THE KISSING BOOTH
"You've have to be kidding!" Ezra moaned.
"No way," Vin stated emphatically.
Josiah and Nathan looked shocked and Chris was angry.
Buck was the only one nonplussed. "I don't think it is so bad."
"You wouldn't!" Vin shot back.
Orin Travis sighed. "Guys, I am asking this from all ATF Teams as a favor to Evie. The Team the makes the most money earns a special reward as well as my thanks."
"Piece of cake," Buck said blithely.
"A kissing booth!" Nathan moaned. "In these days of germs, unsanitary mouths and all the diseases you can catch, the flu, bacterial and viral . . ." and finally Nathan ran out of breath and stopped.
"I hope you don't tell Rain that while you're kissing her," Ezra said slyly.
Travis sighed, "Nathan, you can just have Rain pay to kiss you so no one else gets to if you're that concerned. Of course my wife is expecting her favorite team to win, so we'll need the best effort from each of you. Unofficially, I will be very unhappy if Team Six wins."
Team Seven's face grimaced at hearing the name of their main rivals
"Where's JD?" Buck exclaimed, looking around. "He'll want to get in on this fun."
JD entered the Travis' office, dark bangs hiding his face. Buck reached up and brushed them back before JD could slap his hand away. "JD! You've got a big ZIT!"
"Why don't you tell the world?" JD complained, shaking his bangs back in place.
"JD! You're such a," Buck started, but all finished with "KID!" and laughed.
JD flushed as he began receiving unsolicited advice from his amused teammates.
"Don't pop it!" from Nathan.
"Avoid chocolate and I'll help you eat up your stash," Vin offered, grinning.
"Bet you will," JD grumbled. Vin could probably clean out all his hidden chocolate bars and other goodies within five minutes.
"Oatmeal will help," Josiah offered. "That was a remedy my sister Hannah used. Use warm water and regular oatmeal, make a paste and let it dry."
"I heard honey," Ezra started. "Not that I evah had to use it," he hastened to explain.
"Awwww, JD's sweet enough without honey," Buck grinned, getting rewarded w itha slap to his back by JD.
"Toothpaste?" Buck's contribution. He shrugged. "Not that this handsome face ever spotted a blemish."
Amid the groans at Buck's statement, Vin was frowning.
"There's something advertised on TV, can't remember the name . . ."
"What, you got some in drawer?" Chris retorted.
"Bet Dorothy has something, she has a face full of pimples."
"Yeah, go up and say, hey, pimple-face, JD needs some of you medicine!" Chris retorted.
"Hey, who's the doctor here!" Nathan bellowed.
"No one!" Five men returned.
Nathan's mouth opened and closed. "Fine. Wait until one of you ends up bleeding, I'll tell you to call a REAL doctor!"
Nathan's hurt feelings were forgotten as Josiah said, "What are you doing, Buck?" as he saw Buck trying to physically drag JD from the office, finally lifting the protesting young man over his shoulders.
"What do you think? I'm gonna scrub the pimple off our own ATF teen idol so he'll get more female attention and more kisses!"
"Kisses? What? Put me down!" a flailing JD hollered, as the others doubled up in laughter.
"Gentlemen!" Orin Travis said sternly, seeing things were getting out of hand and noticing the bewildered look on his secretary Ellen's face as she watched from her office. "Buck, put JD down. Remember, this is to help breast cancer research"
Silence as the team looked around. "Breast cancer?" squeaked JD.
Evie Travis entered the room, smiling, along with Ellen. "Men get breast cancer, too," she said sweetly. "And what better way to get women to contribute than to offer them a chance to kiss one or more of the most handsome men in the agency, right Ellen?"
Ellen was eyeing both Ezra and Chris with interest. Both shifted their feet.
"None of you will let me down, I'm sure," Evie purred, kissing each on the cheek. "Don't worry, Orin, I'll pay up for the samples. " She stopped at JD, pushing up his hair as usual. "JD, sweetie, you have a pimple. Just come with me and I'll show you how to take care of it. I know it's been years, but I haven't forgotten . . ." and Evie dragged a helpless JD out of the door, none of the men responding to JD's beseeching hazel eyes begging for help.
"Team Six has been bragging they'll win easily," Ellen said sweetly.
Team Seven stiffened, and then left the offices.
"Nice work, Ellen," Orrin said. "I'm sure my favorite team won't let me down now," and he laughed knowing Team Six's big mouths would be their undoing.
