Several days had passed since the photo shoot, with much activity. I had had to return home for work for a few days, but I got back as soon as I could.
The photos came back, looking more stunning than I had imagined they would. The girls were typically critical ("Look at how fat I look in that bikini!"), but I think they were all pleased.
The next morning I found them all sitting about relaxing. "What's going on?" I asked.
Mike replied. "We're resting - we're going to go to the beach later - you should come, you'll enjoy it." The girls giggled. I knew there was something going on, but I decided not to push it.
We all got ready and soon got into Mike's van and headed for the beach. ----
The girls wore fairly conservative one-piece swimsuits, Heather in red and Jana in black. I watched them frolic in the surf for a bit, then went for a long swim up the beach.
I guess it was about an hour later that I returned, tired and hungry, to find that all our stuff, and Mike, Jana and Heather, were gone! I stood looking confused, when I heard a voice behind me.
"Are you Dave?" it asked. I turned, and found it belonged to a young woman in a tiny blue bikini top and thong. I indicated that I was indeed Dave. "They told me to wait for you, I'm Jackie." I must have looked confused, because she went on, "Didn't they tell you about me? Well, I've come to see the show, before I audition to be an assistant."
"I've been out of town for a bit - are they performing something now?" I asked in confusion.
"Very soon, I think - up at the amphitheatre. I'll show you the way." she added as I looked confused again. She lead off, and I followed, trying not to stare at her shapely buttocks around her thong.
As we approached the amphitheatre we could see a small crowd had gathered in the warm summer sun, watching the performance. On the small open air stage Mike was performing some sort of card trick with the help of Jana and Heather (who were still dressed in their swimsuits, but with the addition of short matching skirts and shoes).
The audience applauded the appearance of a 7 of hearts, so I assumed that was a significant card in some way. I looked at Jackie, but she had disappeared into the crowd, so I found a seat and watched the show.
Heather picked up a 3' diameter black disk from the back of the stage and handed it to Mike. Mike first showed the disk to the audience, demonstrating that it was almost paper thin, then placed the disk on the concrete stage.
Mike walked behind Jana, who stood on the far side of the disk from the audience. She smiled as held her about the waist and lifted her a few inches off the ground. Mike stepped forward until Jana's feet were over the disk, then started to lower her.
To my amazement, Jana's feet disappeared as they touched the disk, as though it were instead a hole in the stage! Mike continued to lower the smiling Jana into the "hole", until he was kneeling and holding her just below her breasts. Jana held her arms above her head and winked at the audience as Mike let go of her. She rapidly slid into the "hole", as though falling and disappeared altogether.
Mike picked up the disk once again and held it up to show it was still only a piece of fabric. He bowed to applause from all of us in the audience.
"Now, my final trick." Mike said, as Heather wheeled in a long, thin table. Heather lay down on it, and Mike quickly placed a box over her, covering her from her neck to her mid-thigh and locked it into place.
Mike then pushed a second, taller cloth-covered object into place behind Heather's box. "And this is what's install for my lovely, helpless assistant!" he said, pulling the cloth off the machine.
The audience gasped at what it revealed. Two metal plates, each the size of the box covering Heather's torso were placed so as to be 3' above and below the table. On the inner side of each plate was an array of 2' long stainless steel spikes, tapering from about 1" at the base to a needle-sharp point. Heather looked very concerned and started to protest.
Mike walked to her head and stared at her, gesturing. After a few seconds, Heather's head slumped back limply, rolling toward the audience to reveal a blank expression. Mike grinned, "It's easier when they're hypnotised - much less noisy!". The audience laughed, somewhat nervously.
Mike pushed the spike machine forward until it met the table. He started to turn the handle on the back of the machine.
As the now silent audience watched, the spikes moved toward Heather's box. Mike kept turning the handle as the spikes entered the box, until finally the two plates were flat on the top and bottom of the box, about 6" of the ends of the opposing plate's spikes emerging through them. Mike spun the box around, showing that Heather's torso was apparently pierced by dozens of spikes.
"Now, that's what I call piercing!" he said, to more nervous laughter. "Wake up Heather!" he commanded, and Heather opened her eyes.
As Heather smiled at the audience and wiggled her feet, Mike turned the handle on his devilish machine, removing the spikes from he body. Once they were clear of her box, he moved the machine out of the way, and released Heather.
Heather climbed off the table with Mike's help, and they took a bow, the audience applauding enthusiastically as the saw that Heather's one-piece swimsuit was now full of holes, barely covering her as much as the smallest bikini.
"That's all folks!" Mike shouted over the applause. "Be sure to come and see our show!". Both of them left the stage pushing a piece of the illusion each.
I met them "back stage" in a small building used as a dressing room for performers. Heather had put a long t-shirt over her ragged swimsuit. "Great show!"
"Glad you found us Dave, sorry we gave you the slip. We wanted to give you a surprise but we didn't realise how long you were going to be gone." Mike explained. "Did you meet Jackie?"
I indicate I did, and no sooner than I did than she turned up. "So, where do I audition?" she asked keenly.
"Back at the warehouse." Mike answered her. "Let's get this stuff loaded up and into the truck."
As we set to with the loading, I wondered where Jana had gone...