"You can say it, Dan," Cherri said.

I kissed her foot, pretended I didn't know what she meant. Cherri sat up, reached out and drew me against her, her slim body cradled against mine, our hips rocking against each other, the excitement building inside me again. I kissed her, leaning down to reach her mouth and she spoke against my lips, her words catching against my tongue, "I want you to say it, Dan."

"I can't." I spoke into her mouth.

"Yes, you can."

"No. I don't know. Oh Cherri."

"Fuck me and say it."

"Uh..."

Sweat slicked us both, juices sucked and lubricated our joining, mine and Cherri's pubic hair slick with our emissions.

"Oh God, Dan, do me like that."

I was close, but I needed Cherri to come first, worked her hard, touched her breasts and belly, kissed her neck and mouth and breasts, pulled her nipples, squeezed her breasts, pulling her tight against me, rocking at last, my head buried against her neck, her arms around my waist as she grunted and started to tremble.

"Say it now..."

"I love you," I whispered against her ear and she bucked.

"Oh fuck Dan, yes... yes!"

"I love you so much." As Cherri groaned and jerked I finally allowed myself to peak, releasing the pent up flood that poured out of me, seeming to soak our joining even more and I waited... waited... waited for Cherri to say it back... but she only sighed and flopped away from me, a smile on her perfect mouth, her perfect breasts heaving, her perfect belly rippled by aftershocks.

Chapter 26.

I tried getting up enough courage to do what I had to do. Cherri was in the cabin packing her things, Brian driving home to San Jose late afternoon said he could drop Cherri in Fresno. She joked, said "Take me all the way with you, I don't wanna go home," and they laughed. Mandy had changed toward us this morning, but it hadn't been awkward. So many changes this summer, I could barely cope with them, seemed to be balancing on a narrow beam crossing from who I was to who I was becoming, unsure if I would make it all the way to the other side before I slipped and fell.

I walked along the lakeshore, idly trending north, thinking about visiting the barn one final time when I realized this was all displacement activity. I couldn't leave Jack's pictures with Jeff Simmons, had to find some way of getting them back, but I was scared, as usual, putting off action. I turned round and walked fast back to the cabin. Cherri was off somewhere with Brian, but Mandy was still around and came through to my room, sat beside me on the bed and I remembered her pale, fulsome body and smiled.

Mandy took my hand, winding her fingers through mine.

"You'll miss Cherri, won't you."

I nodded.

"Me too. She's amazing."

"She is that. She surely is that."

"You hear what happened when they discovered Greg?"

I laughed. "D'you think he'll be coming back next year?"

"What about you?"

"Next year? I guess." I hadn't made a decision one way or the other. I assumed I'd be returning, but after what I was planning to do, perhaps not.

"I'm coming back," Mandy said.

"You are?"

"Sure. I've had the best summer ever. The best."

I smiled, leaned over and kissed her lips. No, I hadn't forgotten Cherri already, but Cherri wasn't here, I'd changed so much, and Mandy was right here next to me.

"When are you leaving?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Tomorrow."

"Me too."

Mandy nodded.

"Something I got to do, but you'll be around later?"

"Sure."

"You wanna hang out?"

"Sure."

I kissed Mandy again, left her sitting on my bed, voluptuous English girl I was planning to get naked with tonight and as I walked down the hill I wondered how I'd managed to change so much. I even walked differently, hips swinging, breasts mobile, limbs tingling with a certainty I'd always lacked.

I called at the office, leaned against the door as Chrissy Simmons worked at putting figures in a ledger. Summer camp accounts, I guessed.

"Thanks for this summer, Dani." She leaned back and put her hands behind her head and I pictured her as she had been that night, naked and sweaty, sandwiched between Greg and Jeff, a willing and eager participant. "You had a good time?"

"Yeah, good."

"I wanted to ask, are you coming back next year?"

"I want to."

"The coordinator job's yours if you do. Alan's not coming back, and you've done a great job."

"Thanks."

"No. Thank you." She smiled, pretty and contained, showing a false front to the world.

"Is Jeff around? I wanted to say goodbye."

"He's taken some of the stragglers into town. You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Staying on till the bitter end."

Chrissy laughed. "You need to be here in January to experience the bitter end."

"I bet it's beautiful."

"Beautifully cold. Sorry, I need to get back to this Dani. We'll catch you tonight. Come round the house, Jeff should be back by five."

"Sure, I might do that." No way!

Now was my chance. I strolled to the river and crossed the wooden bridge, walked on into the woods where Cherri and I had gone so often that summer, climbing the steeper hillside through trees to the back of Jeff and Chrissy's house. Just like last time the back door was unlocked. I'd be surprised if they ever locked it.

The house was silent and empty and I moved fast before my courage departed. Up the stairs and along the corridor, never been here before but knowing the way from watching their movements. The bed was made up, the room smelling of polish, and soap from the shower room along the hall.

I went around the bed and opened the drawer on Jeff's nightstand. The folder of pictures was pushed down under some magazines. Playboy. Penthouse. Finally the pictures of Sara. I pulled the folder out and flipped through the prints, making sure I had everything. I dropped the folder on the bed and reached behind me into the fish pocket of my vest, pulled out another envelope.

I slipped the single print onto my hand. Ten by eight, black and white, a great composition, and I thought back to the last afternoon I'd been inside their house, light filling the living room almost as if everything had been planned for a photo-shoot. Nothing in the photograph was open to interpretation.

Chrissy Simmons lay against her large couch, legs stretched out while Sara buried her face between Chrissy's legs. Jeff was leaning forward, kissing her, on his hands and knees beside Sara, one hand fondling her breast. Greg knelt behind Jeff, one hand pressed on the older man's waist, his cock buried in Jeff Simmons' ass. Greg fondled Sara, his free hand between her legs, the image a stark testament to their depravity, failing to raise even the smallest arousal within me.

Cherri knew nothing about these pictures. I'd had them two weeks after coming to the house alone one afternoon, something drawing me back, guilt and shame mixing with excitement. But instead of finding Jeff and Chrissy I discovered the reason Greg had been so cocky all summer, the secret I had sensed but not known.

Strangely, I felt sympathy for Chrissy and Jeff, because Greg and Sara were beyond evil, demons who lured people in with sweet words and sweet temptation before seducing them beyond depravity. Possibly Jeff and Chrissy were willing participants to begin with, but I knew how Greg worked, how deceptive he could be, how difficult to resist until too late.

I slid the pictures of Sara back into my envelope, put my single picture in Jeff's folder and replaced it in the nightstand. I didn't need to see his face when he discovered the change. He'd know where the picture came from, know who'd taken it. No chance I'd be invited back next year now.

As I closed the drawer and turned to leave voices sounded from below. My heart hammered. Chrissy couldn't be back already? But it was her voice, and another. Greg's.

"... be back for hours... no, not here, upstairs..."

A deep laugh followed by steps on the bare wooden stair treads.

I spun round. The bathroom? No, nowhere to hide if they went in. Too late to try another room along the hallway. Only place was a closet or under the bed. Cliche! I dropped to my knees to discover the bed was too low, what space existed filled with boxes. I opened the first closet and closed it. Chrissy's. Went to the next and pushed in through hanging shirts and pants and coats and closed the door just as they came into the room. I had a narrow view between a fleece and a pair of hiking pants.

Chrissy entered the room, my interrupted view of her figure shattered by the slatted door. Greg followed close behind, and when Chrissy stopped he reached for her.

"Not now, Greg."

He scowled. "Show me." Impatient. He and Sara had stayed on even after what we'd done to him, as if wanting to taunt us with his presence. I don't know what he'd told Jeff and Chrissy, obviously not implicating us or there'd have been consequences.

"In the nightstand." Chrissy turned away from him, sat on the edge of the bed, arms crossed.

Greg went to Jeff's side of the bed, pulled open the drawer. He lifted out a magazine and laughed. "A little bedtime reading?"

"Get on with it."

I frowned, things not as friendly between Chrissy and Greg as they had been.

Greg reached back into the drawer and pulled out the buff folder. His back was to me so I couldn't see his reaction, but his shoulders hunched and he glanced at Chrissy.

"What the hell is this?" He threw the single print onto the bed.

"Take them and go."

"This isn't what I want."

Chrissy turned, looked at the photograph. Her mouth opened, her eyes widening.

"Who did this?" Greg asked again. "Who the hell took this? Are you trying to blackmail me, Chrissy?"

She shook her head. "I've never seen that before. I've no idea-"

"Did you get Dani to sneak in and take this? How many others has she got? Fuck, I really will kill her this time."

"Dani has nothing to do..." Chrissy's voice tailed off, the working of her mind clear in the changing expression on her face. True, she had no proof I'd taken the picture, but the options were limited and certainty entered her eyes. "When..."

"It's pretty fucking obvious when. What I want to know is how many others she has. You should be worried about that as well. A hell of a lot more worried than me. You've got a great setup here, but if this got out..."

"Things weren't meant to go this far." Chrissy dropped her head, staring at the floor.

"As I recall you and Jeff started this. Me and Sara are the poor seduced teenagers. Who d'you think people will believe?"

"We didn't mean-"

"Fuck it. I'm going to get the rest of these pictures. You do what you want, but I'm not going to let that cunt blackmail me." Greg strode for the door. Chrissy rose, reaching for his arm as he passed but he pulled away and ran from the room. Chrissy dropped back to the bed, lowered her head again.

She sat on the edge of the bed for an age. I needed her to be gone, needed a chance to escape and get rid of the pictures. I don't know how long I would have remained trapped if a harsh buzzing sound hadn't made Chrissy jump.

She reached into her jeans and pulled out a small walkie-talkie, pressed a button on the side.

"Coming past Boulder Creek. Home in ten minutes." Jeff's voice emerged, faint and crackled with static.

"Something's happened. Get her fast. We need to talk."

"Where are you?"

"At home."

"Meet me at the office. I'll get back as soon as I can."

"Be careful."

Chrissy stood and tucked the radio back into her jeans, pain and confusion on her face. I was almost sorry for her, but Greg, damn him, had been right, they'd brought this on themselves. Couldn't keep it in their pants. Couldn't keep their hands off the staff.