Your Wish Come True (revised): Chapter 10 - Family Reunion free porn video

Your Wish Come True by Pol Roger Chapter 10 Family Reunion Mandy has to deal with some outstanding family matters SATURDAY was going to be a busy day. Mandy had to go shopping for a few more things she needed for school, and she was also expecting someone from a company called Telestellar to visit and show her how to work and program the automated devices in the apartment. Emma was tied up until afternoon, when she was going to pop in for a coffee. They might have dinner or go out later she had said, but they had made no firm plans. Mandy was up quite early, and she decided to go jogging around the neighbourhood to get a better feel for where she now lived. The day was cold and drizzly, but she wore a close-fitting hooded top over her gym outfit, and a baseball cap with her hair in a ponytail through the back of it. She clipped on her iPod Shuffle music player and headed out. A quick glance in the hall mirror showed her that even in her jogging outfit she looked quite cute. The rain wasn't too bad. She ran down Chesham Street through Eaton Place and down towards Sloane Square then up past the tennis courts in Sloane Street right up to Knightsbridge. Once there she crossed the road into Hyde Park. There were other runners in the park, despite the wet day and early hour, and she smiled at those she passed. She was taking it fairly easy, not pushing herself, but still keeping up a steady pace. She was amazed at how fit she felt. She had covered quite a distance but although she was now hot and sweating she was not tired at all. She ran alongside The Serpentine as far as the Serpentine Bridge, then crossed the bridge and headed back on the other side. She kept going till Hyde Park Corner, then crossed under the road through the tube station entrance, back out on the street on the other side, and ran back home through Belgrave Square past the embassies and big mansions and terraces, till at last she reached her own terrace apartment. She had kept up a good pace for an hour, yet she didn't feel exhausted. Maybe she should enter the London Marathon next month, she thought. In fact the run had left her feeling quite exhilarated. On her run she had listened to an entire Avril Lavigne album as well as Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony. She had a nice long bath in her Jacuzzi, watching the morning shows on the wall TV that was set into the tiles at the end of the bath. She finished her bath and dried her hair, applied a little mascara and pink lip gloss, and dressed in loose casual clothes to go shopping. She had a quick breakfast of iced chocolate and pastries in a little caf? in Knightsbridge and then hit the shops: clothes, shoes, two new pairs of sunglasses, a school backpack with a compartment for her computer, some underwear and some funky jewellery. She caught a cab home laden with parcels about lunchtime. Mandy was feeling quite hungry, so while some rice was cooking she saut?ed some chicken livers with bacon and onions and mushrooms, and a touch of garlic in some olive oil. She was about to sit down to eat when the control panel announced someone at the door. It showed the face of a young man in his mid-twenties with short fair hair. "Hello," she said pressing the button on the screen, the one that showed herself on the screen at the door. "'Ullo, luv, I'm from Telestellar, "ere about the electronics," said the young man. "Coming," said Mandy, and she headed down the hall to open the door. After the busy morning of shopping it had slipped her mind that he was coming. "Hi, I'm Mandy," she said with a big smile. "Cheers, luv," said the man, "Andy's the name. I'm "ere to give a run down on the automations." "Thanks for coming," Mandy said as she showed him in, "I really need someone to explain it all to me." Mandy noticed he was very good looking, and she rather liked his cheeky manner. "Cor! What's that smell then? Don't 'arf make me hungry." "Oh, sorry, I was about to have lunch. I was expecting you but I'm afraid I forgot you were coming for a moment and went ahead with cooking. Have you had lunch, or are you in a hurry?" "No hurry. And if you're offering I won't say no. Haven't had no lunch, nor breakfast neither." Mandy served up two plates of liver and bacon on rice with some bread rolls and glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice. "This is brilliant!" said Andy. Mandy thanked him. "So is your dad in then?" asked Andy. "Or are you just the cook?" He grinned. "I am the cook, and the owner too. There's just me," answered Mandy. "Well I never! How come you got a place like this at your age then? You a pop star or somefink?'? Mandy laughed. "I wish! It belonged to my father, I gather." Mandy realised this made her sound rather vague about her own family. She plunged ahead. "My parents got killed recently. And actually I'm ... well, still at school," Mandy said, not sure what else she could answer. "Oh, I'm sorry, luv. Me and me mouth." There was a pause while Andy finished off his lunch. "I never would have guessed this place would end up a girl's pad. So what happened to the Italian geezer was here before? We done this place a coupla months ago, and then some more recently. I remember it well," Andy added by way of explanation. "That must have been the man it was leased to. An art dealer I think they said he was. He helped with the refurbishment, they told me, but I never met him," said Mandy. "I gather he was a bit annoyed at not having his lease renewed." "I bet he was!" laughed Andy. "He weren't half fussy, though," Andy went on. "But he kept at us and I must say we done a beautiful job here, with the lights and blinds and all. Then, last week we got called back to put in more tellies and all those extra cameras. Took two days! Luckily the wiring was all there already. You won't believe what you can do in this place if you know how. Jeez, it was hard, too! There's places with even more in them that this one "round London, but not so many in such an old building. You wouldn't believe the cables you got in here. I really liked doing this place. Them glass roofs is fantastic!" They had finished their lunch and Mandy quickly cleared the dishes into the dishwasher. She offered Andy a glass of lager. "Cheers, luv, maybe when we're done. We'd better get started, though. There's a lot to go through." Mandy followed the technician into the gallery. Something was troubling her. It seemed strange that the company had been called back, presumably after the lease had been terminated, and possibly after the supposed tragic deaths of her mythical parents. Who had called them? And what did Andy mean about extra cameras? "You already know how to work the lights, of course," Andy continued. "Most people with this system usually just have the lights set to come on automatically when they detect motion, except in the bedrooms and such. You can set one of those systems up quite cheap, actually. Anyway, you might want to revert to that if you find it gets to be a pain-in-the-arse talking to the lights all the time. But that Mr Macaroni or whatever his name was wanted to have complete control. You can change the preferences real easy on the consoles. Now, the for the rest of the electronics." He began with the bar code scanners on the refrigerators. When she bought food she could scan the packages as she put them away, and then she could set preferences for reordering food automatically on the Internet as it got eaten or went out of date. Food and wine stores could be monitored and the computer on the fridge could be used to order supplies regularly or for just one occasion. Then he began to explain the security systems. The main entrance, front door and the other entrances to the lower ground floor had scanners for reading fingerprints and the irises of people's eyes. He helped Mandy set them up to read both her thumb prints ('in case she ever had a sore finger or her arm in a sling," he said). He also set up the front door with an iris scan. "So you can come up to the front door with all your shopping and not have to put down your packages. "And you can decide if you want fingerprint, or iris, or both, or neither," he said. There were closed circuit television cameras all over the apartment. At each of the entrances and in every room there were cameras, all except those at the entrances being perfectly hidden. (So that's what Andy had been talking about! And he said they were only put in last week?) They could be set to record at any time, or all the time, or only when motion was detected, or only when set, say for the night or when leaving the house, or any combination of these. Or they could be turned on remotely from another location using the Internet or a mobile phone. The settings for everything were programmed on the control consoles around the house, and could be activated by the wall panels or by voice. By standing in front of a television screen or console one could talk to anyone else in the house, choosing to be seen or not. Or one could videoconference on the Internet. Mandy explained she had already networked her new laptop with the apartment server. Andy was impressed. "In that case, you can also use your own computer to program the house functions as well as the consoles. I wasn't going to mention that. Thought it might be over your head!" Andy joked. Andy explained the games platforms in the front sitting room. There were devices to play just about any video game there was. "He may have been a toff, but that Italian geezer liked to play video games," said Andy. "This PlayStation 3 wasn't even released yet when we installed it. Dunno how he got hold of it." One could pause a television program, even a live program, to be watched later, or just pause long enough to resume watching it, say in the bathroom for example, or any room. Different people in the house watching different programs could do this too without disrupting others. Or one could play music in every room in the apartment, the same song everywhere or different songs in different rooms. One could play CDs or from an MP3 player of course, or store entire CD and DVD collections to be accessed at any time through the consoles or remote control. They were now in the master bedroom. "This is the bit I really love," said Andy, giving a wink. He drew Mandy's attention to the television screen above the bed after getting it to turn on. "Eighty channels you've got, and you can get more if you like. Anyway, so you're watching a bit of late night telly and you don't like what's showing. "Controller, camera show bed"," he said, and the picture changed, showing the presently empty bed on the screen, and themselves standing beside it. "Now watch this. "Controller, camera random angles and zoom"," he said. The screen showed another angle of the bed, with the picture gradually zooming in to a close up. Then it switched to another angle and did the same. "You can watch yourself getting off, or having it off," Andy announced. Mandy gave a giggle to show she wasn't scandalised by Andy's salacious remarks. "Or make your own porno films," Andy continued. "You just tell the camera to film and it will store it all digitally." "What about the other screens?" asked Mandy. "They can't see it, can they?" "Very good question," said Andy. "Watch this. "Controller, camera bedroom two, show bed"." The scene switched to the bed in the second bedroom. "So you can watch the hanky-panky in another part of the house. Or ask it to display it on any of the screens in the house, or on all of them." "You're kidding! That is so evil!" said Mandy, grinning. "This wasn't some kind of knocking-shop or something, was it?" "Don't ask me. But as for privacy, that's easy. Just say "Controller, room privacy" in any room, a bit loud as you do, wait for the confirmation tone," (so that's what all the bleeps are! Mandy realised) "and no one outside the room can access the cameras in that room. You can set it to stay that way, or revert when you leave the room, or anything really. You can override privacy on the consoles, or set it so that only particular voices, or just one voice, can override the privacy. You just set it up through the control consoles, and if you don't want it to be easily changed you protect it with a password." He showed her how to set up anything she liked through the control consoles by using the menus and sub menus. Complex settings or changes took a lot of time, but voice commands and shortcuts could be added or changed to make more frequent settings very easy. He looks really good in those jeans, Mandy thought. She couldn't help noticing the way he filled out the crotch. It made her own flat crotch suddenly feel warm and sensitive against her knickers. Nice bottom, too, she commented inwardly. Andy explained the lighting next. All the lights in the apartment, as Mandy had already discovered, could be controlled by voice. But there were different settings which could be used, with gradually dimming or increasing lights as one desired, in particular rooms or throughout the house. A remote control could also be used instead of voice, or the wall touch panels. The remote controls also doubled as telephone devices. Or phone calls could be made by voice alone in a room with a console. The apartment's climate control could also be changed by voice or through the consoles or wall touch panel, or by remote. There could be different temperatures in different parts of the apartment. Curtains and blinds, even blinds over the glass ceiling, could be opened or closed by voice or control console or touch panel. The consoles and televisions could also be used to shop online, read e-mails, browse the Internet or do banking. "There's too much," said Mandy. "I'll never remember what to do. Or I'll say something in a conversation and everything will start going berserk!" Andy laughed delightedly. Then he said, "Nah, if you accidentally activate something when you're talking, you'll hear the confirmation tone; just say "cancel" straight away and it'll cancel. Doesn't happen all that much really, though, trust me. "But programming's dead easy actually. You'll probably only ever want to use a few favourite settings. But then if you ever want to add something or change anythink, just work out exactly what you want and use the consoles to program it. But I haven't finished showing you everything yet. Give us your mobile phone," he said. Mandy found her phone and gave it to him. "Now, this is the access code. I'll write it down for you later. You can change it to anything you like as well, if you want. You can send a text message or a voice command, or you can use numbers on the phone. I'll use a voice command." He pressed the numbers on the phone and let it dial them. Then when he heard the signal he said, "Controller, main bedroom, run bath," and ended the call. Immediately Mandy heard the bath beginning to fill. "That's amazing!" she said. "But won't it overflow?" "Nah. It stops automatically. And if you want to change the temperature or the depth, use the console. I've just fixed the system to recognise this phone so you won't have to keep pressing the access code. Anyway, you can be on your way home and have the bath run itself just how you like it and as soon as you get home jump straight in. Or you can specify the time you want it to run." "I suppose that could be useful," Mandy said rather doubtfully. She rather liked pottering around and waiting for the bath to fill. "Actually, the bath shouldn't ever overflow. It's got an automatic cut off. And you can get it to fill by voice command at just the right temperature when you're home as well, but you probably worked that out already." Mandy hadn't. "And you can program a TV show to record while you're out, just by ringing up. Or out of the country. Or access the CCTV on a computer when you're at work--er, school in your case--or abroad. You can check how the maid or the nanny are going, and even talk to them. Have a look at this." Andy took Mandy to one of the built-in wardrobes in the master bedroom, the one near the second entrance to the stairway lobby. He opened the wardrobe and stepped in. At the back was another doorway. He opened it to reveal masses of cables and wires. "See? The control room is above, where the cloak room is. But the cables go everywhere. This is another access in case anything ever needs fixing. Or you want to add anything!" Mandy enjoyed Andy's enthusiasm and cleverness. She was beginning to wonder if he liked her too when the console in the bedroom gave a signal of two little bleeps and Emma" s face appeared on the screen. "Do you want her to see you?" asked Andy. "Yeah, all right," said Mandy. He got her to stand in front of the console. "Say "answer, visual" and speak," he told her. "Answer, visual," she said. Her face appeared in a smaller window in the upper left-hand corner. This must be what Emma could see. "Hi Em. Can you hear me?" "Yes. And see you too. Who's that with you?" said Emma. "That's Andy. Come on in." She pressed a button on the console and heard a buzz. "If you don't want to press a button or get off the sofa or whatever, just say "admit"," said Andy helpfully. They headed upstairs and found Emma at the top of the staircase. "This is my friend, Emma," Mandy said. "Emma, this is Andy from Telestellar. He's been showing me how to program the video recorder!" They all went back to the breakfast room. Mandy got Andy and Emma each a glass of lager and a glass of orange juice for herself. Andy finished off his tutorial as they enjoyed their drinks, and wrote down a few codes and instructions. "If you need to know more just ask any of the television screens to bring up the help manual and it should give you the answers. Or you can call me and I'll come and deal." "Thanks, Andy. That's really kind," Mandy said smiling. "All part of the service," he said. "Unlimited follow-up support," he added winking. "What happens if there's a power failure?" asked Emma. Andy smiled broadly. "I was hoping someone would get round to asking that. Emergency power backup. Batteries. Bloomin" big ones. If the power fails you've got fifteen hours of emergency backup. Of course, I wouldn't try to run everything at once. If the batteries run dry you won't be able to get in or out. Till the power comes back on, of course." Mandy and Emma weren't sure if Andy was serious about this last comment. "Now there's just one more thing," Andy continued, "We recommend that you limit the voice system to just your voice. For security. You might want to let others use the lights and tellies and such, but for managing the system and such you should limit voice access. And we need to set a password for the entire system. You should try to change it every so often." "What about Emma? She's moving in soon." "We should set her voice too, then. Just so no one unauthorised can get into things. I should set Emma's fingerprints and iris scan up as well if she'll be living here. If you have a housekeeper or a cleaner come in, give them a touch card, and the security system will monitor everything they do. If they try to tamper with anything you don't like, it can send you an alert. You should give a touch card to the porter as well. You'll know whenever he uses it. "Now with the touch cards; if someone who shouldn't gets hold of one of the cards, you can just remove that card's authorisation from the system. And you can give certain cards limited authorisation, like the maid can only get in on the days or at the times you say, or no access after-hours and so on. Just keep a record of who gets which card. You can always check whenever one was used, and even access the CCTV footage to check who used it. "So is your house full of gadgets?" Mandy asked. "Nah, you need serious bread for a system like this. Actually, I tell a lie, I do have a few nifty bits and pieces. Not on this scale though. We did a really good job on this place. Cost a mint." "You should be working for MI5," Emma said, smiling at Andy. She obviously thought he was quite cute too. Andy laughed. "I don't design the stuff. I just sell it and install it." "But you design the system, don't you?" said Emma. "Me and a couple of others," Andy said proudly. "We do all sorts, but I like places like this one best where you've got everythink bar the kitchen sink, and it's all hidden and works like magic. That's brilliant, that is!" "But we have got a kitchen sink!" said Mandy. "'So you do!" said Andy. "But we didn't put it in. No, hang on. I tell a lie. It's got automatic operation, doesn't it? Yeah, we done that as well!" he laughed. Andy programmed Mandy's and Emma's voices as the only valid voices for the security systems and some of the other functions, and scanned Emma's thumbs and iris. Now neither Mandy nor she would ever need anything but themselves to get into the apartment. Carrying keys (and losing them) were a thing of the past. "Now I'd really better get going," he said. "Thanks for lunch and the drink. And give us a call in a week or so to let us know how it's working for you." "Did you have lunch with him?" asked Emma when Andy had gone. "Yes, he came just when I was about to have lunch myself," Mandy answered. "Interesting. I don't think you would have given him lunch when you were Dad," Emma reflected. "No. Funny that. But he seemed to want to have lunch with me and there was plenty to share. And he was really funny. Men are much friendlier towards you if you're a woman, you know." "I do know," Emma said smiling. Then she added, "What else is different?" "Well, it's how you relate to people," Mandy said, trying to form her ideas. "It's like I seem to know better how they feel, and I care a lot more about their feelings. I seem to be thinking about people's feelings all the time. I used to really hate losing an argument or appear as if I didn't know something. Lately I seem to be always doubting my own opinion. I keep thinking about--I don't know--like I have to think about other people's feelings and what they want. And I'm always wondering what people think of me, you know, whether they like me. I never worried much what people thought before. Is it like that for you?" "Some of it," said Emma. "Though I'm probably a bit more assertive than you seem to be currently." Emma pondered silently for a moment. "Maybe you should be studying psychology." she said at last. "You've got a unique perspective on the male and the female view." "It's not simple as that," Mandy countered, "there's also an age difference, and I think personality." Mandy was chewing her lip. "The personality I imagined was basically the complete opposite of what I was." "In what way?" asked Emma. "Well, Derek was suffering depression, remember. So I probably felt a very sunny outlook would cheer me up. And I imagined someone who was, like, outgoing and fun and that. I think I had become a bit cautious and dull. Your mother always said so." "You never call her by her name, do you?" said Emma. "You always call her "my mother" when you mention her." Mandy hadn't really noticed this until Emma pointed it out. "I suppose I was very hurt when she left me," she said. "When you all left me. It still hurts to think about it." In fact Mandy was indeed suddenly close to tears as she thought of the years of loneliness and crushed dreams that she had experienced. "She wants to meet you," said Emma. "What!" Mandy yelped. "I told Mum about my new job, and she wants to meet you. Apparently she knows all about you. Brian must have sounded her out about the guardianship thing. I don't think she's all that happy about me doing it. She's worried I'll give up my studies. She says the job is too much responsibility and pays too much money. And she's got into her head you're a poor little rich girl, a sort of Maltese Paris Hilton who's going to lead me into parties and drugs and extravagance." "If only!" said Mandy, smiling despite herself. "Yeah! And she's been very worried about you. About Dad, I mean. The Derek you. She's been worried sick that you've been missing. Peter's really upset." "Oh," Mandy said, starting to feel concerned. She had been thinking about Peter and what she should do about him. But it hadn't occurred to her that Dianne might also be worried. Well, they had been married for twenty years, and some of those she thought had been happy. "Mum does love you, you know. Old You, I mean. She always said what a good lawyer you were, very intelligent and great integrity and so on. You were always very thorough and spotted things others missed, she always said. Do you think you might have been suffering depression before you split up?" "What do you mean?" asked Mandy. "It's just that I remember you at home when we were all together often being quite sad." "Was I?" Mandy seemed surprised. "Maybe I was. Now I hardly ever feel sad. Scared witless sometimes, but not sad." "It's obvious you haven't had your first period yet. You're going to learn about mood swings," Emma said. "Yes, moods. I think I'm getting an inkling. Does it hurt to have your period?" Mandy asked. "Hell, yes," said Emma. "Usually just before your period comes. With me, anyway. Cramps and pain and irritability. If I ever tell you I hate you for no obvious reason, that's the reason. Some girls don't get period pain, though. The pill makes it better for some. Makes no difference for others." "Are you on the pill?" asked Mandy. When she thought about it there was an awful lot she didn't know about her daughter. "Absolutely," Emma answered. "Just in case. Mum drummed it into me: "a single mother can kiss goodbye to career or prospects"." "Did she say that? What if you want to be a mother? It sounds a bit harsh," Mandy said. Dianne was always the one to champion women's right to make choices for themselves. "Well, not many people want to be a single mother. Unmarried, perhaps, but you'd want the father around somewhere, wouldn't you? Maybe some girls do just want a baby." "I don't think I do," said Mandy. Yet the talk about having babies was making her very aware of her body, and its potential to bear children. It was a frightening but tantalising idea. Emma, who had been watching Mandy's face as she seemed to be considering having babies, gave her head a shake. "Too weird!" she said aloud to herself. Then to Mandy, "So what do you want to do about Mum and Peter? You'll have to meet them some time." Mandy was feeling panicked. She could see Emma was right but the thought of Dianne seeing her as a teenaged girl terrified her. And the thought of how Peter would react was also terrifying. She wondered why it was so different with Emma. "Do you understand how I feel, Em?" asked Mandy. "I can trust you, but I don't know how Peter would take it, and the thought of seeing Dianne looking like this really scares me." "I do understand," Emma said. "And I was going to suggest that you not tell Mum or Peter anything about who you really are or changing sex or anything. Mum would never believe you, and I think Peter would be just too freaked out. I'm not sure why I believe you, actually, except that I do. Mostly." "I know I could never tell either of them," Mandy said, "but the very idea of even meeting them really scares me too. I don't know how I would act or whether I could stay calm and rational." "But you handled it with Mr Ball--Brian, that is," said Emma. Then she added, "You've got a new identity now and you have to get used to it." "Brian was different. I wasn't married to him. I'm not his father," Mandy said bitterly. She chewed on her lower lip while she thought. Emma watched her, not knowing what else to say. Eventually Mandy spoke, "So I'd just pretend to be meeting them for the first time?" "Exactly," said Emma brightly. "Don't think about the past or what they mean to you. Just meet them as if they were strangers. It needn't be a long meeting. But just one warning," Emma continued, "as far as Mum and Peter know you were the last person to see Derek Ross, so you have to have your story straight. They'll want to ask you a lot of questions." Mandy thought for a while. "You're right of course. And the thought of never seeing them again is even worse than the thought of letting them see me like this. Maybe we could ask them round for dinner. We could put on a dinner party together, and Dianne could see how well we get on." "That's a great idea," said Emma. "When do you want to do it?" "How about tonight?" Mandy said. "I might change my mind if I have to think about it for too long. You haven't made any other plans, have you?" "I'm free. I thought we might be doing something anyway, so I haven't made any other plans. All right, then," Emma said, "I'll ring Mum and find out what she's doing." Emma made the call on her mobile phone while Mandy listened. Her heart fluttered as she waited to find out what the answer would be, knowing that she couldn't put off seeing Dianne and Peter forever, yet wanting Dianne to be busy so she didn't have to face her for a while after all. Emma was finishing the call. There had been some delay while Dianne spoke to Peter. "Okay then, thanks Mum. We'll see you here at about seven o'clock." She gave her mother the address. So that was that, thought Mandy. They'd be coming round that night. "We'd better go shopping then," she said to Emma, who gave her an encouraging hug. Mandy clung to Emma for a moment. "You'll be fine," Emma said. Mandy felt like a frightened child in her arms. _______ "YOU look beautiful," Mandy said to Emma. Emma shook her head. "And you're gorgeous," she said. They both wore casual outfits they had bought that afternoon. Mandy's hair was loose. She wore silver hoop earrings but she had removed her nose ring. Emma had helped Mandy with her makeup, but Mandy seemed to master the techniques Emma was showing her very quickly. They had spent about three hours on and off preparing the meal. Although Emma had told Dianne it was just dinner, not a dinner party, they had gone to some trouble. Freshly shucked oysters with black bread and spring onion, lemon juice and vinaigrette side dressing were to begin, then Beef Wellington with saut?ed potatoes, creamed spinach and fresh steamed green asparagus spears with herbed butter. There was also to be a fresh salad with a butterhead lettuce, sliced avocado, spring onions and a light garlic dressing and thin fried bacon strips as a garnish. Pudding was to be rich chocolate souffl?s with clotted cream, dusted with cocoa and icing sugar (Mandy's speciality), and if they were still hungry a whole stilton with crackers and buns to be served with port. They had bought two bottles (just in case) of 1992 Chateau Duhart-Milon to go with the beef. Champagne (1990 R.D. Bollinger, which happened to be in the wine cellar fridge) would do for the oysters. Mandy forgot some of her nervousness about the impending dinner in her enthusiasm for the food. Her enjoyment in cooking, and her aptitude for it, amazed both her and Emma. They were having very serious fun planning and preparing what they were sure would be a top-class meal. As they were serving as well as hosting, they would have to watch what they drank. Mandy had already learned that it took very little to get her intoxicated in her smaller female body. At seven o'clock the intercom announced the arrival of Dianne and Peter. Emma went to the door while Mandy waited nervously in the sitting room. She heard their voices in the entrance hall as they shook out wet umbrellas on the doorstep and once indoors took off their coats. Emma took them into the gallery towards the cloakroom, and Mandy heard Dianne admiring the apartment. She decided to go into the gallery to greet them. Emma saw her come out of the sitting room. "Mandy, this is my mother, Dianne Ross-Henderson, and my brother, Peter. Mum, this is Mandy Vero," Emma said. Mandy smiled shyly. "Why, you're just a child!" Dianne exclaimed, coming up to Mandy and taking both Mandy's hands in hers. Mandy had been taken off guard yet again by the fact that people she knew were now so much bigger. It had been a shock to see Dianne towering over her, and another shock to see Peter even taller. She noticed proudly how handsome he looked. There had been another surprise in seeing Dianne. She was still an attractive woman, slim and upright, even elegant. But Mandy had been thinking of her all the time as a contemporary. Now that she stood before her she seemed much older, another generation entirely. The physical connection she had felt to Dianne as her ex-wife (when she had been Derek) seemed to evaporate. Dianne seemed in some ways like a stranger. In an instant the turmoil Mandy felt whenever she thought of Dianne had vanished. Whatever emotional attachment she still had for her was definitely now gone, and the memories of her life with Dianne seemed to belong to another person. "I'm seventeen," Mandy said hesitantly, her smile fading slightly. There didn't seem to be any other answer to being called a child. And she could hardly say she was actually older than Dianne. In fact she rather felt like a child standing amongst all these tall people. "Of course, dear," Dianne said, "please forgive me. May I say how sorry I am to hear about your parents. It must be very hard for you." "Thank you," said Mandy. "I don't know what I would have done without Emma. She's been a tower of strength." Emma smiled back her thanks to Mandy, understanding her completely. Peter had been looking at Mandy all this time in open mouthed wonder. He was now bringing himself under control and was standing with his thumbs hooked inside his jeans pockets. "I like your house," he said. "The pictures are really cool." Mandy smiled widely at him. "Thanks," she said. "They sort of came with the house. It's got these really great video game players too," she added. "Brilliant!" said Peter. Mandy promised to show him later. They went into the sitting room and Mandy served the champagne. She offered Peter a glass of chinotto, but Dianne said he could have a glass of champagne if he wanted. He accepted enthusiastically. "Oh, this is excellent champagne," Dianne said. Everyone agreed. It was doing a good job of relaxing everybody, and soon they were chatting and laughing and feeling at ease. Mandy suggested a quick tour of the apartment before they sat down to dinner, so they all went round, glasses in hand, the visitors making admiring comments, finishing up at the dining room here they took their places for dinner. The oysters were a great success. After all, the whole family loved oysters. The beef was cooked to perfection--medium rare inside with the pastry beautifully flaky but not dry--much to Mandy's relief. Dianne had been in raptures about the wine, but everyone was drinking with great moderation, so there would probably be no need for the second bottle. Mandy and Peter were talking a lot about school throughout the meal. She had been very interested to hear about his school, explaining how she had never been to an actual school (according to the story she had to keep up) but was to start at St Gregory's on Monday because of the provisions of her father's will. They talked about all aspects of school life, although Peter went to a boys" school and was in the Fifth Form. But he knew a lot about A Levels, since he was to start the following year after finishing his GCSEs. As Derek, Mandy had found it hard to get Peter to talk about school in any depth, but now he was talking enthusiastically, and she was finding what he had to say really helpful and interesting. She was also feeling flattered by the consideration he was showing her. She hadn't realised what a nice boy he was becoming. Had become, she corrected herself. She really liked his laugh, and tried to encourage it as they talked. She liked his tousled hairstyle, and had been thinking to herself that he would look really great with an ear piercing. Emma was watching their growing intimacy closely, at first with some amusement. They were sitting opposite each other, and Emma was next to Mandy opposite her mother. Mandy and Peter had somehow started a staring competition to see which one would laugh first. Mandy was losing every time. Emma was wondering whether Mandy might have had too much champagne earlier. She hoped she would be up to serving the souffl?s. They cleared the plates after the salad and took them to the kitchen. "Are you going to be okay to do the souffl?s?" Emma asked concerned. "Of course," Mandy said, "why wouldn't I be?" "You've been very giggly the last few minutes. I hope you've been watching what you're drinking." Mandy considered what Emma had said. "I feel fine," she said. "Maybe I'd better stop. It's hard to judge these days how much is enough, innit? I think I'm just having a really great time." "I'm so glad," Emma said, and gave Mandy a hug. With the open plan of the apartment Dianne and Peter could see them from the dining room. Dianne smiled at the easy way Emma and Mandy had worked together to prepare what was already a wonderful meal, seemingly without any tension or disagreement. "She's great, isn't she?" Peter said to his mother as they observed the girls together. "Mandy? Yes, she's lovely," Dianne said. "She moves so gracefully. She's very slim and has long legs for her height, so even though she's not tall she has that languid flow to her movements. I'm glad she's doing theatre studies." Dianne was something of a theatre connoisseur, and was on the board of two theatre companies. "I meant she's really nice," Peter said, laughing. "Well you two seem to be getting on pretty well, anyway. How's Trish these days?" Dianne asked. Peter frowned. Trish was his new girlfriend. "She's good," Peter answered in a more subdued voice. The girls returned in due course with the souffl?s. They were very good indeed, and caused the conversation to lull except for appreciative murmurs. Finally Dianne spoke. "Mandy, thank you for a truly enjoyable dinner. You too, Em." She paused, obviously preparing to say more. "Mandy, I'm sure you've been asked this many times in the last week, but I wonder whether you could tell us if you know anything about what might have happened to Emma's and Peter's father. You were staying with him, I understand." Mandy gulped, nearly choking on her last mouthful of souffl? and cream. So here it was at last, she thought. The subject on all their minds. "Yes. He had taken me under his wing after my parents were killed in the fire. I was over here looking at courses." "What were you hoping to study?" Dianne asked. Mandy imagined herself saying: objection, m'Lud! the question is irrelevant; and Dianne replying: if it please your Lordship, I am seeking to test the credibility of the witness. "I've been thinking about doing something in fashion," Mandy said. "I'd like to do modelling, and I was thinking maybe beauty studies or fashion design would be a good background. I haven't done any modelling before, so I'm not sure exactly how to get started." "You certainly have the looks," Dianne said, "designers prefer taller models as a rule, but maybe that won't matter." Dianne was feeling she was getting sidetracked. "So what happened the day Derek disappeared?" Excellent broad question, Mandy thought. Get me to put it in my own words and expose any inconsistencies. "There isn't much to tell," Mandy said. She began the cover story she and Emma had carefully prepared only a few days ago. "Derek had already gone out by the time I got up. About half past eight." This was quite plausible. She--that is Derek--had been getting to work before eight most days the week before. "I met Emma that day, and we went shopping and did some sightseeing together. I came back in the late afternoon and he hadn't come home. I did some more shopping and came home and went to bed early. He still wasn't back. When I didn't see him the next day I started to get worried, and I rang Emma and told her Derek didn't seem to have come home and she came round and spoke to me, and then phoned the office. I had to go out again that morning to get a wax and nail treatment." (Peter, who had been sitting staring at his hands clenched on the table during this account, looked up at Mandy as she said this. Then he resumed his staring at his hands.) "Then I went to get my hair cut in the afternoon," Mandy continued. "When I got back Emma and Brian Ball had been talking with the police. I saw the police the next day and told them everything I knew." Peter looked up at Mandy. "Dad said you were a niece or second cousin or something and you weren't staying there anymore." Emma interrupted. "Dad told me about that. He'd been embarrassed about having a young woman staying with him and had made up a cock-and-bull story to try to cover it. I saw through it somehow, remember Peter? Anyway, he felt bad about deceiving us, and rang me on Sunday and asked me to meet Mandy and take her shopping and show her some sights on Monday. He had left, as Mandy said, when I went to pick her up on Monday." "Why would he have made that up?" Peter asked. Dianne spoke this time: "Oh, it's typical of him! He probably had some stupid scruple about propriety or something in front of his children." "He rang you on Sunday?" Peter said to Emma. "Yes," she answered. "He felt bad about deceiving us. He wanted to come clean." "Well he deceived me as well, didn't he?" Peter said miserably. "But he didn't ring me." A tear was running down his cheek. Mandy reached across the table and took Peter's hands in hers. Tears were falling down her cheeks as well. Peter looked up at her gratefully, then back down at the table. He held her hands in a strong grasp. Her breathing became a little quicker. She liked his strong hands. He seemed strong and vulnerable all at once. She wanted to protect him and comfort him. Well, she was his father after all. At this thought, she disengaged her hands, giving his a final squeeze so as not to seem uncaring. "I'm sure he would have got round to apologising to you as well," Emma said. They were all silent for a while. Then Dianne addressed Mandy again: "So you have absolutely no idea where Derek might be, or what might have happened to him?" Mandy shook her head. It was distressing her terribly to see her family so upset and be unable to do anything to help them. Tears were welling up in her eyes again. "I'm sorry," she said, her face crumpling. "No, I'm sorry my dear," said Dianne. "I know you've been through an awful time, too. Forgive me." "Yes, I have had an awful time," Mandy said. "It's--been--very--hard." Mandy suddenly felt overwhelmed, and she spoke through big shuddering sobs. Emma reached over to put her arm round Mandy, but Dianne was already beside her, kneeling down and taking her in her arms and rocking her gently back and forth until the crying subsided. "There there, my dear, it's alright," she cooed. Mandy clung to her, finding the rocking motion incredibly comforting. After a while Mandy was calm. "I'm alright now," she said, "sorry about that." Dianne gave her a final squeeze and resumed her own chair. "I've just had a thought," Mandy said more brightly. "What about Derek's computer? Did the police find any clues there?" She seemed to have forgotten how worried she had been about what the computer might reveal. Dianne shook her head. "They told me when they tried to start it up it overheated and melted the hard drive. The whole thing is destroyed." "CCTV tape!" Mandy suggested. "His movements could be tracked from the house," Mandy suddenly thought. Emma looked at her sharply. Mandy seemed to be identifying with her role so well that she'd forgotten it was herself she was talking about. Again Dianne shook her head. "That's another funny thing. All the footage from CCTV cameras outside Derek's flat, in fact in the surrounding streets, is missing. Three days" worth, from Monday to Wednesday. The DS I spoke to yesterday said he'd only encountered this sort of thing in intelligence operations, and no one ever found out the truth of what happened. I've rung MI5, but of course they deny any knowledge of anything involving Derek. They were very interested in the footage disappearing, though, which seems strange." Peter and Emma were both looking at their mother with shocked expressions. Clearly this was new information to them. Dianne looked at Mandy very steadily. "Mandy, I don't know what's happened to Derek, but something is going on. I don't think he's had an accident or--gone away anywhere." Dianne paused for a moment, then continued, "You seem to be the only remaining link with Derek's recent activities. I just hope you aren't in any danger yourself." Mandy felt a chill go through her. "What kind of danger?" "I don't know," Dianne said. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. We really don't know anything. I can see you know as little as the rest of us. Maybe less. We won't talk about it any more." They had coffee and chocolates, but Emma and Mandy had agreed as they prepared the coffee to skip the Stilton and port. It was obvious that the dinner party would soon be coming to an end. Sure enough, after a short while Dianne announced that she and Peter had better be getting back home (Emma had already arranged that she would stay the night at Mandy's). Dianne thanked Mandy and Emma for a wonderful dinner, and whispered to Emma (while Mandy was saying goodbye to Peter) that she thought Mandy was charming, and they got on so well together that although she still had misgivings she had no further objections to her taking the job as Mandy's trustee, provided she made sure she acted always in accordance with the advice of Mandy's solicitors. Mandy gave Peter a hug and told him he could come round another time and try out the video games. Dianne gave her a kiss on each cheek and they were gone into the wet night. "Well that went better than I could ever have expected," Emma said with satisfaction. "Yes," Mandy said rather doubtfully, "but the end was a bit disconcerting. Do you think I could be in danger?" Emma looked at Mandy. "You mean you could disappear like Derek Ross? Hello!" "Oh, yeah!" said Mandy, brightening. "Sorry. I got a bit carried away. It's hard pretending all the time you know. You forget what's real and what isn't." "Hmm," said Emma. "Interesting." "But what about the computer melting? Or the CCTV footage disappearing?" Mandy asked. "What does that mean?" "Yes, that is strange, I agree," said Emma. "I'll have to think about that. But it does work out entirely in your interests, doesn't it? Anyway, the main thing is Mum's happy for me to move in and take the job as trustee. And she thinks you're wonderful." "Well I think she's very nice, too," said Mandy. "You don't go to pieces when you think about how much she hurt you?" Emma asked, studying Mandy closely. "Gosh, no! Oh, I see what you mean. Yes, that's rather odd, isn't it? As soon as I saw her, my painful feelings seemed to fade away. In fact, it was like my entire marriage to Dianne happened to someone else, or I read about it in a novel or something. I remember it, but it's like it happened to another person. I'm glad really, because she's a very nice lady." Emma considered this. "Is that how you feel about me? Or Peter?" Mandy could see this was a serious moment. Emma had said many times that she would rather not regard Mandy as her father, but there was a desperate edge to her question. "No, it isn't," she said. "I feel a very strong bond to you and Peter. Especially to you. And to Peter. To both of you." She was trying to articulate her confused feelings. "I'm so very proud of you both. But," she paused to think, then went on, "but I seem to have Derek's feelings and also my own feelings about you as well. I'm getting to know you both in a new light. It's a different relationship, I suppose." "Were you flirting with Peter?" Emma asked. "What! Don't be ridiculous!" Mandy answered. "He's too young for me!" "Not to mention he's your son," Emma added. Mandy's hand went to her mouth. "I know," she said. "Could I have forgotten that? What am I going to do, Em? Who am I?" Mandy wasn't crying. She looked steadily and seriously at Emma. She was white as a ghost. "You're my friend," said Emma, giving her a hug. "Don't worry. It's going _______ MANDY lay quietly in the dark, snuggled up in her bed. She realised she was feeling overwrought with the excitement and emotion of the last few days, and of this evening in particular. Emma had been wonderful, and had only just left for her own room where she was staying the night after seeing her to bed at last. Her hand had drifted down to her clitoris, and she was touching it very softly, not even arousing herself really, just enjoying the feeling and letting herself relax into sleep. Images of Andy the electrician drifted into her consciousness. Of Peter, too, occasionally. But she drove them away by thinking of Andy, and sometimes of Brian. She began to feel herself becoming moist, so she gently put her fingers into her vagina and moved them around a little. It had become much easier to insert her fingers since she began her regime with the dilators, and she could tell that the hymen had been stretched a great deal already. She brought her fingers to her lips to smell and taste her own secretions as was now habitual with her. I can't believe I used to be scared of this, she told herself. Quite like saliva, she noted, as she had once before, with a hint of soy sauce. So I suppose it's a bit like kissing, then, isn't it? she speculated, only more tangy. Yes, that's right. Kissing's nice, isn't it? It certainly is. It suddenly struck her that just as he had never in his twenty years of marriage tasted pussy, in his entire life Derek had never once tasted his own semen, not even once just to try it. It had never occurred to him to do so. That struck her now as extremely odd. I wonder why I never even tried it? she pondered. It smells a bit like bleach; did I think that's how it must taste? You don't think that any more, do you? That's a silly idea. Of course it is. How stupid of me. You should have tried it. You probably really like it. I expect I do, she agreed. You probably like it quite a lot. Like it's one of the best tastes ever. Yes, such a wonderful taste! To think I could have had it whenever I liked!She licked her own fluid off her fingers again to try to make up for what she had foolishly missed. I hope I get to try some one day, she thought drowsily. You'll make sure you will. You won't be scared, will you? Of course not! Why would I be scared? she asked herself. It seemed the most preposterous idea. You'll remember how good it tastes, won't you? I definitely will! she realised with complete certainty. And guys will really like you if you can give good head, won't they? They love it when you swallow, and you just know you'd always want to, wouldn't you? Oh yes, always. I want them to like me. But would I be good at it? You know you would. You'd be great! After all, you know exactly what men want, don't you? Your blowjobs would win Oscars, wouldn't they? She laughed aloud. That's funny, she thought sleepily. So you'd never be reluctant to give one, would you? Not me, she told herself confidently. I do them so well. Yes, you do. Good girl, Mandy. Sweet dreams.