by Ashlee Price
“I’ve seen enough, Linda. If it gets through the inspections—the foundation, insects, and general city codes—I’ll take it.”
“Really? I have more to show you. Maybe you’ll like one of the others better.”
“No need. I know what I’m looking at and I know what I want. This will do just fine. Start the paperwork for the inspections and let me know when to drop by for closing.”
I left Linda standing outside the house, her mouth hanging open and her brow furrowed. I probably wasn’t her typical customer, but like I told her, I knew what I wanted. I headed over to Lacy’s place. She was in her bedroom, working on the bed with her laptop. I tapped on the doorway.
“Hey there,” I announced myself.
“Hi! I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I can be light on my feet when I need to,” I threw out, and she smiled. “What are you up to?”
“I’m doing some sketches for Mrs. Roberts’s house. You know, the lady I talked to you about doing her floor?”
“Oh, that’s right. You said you had some pictures?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Come here and I’ll show you.”
I passed through the doorway and walked around to the far side of the bed, sitting down on the edge and leaning forward so I could see her laptop. I could smell a light perfume in her hair, and I liked the way she pushed the thick strands behind her ears so she could lean forward over the laptop. I noticed she had to put it on a pillow to reach it; it was a logical solution for a woman with breasts that splendid.
“So, let me show you what I’ve got.”
“Did you mean the pictures, or…?”
“The pictures of the living room,” she replied hastily, pointing at the screen. Her face was flushed, but she was smiling. “As for the rest, you’ll have to earn that.”
“I’ve always been a hard worker.”
“You’ll have to be, but I think you might find it worth your while.”
“So, show me the pictures.”
She brought up shots of the Roberts’s living room. “Geez, that’s pretty crowded. Do I have to include moving out all that furniture?”
“You can call me if you want to. If you don’t, we’ll hire someone to go in ahead of time to empty the room. I’m trying to talk her out of several pieces she’s got in there now. It’s just too crowded. You can’t see the view even. So, if she goes for it, I’ll include enough to have the room emptied, which will make it easier on both of us. Also, I need to know about how long you think it’ll take you.”
“I’d say that’s a three-day job. A day to strip and sand, a second day to seal and sand lightly, and then the third day to put a final coat down. Of course, you’ll want to allow another three or four days before you begin scooting furniture over it, just to be on the safe side.”
“Okay, that sounds reasonable. So, what are we talking about, moneywise?”
“How much do you mark things up?”
“Well, it varies. Some pieces I have to put a lot of extra work into, but I generally take my cost in time plus my materials and add thirty percent for profit.”
“That makes sense. Why don’t you write in forty-five hundred for my part and do your thing on top of that?”
“You sure? That’s a lot of work.”
“Well, then you can make a little more on it,” I told her.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t like to do that. If you say forty-five hundred, then I’ll add my thirty percent and go with it.”
I liked her integrity. That went a long way with me. I was also liking her profile, and I had to fight from lifting the back of her blouse to slide my fingers inside her waistband. She had the kind of body I’d always loved. She was all woman, rounded and full—soft to the touch but bountiful enough that a man could spend hours feasting on her. I released a deep sigh. “Listen, while we’re on the topic…”
“What topic is that?”
“Renovations. I looked at a house earlier today.”
“You did?” I liked the way her voice lilted the end of her question. It seemed to please her. Odd, but the fact that it pleased her also pleased me. I was getting soft in my old age.
“Well, I haven’t signed any paperwork, and there are some inspections to go through, but I think it’s safe to call it a done deal. Anyway, I was going to ask you if you would come by and give me your opinion on the place?”
From my angle, I could study the way her thighs curved gently in toward her pussy. I imagined my head there. I knew that if she’d let me that close, her thighs would cushion my cheeks as I ate her. I was getting hard, and my hips wanted to start rocking into her. I closed my eyes for a second and imagined securing her wrists to the posts of the bed where we sat. I could spread and tie off those long, luscious legs at the same time. Jesus, I could feed off this woman for hours, and best yet, I knew she’d come so many times she’d beg me to stop.
“Me? You’re the builder.”
She snapped me back to the moment. “Oh, that part I can handle. It’s the layout of the house I need help with. You see, Jonas is one of probably a half-dozen boys I’d like to look after.”
“This is something really close to your heart, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely. I wish I’d had someone like myself in my life when I was their age. Maybe I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.”
She looked thoughtful, and I wondered whether she was trying to imagine how much trouble I could be. “Sure, I’d be happy to come look at the house,” she said finally. “Just let me know when.”
“Give me a couple of weeks. I should be closed and moved in by then. I don’t have much in the way of furniture, but right now there’s only the two of us, so my needs are few. I’d rather wait until you had a look at it and gave me some pointers. I do plan on seven to eight bedrooms upstairs.”
“It sounds like a really big house.”
“One of those old Victorians. I know you’ve seen them all over town.” She was nodding. “Okay then.” I stood up. “It’s about time I get to work. I thought I’d take out that door that leads to the deck. I need to replace the framing to square it up, and we might have to replace the whole door. I’m not sure it’s salvageable—it looks pretty warped.”
“Whatever you think. I trust you.”
I was halfway through the doorway, but I turned to look at her. “Do you mean that?”
She looked up, surprised. “Yes, of course I do. You are in and out of my house like you live here, and besides that, I think I know you well enough to know you’re someone to be trusted.”
“Is that something that’s easy for you to do?”
She was shaking her head in big wide sweeps. “Heck no. I know I can be a real pushover, but I’m operating on instinct and I’m generally right in the long run. Why? Is there something you want to tell me?”
“Nothing I know of. Just getting to know you better.”
“Let me know when you’re ready for me to come over.”
I think it would be more fun if you let me know when you’re ready to come, I thought. I nodded and left her to her work.
***
Ten days had passed since I’d sat on Lacy’s bed, and if anything, my appetite for her was stronger. Part of me wanted to stay clear of her, to maintain my sanity and keep my focus on the plans for my house. All she had to do was drift through the room and I felt breathless. I got so many hard-ons that I bought a pair of loose-fitting jeans at the Goodwill and made them my work pants. It was hell. I’d go back to the motel at night and lie awake, careful not to let my hand near my crotch. I needed the release, but there was a kid in the next bed and I wasn’t going to model behavior like that—not when I’d soon have an entire household of horny young guys.
Finally, the day came when the keys were slid across the closing table. Jonas and I made a day trip back to the city to collect the boxes I’d stored in one of those steel rental garages. I hooked a rented trailer to the back of my truck and the two of us got it loaded up
in an hour or so. We finished the whole job, including allocating the boxes to the right rooms, that same day. We moved out of the motel and slept on pallets made of blankets in our respective bedrooms for the first night.
Jonas was pretty flexible about the whole thing, but then he hadn’t had much stability in his life. Knowing where he was going to sleep was probably as much as he’d ever hoped for while he was growing up.
Then came the job of furnishing the new house. We were going to start pretty sparsely so I would have room to work on the rest of it. The floors would have to be refinished throughout the entire house, major replastering was in order, and the plumbing and electrical needed an update. All that had to be done before we could begin with the niceties like paint and curtains. Nevertheless, I wanted Lacy to see the place so we could talk about dividing out bedrooms. If I had to be truthful, though, I just wanted to see Lacy. I wanted her on my turf.
I told her I was ready for her inspection and she drove over when she’d finished for the day. I was watching from one of the upstairs windows as she pushed open the car door. Those long legs slid out and she walked around the car to the curb. She was checking the house number, and as I headed downstairs, she was headed up the front porch. I opened the door wide and swept my arm to indicate she should come in. Lacy was smiling, and I saw that I’d missed a small bouquet of flowers in her hand. “Just a little housewarming something,” she said, holding them out toward me.
“That’s great, thank you. Come on in and let’s look around.” She stood in the foyer, her thick blonde hair trailing down her back to her waist as she lifted her chin to survey the height of the ceiling and the sweeping staircase.
“Well? Is it everything you wanted it to be?” she asked.
“It will be when I’m done with it.”
“And Jonas? Does he like it?”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s better accommodations than where he was headed, believe me. I’ll have my hands full, no doubt about that.”
“Where is Jonas, by the way?”
“Believe it or not, he’s made a few friends and they’re down at the park playing basketball. Here, let me take your jacket and then I’ll show you around.”
She slid out of the jacket and handed it to me, which was when I realized I didn’t have any hangers in the closet. I hung it over the newel post and gestured for her to follow me. We moved from room to room on the lower level. I heard her clicking her tongue as we entered the kitchen.
“Lots of work to be done in here,” she said. “I was thinking… you might have to check with the town or the county. There may be some special code you’ll have to meet since you’re going to be housing people who aren’t exactly family.”
“I know, I figured as much. Even so, it won’t be as bad as it would have been in the city. Those people always have their hand in your pocket. A town like this doesn’t issue enough permits for it to become a source of graft.”
We started up the stairs, Lacy walking ahead of me with her hand trailing along the railing. My eyes were on her plump ass, and I wanted to drop her to her knees right there and fuck her from behind.
“You’re right, I guess. There was never any question of me having my business in the city, so I’ve never given it much thought,” she said, oblivious to my thoughts of ravishing her.
One by one, I showed her the four bedrooms that already existed. She took quick measurements and made a sketch in a notebook for later reference.
“Where does that go?” she asked, pointing to a door that I’d padlocked.
“That won’t be bedroom space.” I sidestepped the question.
“Why the padlock?”
“Just some things I don’t want any of the boys to get into. You know how they can be.”
She nodded, but I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t buying it. She could also tell by my tone of voice that we weren’t going to talk about it any further, so she let it go.
We went back downstairs and I showed her my quarters. I’d reserved enough space to have a bedroom in a combination office/sitting room. There was a large bay window, and she stood before it for some time, looking into the backyard and at the carriage house.
“Those were gracious times,” she observed. “People actually talked to one another as their carriages passed in the streets.”
I came up behind her, and from this vantage I could see the rise and fall of her breasts. I could smell her shampoo and see the way her long eyelashes rested momentarily on her cheeks as she looked downward. I knew she was feeling it, too. There was something between us. I don’t know whether you’d call it magnetism, but it was definitely an energy field, and it was commanding my body to react. My brain shut down and my instincts took over. I lifted my arms from my sides and wrapped them over her, tipping my head down to kiss her cheek.
I half expected her to push me away, but she didn’t. Instead, that luscious body leaned back into mine and my hard, fully swollen cock was probing the small of her back as if it had a life of its own. I slid my hand down the opening of her blouse until my fingertip found her erect nipple. I began to stroke it lightly and I felt her body shudder in response. Her breathing became harder, and I turned her by the shoulders to face me. Her eyes rose to look into mine and I knew I saw desire there—but also conflict. She wanted me as much as I wanted her, but she was feeling doubtful. My instincts proved correct when she suddenly placed her hands on my chest and pushed away, stepping to the side quickly so she could leave the room. The next sound I heard was the closing of the front door as she left.
Chapter 9
Lacy
It wouldn’t have taken much more to convince me to drop my clothes and spread myself open across his bed, even if it was nothing more than a pile of blankets at the moment. A pile of blankets could be very cozy with the right partner, and God knows what Riker had between his legs felt right to me. Although I had to admit that when I felt him probing me from behind, it scared me a little too. I wasn’t terribly experienced, and the sheer size of that man, in every aspect, was intimidating.
I drove back to the cottage slowly, circling blocks and driving along the lakeshore. I felt self-contained in my own little world of fantasy, and I knew that as soon as I reached the cottage, the bubble would break and real life would return. I wanted to stay in that fantasy world, where Riker towered over me, his muscled chest and torso covered with tats that read like a romance novel. In my dream, I unfastened his belt, slowly sliding it out of the way as I opened the button of his fly and lowered the zipper. I reached in and wrapped my hand around his girth, which was too big to allow my fingertips to meet. My fantasy was so real that I felt my juices gushing out of my pussy and making my panties wet. Even though it was cool outside, I rolled the windows down and let the air buffet me. It was difficult to breathe.
I had to force him out of my brain or I’d never sleep that night. Riker was everything I’d ever dreamed of as a young girl who read romance novels about men who carried swords and defended their fair ladies on the cobblestone streets of London as they dueled the enemy. I could picture him, those broad shoulders stretching a cape wide as his sword flashed in the lamplight and caused his ruby pinkie ring to sparkle like crimson fire. I was his lady and he was fighting for my honor.
Jesus, I have to stop thinking like this. I was letting romantic fantasies take control. When I made it back to the cottage, it was dark. I hadn’t thought ahead to leave a light burning, and I made my way into the bedroom without turning one on. I hoped I could keep the fantasy alive in my head long enough for me to fall asleep. I was sure my dreams would be of Riker and that flashing ruby ring.
When I awakened the next morning, my hand was lying on my pussy. I lifted my hips to feel the pressure as they touched one another, but I knew that Melanie would be there soon. I had to get out of that mode. I threw on a heavy robe and hit the shower, emerging just as she walked in the door. Riker was right behind her.
“Hi,” I said in general. It se
emed safer that way.
They both nodded. “I’ve got work to do in the crawlspace,” Riker said curtly, his eyes glancing at me quickly for a reaction. I purposefully wouldn’t look at him straight on. He turned and left the room hurriedly while Melanie sauntered over to the kitchen counter and began making coffee. I was sure she sensed that something had happened, but she wasn’t quite sure what. You could smell the scent of attraction between Riker and myself.
Now, in the bright light of day, I felt some surprise that Riker had made those moves. I didn’t think I was his type, although I really couldn’t say what his type might be. Maybe it was more that I felt he could do better than me. Why was I doing that to myself? He was obviously attracted to me, right?
“Something going on?” Melanie asked, her tone suggesting that she was digging for weakness.
“No, should it be?” I was trying to stay ahead of her and not let on to what my brain had already succumbed to. “Did you finish that chest of drawers?”
She wasn’t to be deterred. “I’ve seen a hundred men like him, you know. They only want to get in your pants and then they’re gone, just like that.” She snapped her fingers in emphasis.
“A hundred of them, huh? You’ve been a busy girl.” We were circling verbally, testing our swords against one another’s defenses.
She went on. “He’s not all that bright. I figure he’s got something in his past that’s pretty dark, or he wouldn’t be bent on saving the world from juvenile rejects.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a little judgmental? I happen to think he’s brighter than either one of us, and the fact that he’s willing to dedicate time to helping troubled youths says a lot about his character. But then, we each have different perspectives, don’t we, Melanie?”