The Plumber's Helper

by Blaise Kilgallen

  "You want to go for a sail, or should we just swim?" he asked.

  "Let's swim, Jake. I've had a bitch of a week so far, okay, and I'm pooped."

  "Fine with me. Come on. You'll feel better when you get into the water."

  They lined up beside each other on the edge of the dock, taking a racing stance. He gave a sudden jerk and she dove in, well ahead of him. When her head popped up, he was laughing at her.

  "Chicken!" she yelled, and started to swim farther out.

  She heard a splash behind her, but she kept going. In no time, he was beside her. She rolled to her back and floated, looking up at the clear, cloudless sky. "I hate thunderstorms," she said.

  "Why is that?" he asked.

  "They scare me. There used to be some mean ones in Texas. I recall my grandmother hiding in her room when they came over us. I guess that's why."

  "I'll remember that if it ever happens here at the lake. You can hide your face and snuggle in my arms."

  "Aw, Jake…" She glanced over at him. "Thanks."

  "Anytime, Rox. Anytime."

  They played in the water a little longer, diving down and swimming underwater, chasing each other until they got tired and swam back to the dock. Roxy spread the big towel out flat and laid down on it on her stomach. Jake sat next to her, bracing his hands behind him and stretching out his legs.

  "God, this feels wonderful," Roxy said. "I don't know what I'll do if my parents sell this place. I could spend the rest of my life here."

  "When are they due back?"

  "The end of August or thereabouts. I guess by then I'll know if they're staying together."

  "I'm sorry, Rox," he said. "That's a bummer."

  "Yeah."

  Her head was turned toward him, her cheek resting on her forearm. Jake leaned down and kissed her on a shoulder blade, then licked the droplets of water off and ran his tongue down the line of her spine. He ended just above the crease between her buttocks, landing a wet kiss there. Then he moved over and slid one leg over to straddle her. "How about a body massage? That should loosen up those taut muscles."

  "Jake, everyone can see what you're doing here on the dock. My parents will have a fit if somebody squeals."

  "How old are you, Roxy?"

  "I just turned twenty-five, Jake. Why?"

  "Then you're old enough to do what you want—and get what you want." He paused. "What is it you really want, Roxy?"

  She shut her eyes briefly before glancing back over her shoulder at him. "Right now, Jake, I want something to eat!" She rolled over under him, not realizing what the move would do to both of them. Talk about compromising positions, she thought. She could see by the bulge in his trunks that he was hard, although they were both properly, if scantily, dressed. He lowered himself against her pubic mound and rubbed, gently. It was like touching two sticks together to start a fire. His grin widened more, knowing it wouldn't take much to have them both igniting with lust. Then he grabbed her around the ribs with his big hands and began to tickle her.

  "No! No!" she yelped, slapping a palm over her mouth, her eyes growing round when she thought the neighbors could hear them. She glared up at him. "Don't ever do that to me again, Jake Plummer." She pummeled his chest with her closed fists.

  He grabbed her wrists and held them in one big fist while he leaned down to cover her mouth with his.

  She stopped fighting almost immediately and pressed her breasts up against his muscled body. For long moments silence reigned over the stillness on the dock. Only the soft sound of lapping waves brushed against the shoreline, quietly low and sensual.

  When he came up for breath, Jake saw her eyes were closed. He tickled the corners of her mouth with the tip of his tongue before running it between her lips. She opened immediately with a tiny smile on her face. He dove inside to titillate her sensibilities.

  "Jesus, Roxy," he said, inhaling and drawing back. "Can you tell how hard I am already?"

  "That's what you did to me other night, Jake, on the phone. I was caught almost breathless. Tit for tat, huh?" she said and thrust both open palms against his chest. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat, okay?"

  "What a woman!" he said, grimacing. "I'm making mad passionate love to her, and she's thinking about veal parmigiana!" With a twisted smile, Jake pushed himself up and off her then reached down a hand to help her up. Roxy picked up the wet towel and her flip-flops, and they both walked up the path in single file, entering the house from the basement entrance to get dressed, microwave the ready meals, and to eat.

  * * * *

  "Want another beer?"

  "No, Jake. I'm a one-beer drinker … and a single glass of wine person."

  "My brothers can finish two six-packs between them after a hard day's work. Pete and Chip are hardworking construction workers, hard drinking studs, among other things."

  "You mean you aren't?" Teasing him, she continued. "Oh, that's right. You belonged to those financial planning groups that did so well the past couple of years. Did you work in the city? What happened?"

  "Wall Street causes too much stress. Who needs it?" A frown wrinkled his forehead. "The stock market's been crazy. I didn't quite know what or where to tell people to put their money for safekeeping even while I made money myself. I took my own risks, but I wasn't about to risk my clients' capital in a bear market. Some were senior citizens like my dad. So I pulled out. Maybe I'll get in it again, but right now, I'd just as soon do plumbing."

  "Nice of you, Jake, to worry. My father didn't do as well as you."

  "I'm sorry to hear that, Roxy. Wall Street's downsizing threw a lot of brokers and commodity people out on the street. It'll come back. It's simply that nobody can guess when."

  "Yeah."

  "Are you okay in your job?"

  "So far." She showed him her crossed fingers. "That's why I had to finish that manuscript last weekend."

  "I hope there were no … repercussions?" He looked straight into her eyes when he asked, but she didn't meet his.

  "None that I'm sure of, Jake. Let's change the subject, shall we, huh?"

  He let his question pass unanswered.

  "Er, I didn't see a repair bill from you yet."

  "In due time, okay?"

  "I wasn't worrying about paying it today." She smirked back at him. "At least not until you bill me."

  "Maybe you can make it up in trade." He wiggled his eyebrows wickedly.

  She replied saucily. "How many times would I have to screw you, Jake, to get the bill stamped PAID in big, red letters?"

  "Depends," he said while a grin stretched his mouth wide. "Depends, for instance, what else I want you to do for it."

  "Oh? Hmm, sounds interesting. Maybe I'll take you up on it."

  "You can start tonight, Roxy. Finish your beer and let's go into your bedroom."

  She didn't agree immediately, but gazed deep into his eyes, reading a glimmer of wicked, sexual danger and excitement lurking there. She had no idea what Jake planned to charge her for his plumbing repairs. She felt it was her expense, not her parents' as long as she was living at the house. She mentally counted how many times she and Jake made love. Did her climax over the phone count?

  "We did it a couple of times already, Jake. Do those count toward my payment?"

  He guffawed long and loud. "You mean you want me to count retroactive fucks?" He laughed some more. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll take it easy on you for the work I did."

  She wondered what he'd possibly ask her to do. She'd heard stories, but…

  "What will I have to do?"

  "Are you game?"

  Her gaze honed onto to his straight, white teeth, and his mischievous smile. She already knew Jake was a better lover than anyone else she'd been with. He might not be married, but she knew he'd made it with lots of women. Probably had a string of them waiting to get him to flush their toilets.

  Jake Plummer's big handy helper was rarin' to go.

  He had her quivering and wanting more. And dammit,
she'd read enough books about other ways to do it. She wasn't the only one to use a dildo. Was it wrong to satisfy her sexual appetites if there wasn't a man around to do it for her? She was ready for a change of pace, someone like Jake to talk her into a climax like the other night. Why shouldn't she be more adventurous? Maybe Jake knew other ways. He sure had her hot. Wasn't it about time she grew up?

  "Okay, but…"

  He cut her off. He reached out his big hand and wrapped his fingers tightly around hers.

  "Never mind, I'll teach you."

  Chapter Ten

  The very wild, very tempting, out-of-the-blue idea entered Jake's mind when Roxy mentioned his plumbing bill. He had pounced on the idea like a starving cat on a bewildered mouse. Damn, though, what if she was pregnant? The thought unnerved him because he wasn't sure what she was talking about. He tried to recall what she'd said when he asked about any "repercussions." Then he realized it was much too soon to tell.

  He should have known by the intensity and immediacy of his attraction when he saw Roxy coming down those basement steps a week ago. Even as a wet-behind-the-ears high school kid, she reached him on a primitive level. No one else had made him think about giving up his freedom.

  He'd been on an uncontrolled diet of sexual encounters for almost a decade now, so why should bumping into her unexpectedly with the force of a punch in the gut shake him up simply because it was Roxanne Diamond? He hadn't quite figured that out, but a small inkling had him guessing he was in trouble. Most of his waking hours seemed to turn to thoughts of her—primarily about shoving his cock inside her again.

  He knew Roxy wasn't nearly as experienced as she looked, didn't know many tricks in bed. He learned that when they'd made it last weekend. He'd been stupid not to roll on a condom, but he wasn't thinking. Most of his one-night-stands were the norm—bim bam thank you ma'am, until he learned how to extend both his and his partners' bliss. But when he saw Roxy all lush and willing lying in that bed … well, God help him, he couldn't stop himself. He jumped onto a fast freight and left the station on time.

  And look how lucky he'd gotten. Tonight he was back for another taste of heaven.

  After last Saturday, he wanted to try all sorts of crazy things with her … do silly things like that slobbery grape jelly business … have her wild when he brought her to ultimate heights of pleasure. He was ready for anything. But dammit, there wasn't enough time. He'd have to go slow or she'd refuse, tell him he could forget any "trade" arrangements.

  He dared not be too explicit about what he wanted from her either. He was almost certain she was a sexual babe in the woods, but he wondered what kind of things she enjoyed during her husband's stay in bed with her. He'd make sure she'd like doing it with him—add to her pleasure, fucking their heads off until they could hardly get out of bed.

  She had become his obsession, he realized, as he tugged her through the doorway into the frilly bedroom.

  She pulled away momentarily as if she had changed her mind.

  "Roxy?

  "What? Oh. Never mind, Jake." Something was bothering her, so he drew her into his arms. He could tell she was nervous, poor baby. Didn't she know he would never make her do anything she didn't want to? She had cried out in pain that first time in the boathouse because he tore through her maidenhood, not because his cock was too big.

  "I can't seem to get enough of you, Roxy," he murmured softly, nuzzling her ear. "Do you feel the same way about me?"

  Oh Lord. Now there was a leading question. It gave her something to think about, all right.

  "Right now, Jake, I'm wondering how I'm going to pay your plumbing bill."

  He felt her stiffen in his arms. He opened his embrace and stood back to look her up and down. She was more than enticing with that burnished golden skin, sun-streaked hair and big, eyes glued to his face. His cock started to fill again.

  She looked more than a little bit wary, though. "I'm not about to eat you alive." Well, not right away, he thought. "I just want to look at you again … all of you. Okay?"

  She didn't answer him.

  "Payment Number One, Roxy, is for you to strip and get naked. Will you do that for me?"

  "Jake…"

  "Come on. It can't be that hard. I've seen you wearing that bikini. You're practically naked anyway."

  "We were in the dark last weekend. That's not the same thing as undressing in front of someone who's asking you to do it and then watching."

  "You mean you never stripped in front of your husband?"

  "Well, of course, I have, but…"

  "Make believe I'm … what did you say his name was? Geoffrey?"

  "Grady." She blinked. "Okay, okay, I'll do it, but I'm not doing anything weird."

  Jake turned on the overhead light switch and walked her farther into the room, hanging onto to her hand. Once there, he lay back on the double bed, reached over to flip on the bedside lamp and got comfortable. Then he let her go.

  "Oh, and face me when you do that, Roxy, huh?" he said.

  Her forehead puckered, and the wrinkles deepened. "Can't I turn off some of the lights?"

  "Nope. Did that the last time. This time I want to see what I missed."

  He saw she wasn't happy about it, but she started unbuttoning her blouse.

  "Hey, sweets. Take your time. You don't have to rush. I like watching a strip show."

  "Jake, you're a … pervert."

  "No. I'm a worshipper of the female figure. And, boy, Roxy, I've never seen a nicer one in my life. I knew that right off the bat when we were in high school."

  "Oh?" She looked perplexed, but only for a minute and kept unbuttoning. "Yeah, I remember now. All that leering at me in hallways."

  "Was that what I was doing? How can a teenager's leering be called a dirty old man?" He chuckled, not waiting for a reply. "I wondered at the time what was under those clothes and wished I could cop a peek. I sorta know now, but I wanted another look see tonight."

  "Is that all, Jake? If I strip, will that pay my bill?"

  "Sorry, Rox, your bill's bigger than that. A lot bigger."

  She jerked the blouse off almost angrily and tossed it onto a nearby chair. Next, she slipped out of her flip-flops, then unhooked and unzipped her Capri pants. As she grabbed the waistband and tugged them down over her hips, Jake felt his erection grew longer and harder, delineating a bulge in his jeans. His backside squirmed against the mattress. He pulled a second pillow on top of the one propping up his head.

  Roxy hesitated in the middle of her strip-tease.

  His glance cautioned her. "Were you about to stop, because I want the full frontal? You know, like in the movies?"

  Her fingers quivered a little, but she reached back and unhooked her brassiere.

  "No. It's because you make me nervous."

  Taking hold of both shoulder straps at the same time, she let them creep down her forearms where they finally slid over her fingertips and the brassiere landed next to her bare feet.

  When she gave him that sultry half smile, he realized she had decided to taunt him, the little tease.

  "Like what you see, Jake?"

  "Yeah. You bet. Now finish," he said with a go-ahead nod.

  She clamped her hands on her hips and stood still for a few seconds, her lids half closed as she stared down into a pair of bottomless pupils that had turned black even in the bright light.

  She saw he wasn't looking at her face. He was looking at the pink nipples in front of him. They had hardened, sharpened to upright peaks in the center of the puckered aureoles. She watched Jake lick his lips unconsciously. His fists gripped the cotton quilt that covered her bed. His gaze dropped lower, watching, not taking his eyes off the shadowed Venus mound hidden by the lace-trimmed, almost transparent, nylon briefs.

  Roxy inserted her painted false fingernails under the elastic and slowly pushed the slinky underwear off her hips until it slithered along her thighs, and over her knees where it hung up until it floated around her ankles. She stepped ou
t of the panties and kicked them away.

  She's seducing me, dammit, he thought. Well, let her. There's more seduction to come whether she knows it or not.

  Jake sat up, draped his long legs over the side of the bed, and held them open for her. "Come over here where I can touch you, Roxy."

  * * * *

  Work it off in trade, she thought. Jake had proposed the arrangement. Well, why not. I want him … well, at least his cock. I'm not sure how long this little summer affair is going to last. Last weekend that was it. This time I want to keep him around to diddle me more times than I can count on ten fingers and toes. If Grady was any kind of a lover, we might have stayed together, but he … well, that's another story. Perhaps I'll keep Jake for the rest of the summer. Might as well get some benefit out of his cock and save myself some money on the plumbing bill.

  But she was a bit nervous tonight, almost queasy when he asked her to strip in front of him. What he said was true though. Her bikini bared more skin than her underwear, so why was she antsy while taking off her clothes in front of him? She decided to let go of her modest streak and do what he wanted. It really shouldn't be that big a deal. She was a big girl now, not a teen-aged wimp. What shook her was when he'd reached for the second bed pillow. She didn't remember whether the dildo was tucked underneath the one he already had his head resting on. She would be truly mortified if he knew she used a sex toy instead of a man to satisfy her.

  * * * *

  Jake beckoned to her, his pupils dark with desire, indicating he wanted her to stand between his thighs. She padded toward him on bare feet. He took her hands and tugged her close, tightening his leg muscles against hers. His face was level with her breasts. He could smell her womanly scent wafting from her pussy, knew simply taking off her clothes while he'd watched had aroused her. He leaned over and licked one, then the other rounded mound, then looked up at her, his eyes making it clear to Roxy he knew things a woman wanted to learn—and experience. Things he was going to teach her.