by VC Angell
As they got outside, Pam and Jim were surprised. There were already a couple of inches of snow on the ground and continuing to snow. Pam said, “This must be the start of the storm.”
“It’s kinda nice. It’s close to Christmas, and all the snow will be refreshed. We’ll have a white Christmas.”
Once in the car, Jim started the engine. He said, “I’d like to warm it up a bit so the wipers don’t get caked with fresh snow.”
Pam looked at him and winked, “Are you going to take care of my horniness?”
“What about your parents?”
“My father will think I’m practicing my feminine wiles on you. My mother knows I’m a big girl.”
“Okay, shouldn’t you let them know you’re safe because of the storm?” Jim asked.
“Shit, you not only make me horny, but you’re also a thoughtful bastard.”
“I hate to be practical, but I don’t have any condoms.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got the birth control thing handled.
The talk turned to what they liked in bed. They were about the last car to leave the parking lot. The drive out to Jim’s new home was not difficult because not enough snow had fallen to make driving hazardous. However, they talked little during the drive knowing it was best that Jim concentrates on the road.
When they arrived, he said, “This is my new place. It belonged to the Johnson’s before.”
“Given all the Scandinavians in the area, there must be a ton of Johnson places.”
“I had never given a thought to that. You’re probably right. Let’s go in, and I’ll show you around.”
Once inside, Jim showed her around the house, and when they reached the bedroom, Pam pointed to the bed, “Is that where we’ll have fun?”
Jim nodded yes and said, “Aren’t you going to call your folks?”
“Yes, Mr. Concerned.” Pam smiled at him.
Jim got coffee ready to start for the following morning as Pam made her call.
Pam hung up her phone and turned to Jim. “That’s taken care of. The next thing I have to do is use the lady’s room.”
“It’s right next to the bedroom.”
“Okay, I got it.”
“I’ll follow.”
Pam got a massive smile on her face, “That’s kinda kinky,” and she laughed.
Jim blushed and didn’t know what to say.
Pam came over and gave him a quick kiss, “I was just teasing.”
Jim followed her as far as the bedroom. He wasn’t sure what he should do, so he just sat down on the bed. It wasn’t long before Jim heard the bathroom door open, and Pam walked in wearing only her bra and panties. Jim felt his body instantly react.
“That’s not fair. I’m almost naked. You’re sitting there dressed. Let me help you,” Pam said as she started to undress him. When he was down to his shorts and T-shirt, she said, “There we are even,” and gave him a passionate kiss. They sat on the edge of the bed, making out like a couple of lovesick teenagers. Jim took off her bra.
Pam said, “I’m sorry they’re not bigger. They got just this big and stopped growing. I know guys like bigger ones.”
Jim didn’t answer but began caressing, kissing, and gently sucking on her nipples.
At first, Pam made little sounds, almost sounding like the gentle mew of a kitten. Suddenly Pam said, “Shit, you’re turning me on. I want you. Let’s get you out of the last of your clothes.” Pam quickly removed his T-shirt then he stood up so she could pull off his shorts.
“Wait, we have all night. With the storm, no one is going to drop in just to see us. It’s also time for fair play again. Let’s get that thong off you,” Jim said.
Pam did as Jim had done and stood up. Jim slid the thong off. She had left a patch of hair shaped like a heart when she shaved. He had her lay back on the bed. He remembered their talk in the parking lot at the dance and had her spread her legs, and he went down on her. She was surprisingly wet. He continued until he thought it was time to move on.
Pam begged him not to stop as she was so close. Jim returned to what he had been doing and was shortly pleased to feel her orgasm. Now and then, he would explore with his tongue. Pam would gasp and grabbed his head. Jim finally stopped and waited.
Pam said, “That was great. It’s now your turn. Get up here beside me.”
Jim gently stopped her from going down on him and started to kiss her, and let his fingers wander over her body. He was pleased with the way she rewarded his efforts with more and more passionate kisses and moans.
“I hope you know what you’re doing. You’re turning me on again,” Pam said.
“In that case, get on top of me so I can see your body and enjoy your beauty. I like to see your body when I’m inside of you,” Jim said.
“Okay,” Pam soon set astride of him and started to move.
Jim watched her face as he could see the intensity of her feeling as she moved. He knew it wouldn’t be long. It wasn’t. He could feel her orgasm. He patiently until they had all subsided. He said, “It’s my turn. Let’s put you on the bottom this time.” It didn’t take him long to climax.
Pam said dreamingly, “Your cum feels so good.”
They laid together for quite a while. Jim finally said, “I guess we’ve got to be practical. I’ll get off and hand you the tissue box.” As Jim got off, there was an audible gasp from Pam.
They went into the bathroom together and washed up. Pam asked, “Do you happen to have a long-sleeved T-shirt?”
“I’ve got several. Come back to the bedroom, and you can pick the color you want,” Jim said, leading the way. Pam picked out a T-shirt, and they went back to bed.
“You are the first man I let cum in me since my divorce. There was just something about the other men. It felt icky for them to cum in me.” Pam said, looking at Jim.
“I’m not sure what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know,” Pam kissed him and then added, “Let’s just keep it as friends with benefits.”
“That works for me. I don’t want to be dishonest and call it love.”
“After my first marriage, I think I know the difference between great sex and love. We just had great sex.”
Chapter 6
By Monday morning, the storm had passed. Jim woke to the sounds of someone snow plowing. It turned out to be the person the Johnson’s had hired to plow the driveway. Jim introduced himself, paid the man, and told him to continue to do the plowing. After they eat breakfast, Jim dropped Pam off at her home and went on to work. He was almost immediately captured by Julie, who had questions about the Christmas Dance for an article.
“I’m not sure what you want,” Jim said.
“How did it go?” Julie asked.
“I thought it was delightful. I have never danced so much in my life. It seemed every woman wanted to dance with me.”
“That’s because you’re a bit of a celebrity now. You’re the owner of the Journal, and your editorial about taking over the paper was well received. Besides, it’s not like it was in the past, and a woman had to wait for a man to ask her to dance. She can ask these days.”
Jim frowned and thought that Julie was probably correct in her assessment. “I think it ended with a real Christmas feel. It had started to snow during the dance, but it wasn’t enough to make driving bad. I saw several yards with Christmas decorations covered with fresh snow on the way back to my place. It was kind of magical.”
“Can I quote you on that?”
“Sure.”
“Did you go as a single, or did you find someone to take?”
“I’m not sure if that is something I want in the paper. I had asked Carol, but she was going home to visit with her folks. The only other single woman I knew was Pam Erickson because I had Thanksgiving dinner there.”
“We’ll have to get you introduced to more single women around Alma before the next dance.”
“Next dance?”
“Don’t w
orry, New Year’s Eve is not big here. The next dance is on Valentine’s Day. I don’t think we have to include your date in the article since it wasn’t a romantic one. I know a couple of people told me they were going, and I’ll interview them too. It should make a nice little story,” Julie said.
Jim asked, “Do you think people would be interested in my love life?”
“You betcha. You’re one of the community leaders now,” Julie smiled.
As Julie left his office, Jim sat and thought about what Julie had said. He hadn’t been back in Alma except for short visits in many years. How could he be a community leader? That reminded him he had to get everything off the digital recorder. He also had to answer the invitation to join the development committee. Still, he wanted to know more about what his brother had found about the committee that had prompted his editorial. He had read the editorial, but it didn’t name names. It reminded him he had to find a way to save the Journal. Too many problems, he thought.
The large file folder Alex had left probably had the answers, but Jim knew he did not know enough of the local scene. Such as what went on in the community to put two and two together to figure out who his brother was talking about in the editorial. Who was seeking to enrich themselves? Jim took the little recorder out of his briefcase and hooked it up to the computer using the cord that Tinker had found. He knew what the last file had held because he had printed it, so he moved on to the next one and started the process again.
Jim sat and stared at the words appearing on the computer screen. It was a mindless task. It took him until almost lunch hour to retrieve everything off the tiny recorder. He remembered that Tinker had told him his brother had extra memory cards or whatever they were called in the same drawer as the cable. He opened the drawer and found a small clear plastic box. They held several little things that look like they plugged into something. He picked up the little recorder and found a little rubber piece covering an opening. He could see what looked like one of the tiny chips in a clear plastic box partially exposed. There didn’t seem to be any way to get the one in the recorder out of it. He decided he’d have to wait until the next day went Tinker came into work.
Jim went back to the file folder. The only list in it was of the development committee. It made sense to him. Everyone on the committee would benefit in some way from Alma growing. The store owners should have more business. There should be more things to build, and the contractors would benefit. Jim went on down the list. Everyone on the committee would benefit from having more people in town. Even he would if he joined the committee. There must be something more than what prompted his brother’s editorial.
* * *
The next day Tinker came in and solved how to get the memory chip into and out of the recorder. She said, “You can’t pull the SD card out. It’s counterintuitive. Take your fingernail and push in and let go. See how it came out further. You can take it out now. Look, you can see the gold contacts facing up that will tell you which side is up to put a new card in. It wouldn’t fit the other way because you see there are little notches on one side.”
“You make it seem so simple,” Jim said, “Let me try putting a new thingy into the recorder.” Jim slid it into the recorder, but it stayed part ways out. That was always the way to get it out. Jim looked at Tinker.
“If you push it slowly, you can tell when it’s seated properly,” Tinker said.
Jim tried again, and the tiny memory card stayed in. “Thanks, Tinker. You make these things seem so simple.”
“I think the designers tried hard, but they are engineers and forget real people don’t know what they know.”
“Everyone should have someone like you around to teach them.”
Tinker blushed, “I had to keep up with my brothers, and they were all into computers. It was in self-defense that I learned.”
“I’m glad you did. Did you go to the Christmas dance?”
“Not with this big thing sticking out,” Tinker patted her obvious pregnancy.
“I never thought about that. I would’ve been happy to dance with you. I think every woman there asked me to dance.”
“You’re an important person. Everyone will try to get on your good side. We have a great little town, but there are some bad people. You’ll have to be careful,” Tinker said.
“You are not the first person to tell me that I should be careful. I just wish the bad people would hang a sign around their neck that said something like, “‘I’m a bad one’ or something like that.”
Tinker giggled, “That would be funny to see some of those old farts with a sign around their necks.”
Jim and Tinker chatted for a few more minutes before Tinker went back to her desk. Jim plugged the small recorder into his computer. He paused for a moment, thinking about Tinker’s statement about old farts. That sort of fit with what his brother’s editorial had said. Jim turned his thoughts back to the recorder and watched the words scrolling across his computer screen. It was approaching lunchtime all too soon, and he was hungry. Virtually everything on the memory chip were interviews his brother had done. After the interview recording, there were often thoughts that his brother had added about the interview.
Before Jim could leave to get lunch, his phone rang. It was the woman who had called once before and then hung up. She said that she had seen him at the Christmas Dance. She went on to say that he should be careful. Jim tried to ask her for more information, but she hung up on him again. She perplexed Jim. Why would she bother to call him and then hang up?
* * *
It was just two days before Christmas. Jim had been caught up with getting the little recorder to reveal its secrets. His thoughts turned to Carol, and he called her. He asked her if they could get together for lunch. She agreed. They met at the Country Kettle.
It wasn’t as busy as it had been before, and Jim wondered why. “I thought it would be busier than this?”
“People are trying to get last-minute things before Christmas. They don’t have time to sit and talk,” Carol said.
“I was sorry I didn’t get to take you to the Christmas Dance.”
“I heard you took Pam Erickson,” Carol met Jim’s eyes.
“I only knew of two women about my age who were single. You because you are my real estate agent and Pam because Ted Erickson had asked me for Thanksgiving dinner. I had to go because I had to make some welcoming remarks or whatever before the dance. It would’ve been strange to go alone. I guess I didn’t need to worry about that because almost every woman wanted to dance with me. I didn’t need a date,” Jim said.
Carol seemed to relax, “I heard your little talk was well received. Women wanted to dance with you because you’re now one of the community leaders.”
“You’re not the first one to say that. It puzzles me. Yes, I grew up here. I have not been back here except for short visits since high school. If my brother hadn’t been killed, I would still be in Europe.”
“I, for one, am glad you’re here. You made my Christmas by buying the Johnson’s house,” Carol smiled at Jim.
Her smile and her blue eyes captivated Jim. “I needed a place to live. You found me a great place. Oh, there are some little things I need to change. The mattress in my bedroom is lumpy, and I need to replace it. The shower curtain in the bathroom is getting brittle, and I’m afraid it’s going to crack soon. Nothing big, but a bunch of little things. I just don’t have the time to devote to shopping and getting things done at the house.”
“I would suggest Nord Furniture for the mattress. They’ll deliver a mattress and take the old one away free of charge. I hear their ads on the radio all the time when I’m driving around.”
Without thinking, Jim said, “You’re exactly what I need.” Realizing what he had said, he quickly added, “You know the area and all the stores. You can help me because of that knowledge.”
“I’d be glad to help,” Carol said.
The waitress interrupted their discussion to take their orders. After sh
e left, Jim asked, “Are you going home for Christmas?”
“Yes, but I have to be back the next day to cover the office. I don’t think anyone would be looking for a property right after Christmas, but you never know. My only income comes from the commissions I make on sales. The next time that sales pick up will be just before the start of the fishing season. Some fishing folk are always looking for a lake property with or without a house or cabin.”
“That sounds like a long dry spell to me.”
“This is my third year selling real estate, so I know to hold onto my commissions to cover the dry spells,” again, Carol smiled at him.
“Have sales been good enough for you to make it through?”
“This summer was perfect for me, but not overall. Since you know Ted Erickson and had Thanksgiving dinner there at his home, you know how spectacular the old houses are in that area. I sold one the summer before last, and the commission on it was what I would earn in half a year. It was a great old house, but I don’t know who would want to live in it.”
“If Ted Erickson’s house is anything like the one you sold, it’s got far too much dark wood. At least in the upstairs, the wood had been painted because I got a tour of the house. All the dark wood on the first floor made it feel gloomy and dark even with the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.”
They continued to chat until Jim looked at his watch and realized he had spent two hours talking to Carol. He asked, “Can we continue this discussion over dinner tonight?”
Without a pause, Carol said, “I’d like that. What time?”
“How about 7:30 or 8 o’clock? Is Helvig’s okay?”
“That will be a good change from this place. There’s nothing wrong with it. When I’m busy or the day has been too long, and I’m tired, I always seem to end up here.”
“When I was staying at the motel, I did the same thing. I ended up eating two meals here and the free breakfast at the hotel. Where should I pick you up?”
Carol gave him the address and went on to explain that the driveway was too short and you could not get two cars into it, so he’d have to park in the street.