazed that I hadn’t found her clothes yet. She still couldn’t find mine either and we would meet back at the spot periodically to check on each other’s status.

I said, “Ok: this is crazy! Let’s give hints?”
Cherry agreed and said, “You first.”
I said, “Ok, but if you don’t give a hint after I give mine, you’re disqualified!”
She agreed and I said, “Go with the flow and you’ll find them. That’s my hint.”
Cherry said, “Ok then—my hint is: you’ll find them there on moving day.”
I said, “GO!”

We were back to running. I knew she had to be talking about a box, but I thought I had looked in all of the boxes back there. I went and double checked them all and there was no sign of ANY clothes. I looked around for anything that was either box shaped or in some way associated with ‘moving day’. But I could find no trace of Cherry’s clothes. Frustration was starting to set in, but I didn’t let it show. I ran over to the other side and found Cherry was looking in the pipe where I hid my clothes and I knew I was about to lose at my own game. When she stood up and saw me there, she gave the ‘I give up’ salute which I returned to her.

I said, “You are closer to finding mine than I am to finding yours!”
She said, “You have to be kidding me! Did you not understand my hint?”
I replied, “I thought I did. It sounded like they were in a box or something.”
Cherry asked, “Are you playing a joke on me? They should have been easy to find!”
I said, “I’ve looked everywhere I can think of. You stayed in the agreed area, right?”
Cherry said, “Yeah, of course! They are in a box back in the far corner.”
I shook my head and replied, “No they aren’t!”
“What? Come on: I’ll show you!”

We walked back to Cherry’s side and she went over to the box in the corner that I had looked in several times and even turned over twice. To her surprise (but not mine), her clothes were not in the box.

She looked up at me and asked, “OK: what’d you do with them?”
I said, “Seriously?! I haven’t seen them!”
Cherry looked as confused as I felt and said, “Then what the hell???”
I had a sinking feeling and said, “Come on!”

We ran back over to my side and went back to the drainage pipe where Cherry had been looking. I reached in to grab my clothes, but I was having trouble locating them. That was strange because it wasn’t a very large pipe. Suddenly I found something in my palm that sent warning alarms off in my head.

“Oh, shit!” I said.
“What?”
“Shit-shit-shit-SHIT!” I repeated in disbelief.
Cherry asked, “What? What is it?! Is it something gross? Did you find an animal or something??? WHAT?!”
I said, “No. I found my keys!” Then I found another familiar item. “And my wallet…” I said.
Cherry said, “Then your clothes are in there, too; reach in further!”
I said, “I didn’t put them down that far; not this far anyway.” I pulled out my keys and wallet and explained further, “And these were in my pockets with the pants folded so that they couldn’t just fall out.”
“What are you saying?” Cherry asked.
I said, “I’m saying my clothes are gone but these are here when they shouldn’t be if the clothes are gone. And your clothes aren’t where you left them.”
Cherry just looked at me, waiting for me to finish.
I said, “Someone took our clothes.”
She said, “David, I swear if you are joking you better tell me now!”
“Babe, I’m being serious! We need to get out of here; someone’s been watching us and they are messing with us now!”

No further discussion was needed and we ran together in the darkness to get back to the main gate. We were looking around for any sign of life—someone watching. But with the exception of the two of us, the place seemed dead. We were transitioning from the relative safety of the shadows to the areas that were lit by the street lights and the danger factor multiplied exponentially. Cherry used an arm to try and hide her breasts from view while her hand covered her crotch as we slinked our way to the gate. The street lights were a soft orange color, but with us being naked like we were, it seemed like they were as bright as the summer sun at noon.

We made a break for my car as I fumbled for the key so I could start it without a moment’s delay. Cherry was still holding her boobs as we ran and was alternating covering her crotch and her butt as we made our hasty retreat. Before we reached the car, I was clicking the remote repeatedly to make sure it was unlocked before either of us put a hand on the door handles. We jumped in and closed the doors so fast I thought the glass might break. Before I had a chance to get the key in the ignition, Cherry was already urging me to hurry.

“Go-go-go! Start the car! Oh my god let’s go!”

Since there was no time, I didn’t even bother to respond verbally. I just started it, put it in gear and took off like there was a monster after us! We got past the end of the trucking distribution center and Cherry looked back to make sure no one was following us. Satisfied, she turned back around and began laughing hysterically. Her laughter was infectious and after a huge sigh of relief, I was laughing, too. From the time on the clock, I saw that we had been running around naked in the dark for nearly two hours! The good news was that we made it out of there without getting caught (by the police, anyway). The bad news was we were still naked and very much in public. I had to force myself to slow down and keep it under the speed limit; a ticket for speeding now would be ‘inconvenient’ to say the least. The other bad news was we still had to get from the car and inside without getting caught once we got to my apartment.

After a few minutes of driving, I felt confident that I wouldn’t turn heads on anyone that might happen to see me and notice I was not wearing a shirt. Cherry, on the other hand, was feeling particularly exposed. She slid down in her seat as low as she could go, but that looked suspicious, too. After a few minutes of trying to find a comfortable position to ‘hide’, she said that she ‘had an idea’. She sat back up in her seat, faced me, and put her head in my lap. She wrapped her red lips around my dick before it even had a chance to grow hard. Cherry’s tongue swirled in circles around my enlarging cock as she applied a bit of suction to it. When it was hard and large enough that she could no longer swirl it around, she switched her tongue action; moving it back and forth on the side closest to her—massaging it gently while coaxing the head to penetrate further. She didn’t let up until my cock was completely hard and began choking her. I looked down to see my lap full of Cherry’s red hair as she began to slowly bob up and down my length. Cherry turned her head to look up at me while opening her mouth wide. My cock tried to spring up straight but was caught by her cheek, which pushed outwards lewdly.

With her mouth still stuffed, an involuntary smile forced its way to her lips as she looked up at the expression on my face. I brushed her hair back behind her ear and she continued her slow bobbing. She was working hard to get me to cum while I was working hard to keep some distance between us and the few other cars on the road. The distraction of driving helped to hold off my orgasm, but Cherry was determined. She began to hum with lust as she took me in as far as she could go. Picking up the pace slightly, she began to choke herself again. Her saliva collected heavily on my shaft before she would slurp it off and repeat the entire process.

We stopped at a notoriously long red light which gave me a few minutes to not have to think about driving. I could feel my orgasm building quickly and then noticed a pair of headlights closing from behind me. I prayed for the light to change before the car reached us, but that prayer was either unanswered or the answer was ‘no’. And as luck would have it, the car moved into the passing lane; stopping right next to me. I looked over to make sure it wasn’t a cop and, thankfully, it wasn’t. However, it was an attractive woman who happened to look over at me. She seemed to be trying to figure out why I was looking at her and why I was not wearing a shirt. It was right about that time that Cherry succeeded in getting me to cum. I must have made a hell of a face because the woman in the other car had a sudden look of disgust mixed with concern and she ran the red light. Fortunately for everyone, there was no other traffic on the road!

Cherry swallowed and continued the blowjob until I was clean before she said, “Thank you! That was awesome!”
I said, “You are thanking ME? I should thank you!”
She replied, “I think I enjoy that just as much as you do: I love giving you head! It feels good and I actually love the taste and texture of your cum.”
“Really?!” was all I could muster to ask—surprised—while thinking ‘there is no way I deserve this girl and I never want to lose her!” She had said before that she liked it, but I thought perhaps she was just saying it to be ‘sexy’.
Cherry replied to my one-word question simply, “MMMHMM!”

We pulled into the complex and, since it was about 2:00 in the morning, it was pretty quiet. I killed the lights to keep them from possibly waking anyone and rolled to a stop in the closest spot to my door—which wasn’t very close. I got my key ready and turned the dome light off so it wouldn’t come on when we opened the doors.

I asked, “Shall we go on ‘three’?”
Cherry said, “I’m not getting out! You’re going to go bring me some clothes!”
I teased, “You chicken! Ok, fine; I just hope I don’t forget and go to bed; leaving you here until morning…”
“You WOULDN’T?!”
I said, “No… Not on purpose, anyway.”
She thought for a moment before making her decision, saying, “One, two, three!”

Cherry opened her door and was nearly out by the time I could react and open my door. Her door slammed shut and I closed mine just as quickly, causing it to slam, also. We made a dash for my door and, for reasons I can’t explain (perhaps habit) I clicked the ‘lock’ button on my key device and the horn on my car dutifully chirped as the lights flashed once.

“Oh, good idea!” Cherry said with no small level of sarcasm. “Maybe we should just knock on everyone’s door and ask them to watch the car for us?!”
I remarked, “Smart ass!” and I smacked her on her naked butt.

She let out a small, hushed ‘ow’ as she rubbed her butt to sooth the minor sting. I unlocked my door and we both tried to push our way inside at the same time while trying to close the door before we cleared the doorway. The door slammed shut and any neighbors that weren’t awake from the noise we made while trying to be quiet were surely awake now. Our laughter filled the room in an instant as we hugged each other in relief; standing there in only our shoes.

We calmed down as we stood there embracing and I offered, “We should probably get a shower.”
Cherry agreed and said, “Yeah. Let’s get naked and get a shower.” Kicking off her shoes she snickered, “There: I’m naked. Why are you still dressed?”
I laughed and continued the joke, saying, “Yeah, this is awkward.” I took off my shoes and asked, “Is that better?”
Cherry smiled and replied, “Much better.”

We held hands as we went into the bathroom to get our much needed shower. But Cherry surprised me a little when she began running the water and put the stopper down to draw a bath instead. She looked around for bubble bath; of course, I didn’t have any so she added a large volume of shampoo to the water and it worked ‘in a pinch’. She got in and leaned back to the far side and I got in with her, not sure where to sit. She motioned for me to sit with my back to her and, as I did, she wrapped her arms and legs around me while resting her cheek against my shoulder. I caressed her legs which were smooth as silk and rubbed her feet. I could feel her breasts pressing into my back as she breathed slow and deep. In no time at all, we were the only two people on Earth.

Cherry sighed, “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
I replied, “I feel the same way about you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
She asked, “Do you think it’s possible that we were meant for each other—like soul mates?”
I said, “I think it’s more than just possible. I think it is more than highly likely! If you are not my soul mate, then there is no such thing. I felt instantly connected to you and that was before I ever saw you. As long as you are by my side, the rest of the world can fall apart and that will be ok because I’ll have you. ‘Soul mates,’ you ask? I say, ‘no doubt in my mind’.”

Cherry hugged me as tight as she could and for a few moments I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t mind, either. We relaxed in the hot water until it began to cool and then we soaped each other up before rinsing ourselves. We got out of the tub and dried off; Cherry wrapped a dry towel around her and took my hand, leading us to bed. She got in first with the towel still wrapped around her.

I asked, “What’s with the towel? Are you wearing it to bed?”
Cherry said, “I don’t want to make a mess: I don’t have any ‘products’ and I’m still on my cycle, remember?”
Slapping myself in the forehead I said, “Oh, shoot; that’s right. Do you want me to go pick something up for you?”
She said, “Maybe later. Right now, I have a better idea…”

Cherry opened her towel, spreading it across the bed, and motioned me to her with one finger. She was a radiant vision; her skin still damp from our bath and she blushed slightly in anticipation. Receiving her message ‘loud and clear’, I got in bed next to her and she pulled me to get on top of her. I gave her a long, gentle kiss while brushing her hair away from the side of her face; her lips were as sweet as ever.

Breaking our kiss, Cherry said smiling, “Thank you for tonight: I had a really good time.”
I said, “It didn’t go exactly as I had envisioned, but it certainly was exciting.”
She said, “I’ll have to be more careful about telling you I want adventure with some danger mixed in!”
I agreed and said, “Sorry about your clothes getting lost…”
She corrected me, “I think the word you are looking for is ‘stolen’. But it was SO worth it! It was so exciting running around naked playing our game to begin with, but then riding back here—knowing our clothes were stolen—was more thrilling than I could have imagined!”

I kissed Cherry again with more passion this time and my cock was lined up and ready to go someplace warm, wet, and close. But I had other plans in mind.

Recalling what she told Olivia the night before, I wanted to spend a little extra time focusing on her nipples. I moved into a crouched position so that my knees were alongside of her hips and my face was over her beautiful breasts which were already heaving in anticipation. In this position, I could keep my cock head in contact with her while my tongue went to work on her nipples. I made slow, lazy circles with my tongue in one direction while my finger did the same on her other nipple. At random intervals, I would switch speed and direction; occasionally stopping to suck or lightly bite at her nipple before switching to the other side. Cherry ran her fingers through my hair as she hummed with pleasure. She was rocking her hips down to try and push herself onto my ready and waiting cock, but I pulled back when she did—making sure it stayed barely in contact with her.

Cherry gave a moan that sounded a mixture of passion and frustration before she hooked her feet behind me and pulled me forward. But I had anticipated her move and resisted, all without breaking my attention to her breasts.

Cherry hissed, “If you don’t put it inside of me right now, I’m going to cum before you get it in!”

Without releasing her nipple, I looked up at her and her head was vibrating as if she was freezing; clearly, desperately holding back an orgasm. Cherry’s eyes were slammed shut and she was sucking on her lower lip forcefully. I sucked on her nipple as hard as I could while pinching the other with a pulsing pressure that mimicked a heartbeat. Cherry began to gasp in short breaths as her eyes shot open.

“I’m cumming!” she squeaked out.
I responded, “Really?” while sitting upright.
She said, “Yeah; look!”

I looked at the point where my cockhead and Cherry’s wet pussy met and, just as she said, saw her clear fluids pulsing lightly out of her and onto me. I did a small victory dance in my head as I went back to kiss my Lover on her lips, cheeks, and neck. At the same time, I slowly pushed my cock in where we both so desperately wanted it and she groaned until my balls came to rest on her ass and my cockhead brushed her cervix. The moment her cervix felt that stimulation, her vaginal walls tightened on me and began pulsing in attempt to milk my orgasm from me.

She said, “Oh god! I’m cumming again!”

Cherry had one of her fists full of her red hair while the other fist was full of bed sheets. Her head was tilted back as far as she could go while I kissed her neck and continued to try and push deeper, harder. As I did, she began to make a blended sound that was a passionate mixture of a moan, hum, and a whine. Through clenched teeth, the only words she could muster were ‘Yeah!’ and ‘Yes!’ That was all the ‘cheering section’ I needed to urge me to continue on.

Just as Cherry’s second orgasm was subsiding, I could feel my own beginning to build. I began making longer and slower strokes into her. I hooked an arm under each of her knees to curl her butt up off of the bed which allowed me to penetrate even further. Cherry took the next step immediately and put her legs up over my shoulders. The new position for us was incredible; the effect was it automatically tightened her vaginal grip on me while giving me the best possible angle for going deep. I pushed down into her and Cherry’s eyes shot open at the sensation of my cock head pushing hard on her cervix. The passion written on her face brought my orgasm before I knew it started and it was a powerful one! It was so strong, I could almost hear it power washing the entrance to her womb; if not for Cherry’s vocals, I probably would have heard it! But the instant my cum hit her, she had a third orgasm that had her squealing and thrashing under me. Cherry held on to the bed for dear life as our orgasms slowly quieted. She pulled her legs down from my shoulders and we rested in a ‘basic missionary’ position.

Cherry was completely out of breath and her body was going limp with exhaustion. She rolled to her side and I took position behind her. She whispered fragmented sentences.

“So amazing… Thank you. Can’t talk; so tired… Sleep… Love…so much,” her words trailing off to a whisper as she passed out.

I asked if she was ‘ok’ and she simply nodded her head. I kissed her shoulder and told her that I Loved her. She responded with a single word, ‘Love’, before falling asleep. I held her for a while to make sure she was sleeping. When her breathing changed to a slower, deeper breath, I knew she was out for the night. I was ready to fall asleep, too, but there were a few things that I wanted to do for her first.

I quietly got out of bed and grabbed the pair of panties she had me hold onto after the game the week before and threw them in the washing machine. She was surely going to want a clean pair of underwear in the morning and my boxers were not likely to suit her. I added a few of my own articles and started a cycle. I got dressed and quickly wrote a note in case she woke up to tell her I had to step out for a few minutes. I went down to the local ‘mom-and-pop’ convenience store and made a direct line for the ‘female hygiene’ products.

“Need any help?” the lady at the register offered.
I replied, “No; I think I know what I’m looking for. But thank you.”

When I accidently spent the night at Cherry’s, I saw her choice of products under her sink. I found the exact same item on the shelf and made the selection. Walking to the register, I saw a hair brush that was very similar to the one she used, so I picked it up too. I set them on the counter and the lady scanned the items before putting them in a bag.

“You’ve done this before, I take it?” she asked, referring to the female products.
I said, “Actually, this is my first time buying them for her; I just know what she uses. She doesn’t even know I’m here—she’s sleeping. But she’s out and will probably want one in the morning.”
The lady replied, “Well, that’s really sweet of you. My husband won’t even go down the aisle at the supermarket, let alone buy them.”
Handing her the money, I said, “It can be a bit embarrassing for some guys, but I’d do anything for her.”
She said, “She’s lucky to have you…”
As she gave me my change, I said, “No: I’m the lucky one.”

She just smiled and wished me a ‘good morning’ (since it was almost 4:30am) and I said the same to her as I dumped the change in the tip jar again. She thanked me and I thanked her in return as I headed home; purchase in hand.

I got back to the apartment and entered as quietly as I could; avoiding waking my sleeping beauty—the note I left for her had not moved. I put the wash in the dryer, set the bag down in the bathroom and stripped down before joining the Love of my life in bed. I moved slowly to keep from disturbing her and spooned right behind her, placing my hand on her hip. In her sleep, she grabbed my hand from her hip and moved it up to her chest level, holding my hand in hers—resting between her beautiful, perfect, soft breasts. I couldn’t imagine being more comfortable than at that moment and I quickly fell asleep.

It was around 9:00 when I woke up. We had shifted in the night and I was now flat on my back; Cherry was draped across me—resting her head on my chest. She had one leg over the top of mine and my hand was on her back. I never wanted to move—to just lay there in her arms forever. But then Cherry stretched on me like a cat waking from a nap before she pulled herself on top of me. She nestled her face into the side of my neck and whispered, ‘good morning’, before falling half asleep again.

I replied with a whisper, “The best morning!”

That incited a giggle from her and she kissed me while seeming to come to life.

She teasingly asked, “And just what exactly makes this morning such a good morning for you?”
I replied, “Because when I woke up, you were in my arms.”

Before I could finish that statement, she pressed her lips to mine, catching my words in her mouth. We both had morning breath again; neither of us cared. Without breaking the kiss, Cherry moved her hips forward enough to free my growing erection trapped between us before pushing back down on it; sighing in content as it entered her. She broke the kiss to rest her head on my chest again while rocking her hips on the dick inside of her.

She sighed with a still sleepy voice, “I’m sorry I fell asleep so soon after last night. I don’t even remember falling asleep.”
I laughed and said, “You must have been tired! But it’s ok: I was pretty tired, too.”
Cherry said, “What you did last night—it was so mind-blowing incredible! I mean: you made me cum just by playing with my nipples! And then you made me cum two more times after that! I think you screwed me unconscious!”
I confessed, “You having three orgasms was awesome, but I can’t take full credit for that. I heard you telling Olivia about how you got close before when I focused on your nipples; I just did it for longer to see if I could actually get you there.”
Cherry gasped with a sudden sense of realization, “Oh, shoot! Olivia! What time is it?” She sat up straight, still rocking on the solid dick inside of her while looking for a clock.
I said, “It’s a little after 9:00; why?”
Relieved, she said, “Oh, good. We have some time. We are supposed to go to the mall today—I can’t blow her off after she covered for us last night. That would be rude.”
I suggested, “Don’t forget: we should probably get a shower and something to eat before we go. Are you sure there is enough time?”
She nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m sure. I want to feel you shoot it inside of me again before we get a shower, though.”
I replied, “I love the way you think!”

As she continued to sit atop of me, I raised my hips off of the bed and she rocked like a cowgirl on a slow, mechanical bull. Cherry moved her hips in circles that randomly alternated direction while lifting up a few inches before settling back down again. Belly dancers don’t have as much control over the hips as she did!

After several minutes of giving herself a ride, Cherry leaned down to kiss me. Her hair poured over my head, nearly blocking out all light as her beautiful tits pressed into my chest. I cupped her ass in my hands and she continued rolling her pelvis, slowly grinding it into mine. When she sat up, her hair was still in her face as she held her stomach between her bellybutton and the bottom of her ribcage.

She said, “I Love you so much, it hurts right here—and it’s the best feeling in the world!”

I expressed my Love for her was just as strong and her hands glided over her proud breasts before continuing up and around the back of her neck. She ran her fingers through her red locks of hair, lifting them over her head before they lazily fell back down around her shoulders. Using both hands, Cherry brushed her hair out of her face, pulling it back over the top and behind her head. She looked down and into my eyes with a look of pure content and a genuinely happy smile; I’m certain my face displayed the same message.

With the morning light pouring through the window, I could see her while in the throes of passionate Lovemaking like never before and she was breathtakingly stunning. Her face began to blush and I wondered if she was suddenly becoming self conscious for some reason. The blushing spread down her neck and into her upper chest as she began to give that mixed moan, hum, and whine sound which was becoming her ‘trademark sound’. The blushing on her neck and chest turned bright pink like a sunburn and I knew what was happening: she was about to orgasm. She leaned back while bouncing quickly on my hard cock for a few moments and my own orgasm was imminent.

I said, “Oh god, I’m going to cum!”
Still leaning back, she responded, “DO IT! NOW!”
I said, “I need to see your face!”

The instant I said that, she crashed down on me—planting her lips to mine. The moment our lips touched, our orgasms hit simultaneously and Cherry hummed in delight with the feeling of my sperm splashing into her. When our orgasms subsided, she sat up straight and stopped moving. With her finger she began tapping the center of my chest.

“Thump-thump…Thump-thump…Thump-thump,” she said in perfect timing with my heartbeat. “I just love that feeling!”
I just smiled and said, “You’re so crazy…”
She replied, “Crazy about you!”

I sat up and crossed my legs at the ankles while giving her another kiss. We could have stayed in bed together all day, but we had to get going before it got too late.

We reluctantly got out of bed and I’d be lying if I said the bed (as well as the two of us) wasn’t a site—we’d made quite a mess. Cherry remarked ‘EW-gross’ before apologizing for the mess. I told her I couldn’t care less about it and I’d take care of it later. She led the way to the bathroom and saw the bag on the counter.

“What’s this?” she asked.
I said, “I picked up a couple of things for you.”
She questioned, “But, this wasn’t here last night—was it?”
I said, “No, I went out this morning.”
She said, “I never heard you leave! I can’t believe you bought me girl supplies! And they are the right ones, too! You are really amazing; you know that? Thank you.”
I smiled and said, “You are more than welcome: I’d do anything for you!”

Cherry kissed me quickly on the cheek as a thank you and we got in the shower. Since we knew we were short on time, we only stayed in long enough to simply wash off before we got out and dried off.

While drying off, Cherry said, “So, I think we are going to have a problem: I don’t have any clothes. I could wear some of yours, but I don’t think your boxers are going to work for me very well—if you know what I mean.”
I said, “Hold that thought,” and retrieved her freshly cleaned panties from the drier. “Will these work?” I asked handing them to her.
“You sir, are incredible. Did you even sleep last night?”

I just winked at her and told her to wear whatever she could make work from my closet. We brushed our teeth—sharing my toothbrush this time. While she brushed hers, I finished getting dressed and went to make breakfast. She asked from the bedroom if she could ‘alter’ some of my things and I told her to do whatever she wanted. She came out to the kitchen wearing only her panties and she grabbed a pair of scissors and a black marker from the ‘junk-drawer’ before retreating back to the bedroom.

Just as I was finishing breakfast and preparing two plates for us, Cherry came out to present herself to me, holding her arms out to the side in a ‘model’s pose’. The first thing I noticed was her shirt; she took one of my station house t-shirts and modified it heavily—cutting the sleeves and neck out of it and turning it into a tank-top that showed off no small amount of cleavage. She cropped the bottom off of it so that it barely hid her navel and the sides were removed; front and back were held together with a knot. Underneath the t-shirt, she wore a bandeau that I had no idea how she made until I saw her shorts. Her shorts were made from a pair sweat pants; the legs were cut off just below the crotch and the top hem was rolled over to keep them from sliding off of her. The bandeau matched the shorts perfectly which told me she used the legs from the sweats to make it.

After a few moments of stunned silence, I said, “That’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“You don’t mind that I cut up your clothes?” she asked.
I said, “If you are going to look like that in them, you can cut up ALL of my clothes!”

Cherry bounded over to me and kissed me before we sat down to eat. I told her I wasn’t much of a cook, but she humored me and said it was really good. Seeing that time was starting to get short, we finished eating and headed out for Olivia’s place.

During the ride, we relived the previous night’s game of ‘naked capture the flag’ and began speculating what happened to our clothes. Eventually, that turned into a game of trying to come up with the most ridiculous, impossible scenario of where they went and we were laughing uncontrollably by the time I pulled into Olivia’s driveway.

Before we could knock on her door, Olivia opened the door and she looked like she was on the verge of going into panic.

“Cherry, your Mom just called and wants to see you before we go to the mall—I told her you were in the bathroom but you need to call her right now or she’s going to get suspicious.”
Cherry asked, “How long ago did she call?”
Olivia said, “It was only like a few minutes ago.”

Cherry said, ‘ok’, before going to get her overnight bag to retrieve her cell phone.

Olivia noticed Cherry’s ensemble and asked, “What the hell are you wearing? Where the fuck are your clothes?!”
Cherry called back to her, “Long story; tell you later!”

Olivia looked back at me and I just shook my head as if to say, ‘you’re not going to believe this…’ We could hear Cherry talking to her Mom so we decided to remain silent to make sure we were not overheard. Soon enough, Cherry ended the call and came out to say she had to go home for a minute—just to ‘make an appearance’—and