Kerry had barely started it. She nodded. "Sure." That was the sensible thing to do. "So what now?"
"Now?" John looked around and spotted the Ferris Wheel, which reminded him of the rides. "Now we have fun. We came here to ride, so let's ride."
Kerry nodded. "We ride." She looked around - there was the giant Ferris Wheel, and other things. The first thing that caught her eye was a hoopla stall. It wasn't a ride, but . . . "What about that?"
Sure." They headed in that direction.
Kerry grinned. "I used to be good at this. It's all in the wrist." She paid a couple of dollars and received three small cane hoops, about the diameter of her hand in return. She stood upright, looking over the edge of the stall towards the small raised platforms - slightly under the diameter of a hand - which each held some toy. "Where're the good prizes?"
John smiled. "That depends on what you consider a 'good' prize. There's a stuffed animal to the right over there. A bracelet in the middle. It's your money, so you get to chose the prize that you won't win." John knew that these type of things were set up to be nearly impossible to win on the first or second try. It was most likely cheaper to go out and buy one of the prizes than to try to win one. But, half the fun was in trying, so who was he to deny Kerry her fun?
Kerry looked and considered. She didn't really want a pink and purple stuffed elephant - and she definitely didn't want to carry one round for the whole evening. She grinned at John, hearing his disbelief at her prowess in his words, "I'll win the bracelet." She handed him her soda and set to work. Her first hoop went to the left, and nearly claimed a cheap digital watch and the second a little far back.
Kerry looked closely, and judged the angle for her third attempt, then launched the little cane hoop in the air. It sailed up and towards the pedestal. It began a smooth descent. It veered to neither the left nor the right. It landed, but in the last second caught on one corner of the pedestal. Kerry held her breath, willing it to fall off. No luck, it stayed there solid, and firm.
Breathing out with a gusty sigh Kerry searched for another two dollars.
John watched Kerry with an amused expression on his face. She looked so intent as she took aim for the fourth time. As the hoop sailed through the air, he held his breath, willing it to land where Kerry needed it to go. She had worked so hard already for that bracelet and he wanted her to have it, and not just because it was a cute little bauble. They both knew that she had already spent more money than what the bracelet most likely sold for. But Kerry needed the validation of being able to obtain it herself.
Kerry scowled with frustration as the hoop missed yet again. Yes, it was silly. But she wanted it. She'd always been able to get prizes from these stalls in the past. She took her fifth ring and aimed again.
John watched as the hoop sailed through the air. This was the one, he just knew it. Sure enough, it landed encircling the pedestal and John broke into a wide grin. "You did it, Kerry. Congratulations." He was still grinning as the man behind the counter gave Kerry her prize and then asked him if he would like to take a chance to win a prize. John shook his head. "Some other time." And then they were off to the next stall to see what was going on there.
Kerry clasped the bracelet around her wrist. It was just a stupid little thing but she was absurdly pleased with it. Little pieces of coloured glass (or more likely plastic) glittered on an aluminium base. It was cheap, it was tacky, and she liked it. She smiled broadly at the people milling in the carnival atmosphere around them.
They were shooting at targets in the next booth, which reminded John of the time Maggie Doyle had taken him to the gun range for the first time. That evening had been a disaster, but after a few months of practice and a lot of coaching from Maggie, John had finally gained some proficiency with a gun. He was pretty sure he could take out the little plastic ducks with a stream of water. "See anything here you like?" he asked Kerry, willing to try to win her something.
Kerry looked at the range of prizes. There were stuffed toys, and more cheap jewelry - nothing as pretty as her tacky bracelet though and . . . "Yeah, I might try for that travelling chess set." It would just be cheap plastic but it was fun to try and win things. Her eyes held the gleam of acquisition as she fingered her bracelet.
John's eyebrows raised as he heard Kerry say "I." He laughed. "I think I made a mistake in letting you come over to these booths. We might be here all night before you get tired of trying for prizes." It didn't bother him that she wanted to try to win the prize, what did bother him was that she didn't even think that he could win it for her.
Kerry's face fell. She was determined not to slow him down this evening. And here they were, barely started, and he was complaining already. Maybe she shouldn't have come. It had been fun up till now, too much fun. It wasn't even that she particularly wanted the chess-set, it had just seemed a good thing to aim for. She could easily enough buy herself a far nicer one any time she liked. Kerry half muttered. "Sorry." Then she spoke louder, "Where do you want to go next?"
John was confused by the change that came over Kerry's features after he spoke. Maybe she was doubting her shooting abilities? "I thought you wanted to try for that chess set," he said. Then he got bold. "Or, if you'd like, I could try to win it for you."
Kerry shook her head. "If you like. I chose the hoopla, you choose the next stall." That was fair. That wouldn't slow him down.
Staying where he was, John looked around him. Of all the stalls he could see, he stood the best chance of winning something at this one. "This is good." He looked at the rules; seeing that he would need to shoot down ten ducks in a row if he wanted that chess set. And he wanted it for Kerry. He stepped up to the counter and paid the man, then took a spot beside a boy who was desperately trying to hit a duck -- any duck. The boy had obviously been having a good time on the Pier because his face and shirt bore the remains of all he had eaten.
"Good luck, mister," the boy said as he took a break from his shooting. "This is a tough one."
"It looks hard," John agreed. "Have you won anything yet?"
The boy shook his head. "I only have five dollars to spend on games and so far I've spent four on this one." Like the hoopla stall, the cost was $2.00 a try. "I really want that tiger up there." The boy pointed to a stuffed tiger that hung on the side of the tent. It only took five in a row to win that prize.
"Good luck," John said.
The boy nodded. "Thanks. I need it."
John knew that most people tried to fire quickly in their attempt to take out the row of plastic yellow ducks. But he decided to be slow and methodical. He took a deep breath, aimed at the one in the middle and started to fire. It went down, as did the ones that followed it. When John was finally done, having shot down far more than ten in a row, he saw a dejected look on the face of the boy.
"No luck, huh?" John asked.
The boy shook his head. "Nope. You did good though. What'ya gettin'?"
John looked at the vendor. "How many points do I have?"
"Fourteen," the man replied.
"I see." John looked sideways at Kerry, then down at the boy. Then he looked up at the traveling chess set and the tiger. "I'll take two of the tigers." That would use up ten points, and there wasn't anything up there that required four points. The vendor handed the tigers to John, but when John looked around, he saw that the boy had walked away.
"Excuse me, I'll be right back," John said to Kerry as he handed her one of the plush tigers. He stepped away from the booth, his eyes scanning the crowd until he saw the boy walking away, his head hanging low. John caught up to him.
"I think this tiger needs a home with you," John said as he held the tiger out to the boy.
The boy's face lit up, but then he frowned. "Thanks, mister, but I can't take that. You earned it."
"I earned two of them and what do I need with two? Go on and take it."
The boy accepted the tiger and then firmly grasped it to his chest. "Thanks, mister." "
"You're welcome. Have fun."
Kerry hung onto the tiger, stroking its fur. There was no doubt that John Carter was a kind man. The crowd was getting denser. Some of the afternoon families with small children giving way to teens dressed in the latest cool clothes. The sky was darkening and all the lights were a little bit brighter. People moved around her, buffeting her slightly in their passing. It was turning into a carnival night. She grasped her crutch a little more firmly and waited for John to return. A crowd, at night, alone, wasn't somewhere she enjoyed being. She saw Carter returning tigerless and smiled. The beast had obviously gone to a good home.
"Sorry about the chess set. I know you wanted it, but..."
Kerry smiled and touched John's arm briefly. "I think that tiger will get more use than the chess set would have." She looked around, trying to see where they could go next. "Clown faces?" She'd never been any good at them - she didn't think anyone was, but they were fun.
"Why not?"
Kerry smiled, and lead the way through the thickening crowd to the booth where brightly coloured clown faces sat with open mouths and slowly turned from one side to the other. She put the tiger down and ferreted in her purse for some money, receiving in return 6 ping-pong balls.
She peered down at the enclosed box that substituted for each clown's stomach, and looked at the numbers then the prizes. As always best prizes were reserved for people who got all their balls into either the lowest or highest slot. "I loved this when I was a kid, because no matter how badly I did, I always won SOMETHING."
Kerry fed her balls into the mouth, and watched as they bounced around, eventually she ended up with a total of 17 - a far cry from the 6 or 60 needed for the best prizes. She looked up at the stall owner expectantly, and was given a box of white chalk for her efforts.
She looked half questioningly at Carter - he'd done very well on the shooting, then she paid over another two dollars for him to have a go.
John grinned at Kerry as he accepted the balls from the vendor. "I was never very good at baseball, so here goes nothing." A little while later, he was standing there with a box of colored chalk in his hand. "I don't know if this is a good thing or not," he said to Kerry. "I suppose that we could do some sidewalk art when we get home." John looked around at the other booths, but most of the rest held large prizes. He didn't think he wanted to tote around a huge stuffed animal the rest of the night. "My turn, right?" he asked Kerry.
Kerry grinned. "Maybe you could colour inside my lines?" Then flushed. She hadn't meant that to sound suggestive - but somehow it did. She covered her confusion by nodding demurely, and saying, "Yes your turn."
John felt his own face flush along with Kerry's as an image of the two of them naked on her bed, body paint at the ready, entered his mind. He cleared his throat. "How about a ride or two now?"
Kerry grasped at the idea. "A ride sounds good." Then realised a different image came into her mind - no chaste ghost train but Carter riding her, up and down, rhythmically. She shook her head, not the image she wanted to have of her boarder.
"Okay, how about the Tilt-A-Whirl? Is your stomach calm enough for that?" He asked, teasing her.
Kerry grinned back, that sounded safe. "Sounds great. It's you who's got the weak stomach."
"Only when I'm nervous," John said. "And I'm not nervous now. Come on." He led the way to the ride, throwing their drinks into a well-placed trash barrel, and they got in line. The line was moving fast and they were soon belted into a car, ready for the ride to start. The ride began slowly, lifting them into the air, and then it gained speed as it twirled. Kerry was slowly being pushed against his side, and he could feel the warmth of her body as it touched his. And when the car itself began to turn round and round, Kerry was thrown up against him. She was laughing but he was too aware of her nearness to laugh. Too aware of how good it felt to have her body pressed up against his. Too aware of his burgeoning erection. An erection he didn't want her to notice.
"Close your eyes," John said into her ear. "It's much more intense that way."
Kerry looked at Carter. She usually rode rides with her eyes wide open, seeing all she could. But she was willing to try this new way.
She shut her eyes. There was the summer air slightly cooling against her skin. And Carter's body pressed tight against hers. Very tight. She could feel his warmth through the two layers of thin clothing, almost like the cotton wasn't there at all.
She gave a little mewling sound deep in her throat. She shouldn't be feeling this at all, and she definitely shouldn't be enjoying it. But she was, and if Carter didn't know, then surely no one would be hurt by it. Everything could go back to normal tomorrow.
Kerry kept her eyes tight shut and relaxed into the pressure.
John also closed his eyes, but not to enjoy the ride. He was willing his body to obey his orders. But as the ride slowed, his body was still too conscious of the pressure of Kerry's body against his. And it didn't help matters any when the ride came to a stop and Kerry didn't hurry to move away from him.
John opened his eyes and looked over at Kerry's face, surprised to see that her eyes were still closed although there was an interesting expression on her face. And when her eyes finally opened he could have sworn that the first look he saw in them was one of desire and not one reflecting the thrill she felt from the ride. It was with great reluctance that he averted his gaze from hers.
Carter's eyes were warm deep pools of chocolate, and they were looking straight into hers when she opened them. She could drown in them. When he looked away she shook her head, telling herself firmly *Kerry Louise Weaver fantasizing is one thing, staring is another.*
Kerry leaned forward briskly reaching for her crutch, trying to ignore the body attached to those eyes, and stood up. "What next?" When she moved forward the dizziness of the ride caught up with her and she swayed for a second.
John instinctively reached out to steady Kerry. It wouldn't do to have her fall out of the car, even though they were only a few feet above the ground. "One bad side effect to closing your eyes on this ride is that you get more dizzy than if you don't." John said as he waited for Kerry's equilibrium to return. As soon as her body stopped moving, he removed his hands from her waist.
"I think that it's your turn to chose." The attendant was now to their car to unlock the door so they could get out. John hopped down, then waited to see if Kerry needed any help navigating the small jump.
"Oh." Kerry wasn't sure if she liked being dizzy. It wasn't good to need Carter's hands around her waist, but it was very good to have them there. She took his offered arm as she got down. And glancing down she saw that his pants were tented. Her eyes held the sight for a moment before she forced herself to look away. "Um, the ghost train?" That was the first thing that came to mind. She looked at him indecisively, most of her mind still on that erection. "Or the merry go round?"
It wasn't for her - it couldn't be. There were lot of half dressed teenage girls around. It could be for them. Or some of the older ones - past the age of consent. It would be for them. It would be polite for her to leave, so he could try to pick one up. But she didn't want to leave. And who knew what diseases they might have? Might give him? Would it really be so bad to pretend it was for her?
John couldn't help but notice how Kerry's nipples were poking at the fabric of her shirt. He just wasn't sure if that was a remnant of the desire he had seen in her eyes or if it was from the wind that was starting to pick up a bit. He wasn't sure if the wind was a cool one, but it certainly felt refreshing against his flushed skin.
John looked up at the sky, noting that it was dark enough to thoroughly enjoy the ghost train. "Ghost train it is then. I think it's over this way." If he was lucky, Kerry might snuggle next to him on that ride. Not that she would be scared. John thought she was far too pragmatic to be scared by anything on that ride. But it would be nice if she did snuggle next to him.
Kerry followed John's lead to the train. And advantage of the foot or so of height he had over her was that he could navigate through crowds with apparent ease.
The queues were getting longer, and they had to wait for a few minutes. Kerry couldn't help glancing occasionally down at that erection. It made her wiggle a bit where she stood. And lick her lips.
It was a lovely evening, and John too, seemed to content to stand here, holding the stripy tiger without talking. They got into a little car eventually, pushed close together - that was nice. Kerry rested her crutch over their knees - the carriages were designed for slight teenagers rather than 6-foot men tall, and they were cramped for room.
Then, with a groan of rusty hinges, the house of horrors opened in front of them.
Being crammed in the small car with Kerry was doing nothing to make John's erection abate. He had been hoping that the ride would do the trick, but nothing would help as long as Kerry's body was pressed up against his this way. And Kerry had noticed his erection. He had seen her looking at his crotch. And seeing her watching him had only made him harder. Damn. John began to wonder if there were any water rides at this small carnival? Something that would splash him -- or even a dunking tank? A cold water shock would certainly calm down his wayward body.
With his thoughts on ways to get his body back under control, John was taken by surprise when a black shrouded figure dropped down from the ceiling, coming to a stop just inches in front of and over his face. He jumped, then laughed at himself for being scared.
Kerry laughed at John's shock then found herself screeching too as they plunged into total darkness and cold, damp, finger-like things brushed over her face.
By the time the ride ended, John had his wish. The near constant laughter, aimed at both himself and Kerry over their reactions to the ride, had done what his willpower had not -- made his erection abate. Once back in the crowd, John looked around. "My turn to pick. How about that one?" John pointed to a water ride. They could see the boats, only large enough for two people, coming out of a dark tunnel. It wasn't until they were at the line that John saw that he had chosen the Tunnel of Love. "Sorry," he laughed. "It didn't occur to me what this ride was. I can pick something else if you don't want to go on this one."
Kerry shrugged up at John. "It's your pick." She couldn't help but notice that his erection was gone. Get alone in the dark with her, and it had gone. But she wasn't about to argue. She was here for a fun night with a friend, that was all. And just because she'd enjoyed being pushed up against him - well it didn't mean the reverse was true. She nodded again, a tinge of sadness in her voice. "Your pick."
John considered it for a minute. It would be nice to just sit and not have to worry about getting dizzy or things dropping down the back of his neck. "We'll stay in line."
About ten minutes later, they were settled into a boat. Like the little cars on the ghost train, there wasn't much space and the two of them were touching all along their sides. It was uncomfortable to sit there with his arm trapped between his and Kerry's sides, so he lifted it up and out, draping it on the back of the seat, although what he really wanted to do was to wrap it around Kerry's shoulders. Their boat entered a darkness that was barely relieved by soft colored lighting that shone upon hearts and cupids. A very relaxing ride, John thought as he found himself staring at Kerry's profile. And definitely made for kissing, he thought, although he wasn't sure if the thought was directed at the ride or at Kerry's lips. But he found himself leaning in toward Kerry, and his arm did go around her shoulders as his lips softly brushed hers.
Kerry moved automatically into the kiss. The arm around her shoulders tightened, and she felt his breath on her face. Then she opened her lips slightly and returned the kiss.
When Kerry's lips parted, John gave himself more fully into the kiss, making full lip contact and letting his tongue slip inside her mouth. They were still kissing when the boat came to a stop and an amused voice told them they had to get off the ride and let other lovebirds have a chance at some privacy.
They broke apart abruptly, and John knew that his face was flushed. He got out first and then helped Kerry onto the small dock. "I don't know about you," he finally said as they walked away from the ride, "but I could use a cold drink right about now."