Carefree Cove Ch. 07

He sat staring at her for several long moments. "I'm glad you came back." The air conditioning switched on again, and a bird sang outside. "Will you keep in touch with your daughter?"

"Oh yes. By e-mail. I've forbidden her to come here, she doesn't even know exactly where I'm living, just somewhere in southern Missouri." She looked out the window for a few moments, and sighed. "After a couple of years, I'll let her visit me here, maybe. When some water's gone under the bridge."

"Good for you." They sat in silence for several moments. "Let me show you what I've been up to."

Tom unrolled the huge canvases that were his playground; he made a mental note to add some swirls and spots to counterpoint the work already done. Then he showed her his finished realist portrait of her as Mother Nature, standing before a waterfall with a garland of flowers in her hair, holding a single flower in front of her sex, her gleaming smile providing contrast to the shade- muted natural light.

"This one is done, " he said quietly.. "Approve of this subject?"

"I think this one is all right." Turning, she gave him a peck on the cheek. "You've have been working hard the past couple of days. Explains the sleep you haven't had." He slipped his hand around her.

"Right," she sneered, and licked his ear. His breath grew shorter, and she pressed her body into his side, grinding her crotch into his hip.

"Oh, my God, that's going to rewrite my priorities today," he moaned.

"Good," she said, licking his ear. "You've been working too hard; it's time for some proactive recreation."

He turned to embrace her several long moments, their lips locked. "Did you say it was time for some procreation?"

"Silly," she smiled, and pulled him back close to her.

They went back out to the lounger on the deck. It was still shaded, but wouldn't stay that way for long. She stripped him naked after sitting down, letting his manhood slither over her cheek as she pulled his trunks down. Her tongue quested forward into the nest before her, questing for the downy soft eggs to lick and suck as she stroked his shaft. Trembling, he sighed and moaned, his hand burying itself in her hair.

Standing up, she undid her top and pulled it away to reveal her tear drop, sun kissed breasts. He knelt and pulled her bottoms down, marveling at the shaven pelvis before him, licking the bare skin as she parted her legs for him. His tongue quested deep into the valley before him, looking for the little hilltop within, to coax the water from the well. She shivered as he worked.

He laid her on her back, and slipped himself inside. Sweat began to pour from their bodies as they made love under the trees, the shade pulling slowly away from them, until they were in broad daylight, pumping frantically. She erupted in her climax, drenching the cushion, and held him tightly as the length of the orgasm thrilled her.

When her breathing came back to normal, she pulled away from him, rolled him on his back and began pumping the red rooster with her hand. He rolled on his back, and she went down to begin licked and sucking him until his moment arrived and he poured his liquid love between her eager lips.

After he recovered his sense, they went back inside to cool off and take a quick shower. They refreshed themselves in the cool water of his shower; as he was washing her back, he said: "We'll have to clean that cushion. Don't think it's quite time to teach Amanda about female ejaculation."

She laughed. "All right, it will be here before you know it. Shall we go out for lunch?"

"I think so. I'm getting hungry, and I need more than you to snack on. How about the Q and A Bar and Grill?"

"All right. Right after we towel off."

"Right after we towel off and get dressed."

As they rode into town, Michelle cleared her throat. "I've got another secret," she murmured.

"Yes," he replied.

"I've been going out with another man." Her face was fixed on the scenery outside.

"Yes? Here?" His eyes were fixed on the curving road.

"Yes. He was so kind and courteous, witty and charming. Rich as the Donald, well, rich enough. He took me out a couple of times, treated me like a queen."

A pause. "I see. The appeal is understandable. Do you want a sugar daddy?"

She shook out her hair and let out a profound sigh. "It's tempting."

A moment and passed, and Tom fought the urge to spew forth everything he knew about Mutt Hayes and how he saw them together over the past few days. Gripping the wheel hard, he decided to fight and urge and let her reveal her side in her own time. A right turn, and he murmured: "Is he married?"

"Yes," she whispered. "But he's not happy."

"How many times?"

"It's his third."

"And how can you trust him if you end up with him?" he said blankly.

She shrugged his shoulders. "I thought about that a lot when I was traveling." A leaf brushed against the window. "In the end, I guess not." she said at last. "If he's willing to cheat on her with me, like he cheated with her on his first wife, what guarantee he won't dump me if someone better comes along? What kind of leverage is he going to use to keep me in line? I've gone through that with Donald back in Maryland; I don't want another ride on the Titanic."

He hummed to himself, and signaled a turn. "Are you going to see him again?"

"I don't know. I know I don't love him; that came clear as I was driving back yesterday. Yesterday he took me out on his boat all day, me in my tan bikini, him in his straw hat, polo shirt, Hawaiian shirt, and black socks under his Birkenstocks. A man that much older; what would we talk about after the relationship get routine? I've already had one uncommunicative man; I don't need another. He's smooth, too smooth."

He held her tightly. "Well, I can just take it as it goes."

She leaned over the kissed him on the cheek.

The Q and A Bar and Grill was moderately busy for a Saturday lunch. Chigger Jones was ensconced at the end of the bar, flirting outrageously with Marge Robinson as she tried to serve the other patrons nearby. He waved at the frantically when he saw them to come over. "Hi Tom, hello, young lady. You gotta to hear what's coming over the news right now."

The announcer's voice cut through the hubbub of the bar, which stilled as he made the special announcement: "Last night, the tentacles of a child pornography ring were discovered in southern Missouri in the little town of Seville Hills. Mr. Thaddeus Harcourt 'Mutt' Hayes was arrested at his home after an investigation led authorities to his home computer. At least two young women have made out sworn statements that Mr. Hayes regularly abused them as early as age 14, and others have come forward in the past couple of hours.

"A search of his computer revealed hundreds of files downloaded from a distributor in Denmark. Tracing the connections from there lead authorities to Seville Hills. Mr. Hayes was arrested in the midst of an act of incest with a young female member of his family. He is being held on a quarter of a million dollars bond. . ."

The barman turned the sound down and turned the closed captioning on for those interested in more.

"Ain't that somethin'? Always thought ol' Mutt was up to somethin'" Chigger declaimed. "That picture of Maria, all that big talk, all the ogling the girls at the pool."

"You've hardly turned your head away from the girls at the park since I've known you," Tom observed.

"There's one thing to look and another to do somethin' about it. I'm no saint, but I don't make a big deal of it."

"Is there any word about any other targets?"

"Nope. Guess that won't come out 'till there's more arrests."

"How's Hoot doing?"

"Freddy saw Hoot this mornin'. Said Hoot's doin' real well, should be out in a couple a days. Don't think he'll be up for dominoes this Wednesday, but that tough old coot may fool us."

"I don't think so either. Well, we need to get a bite."

Chigger lifted his eyebrow. "I guess you do, I guess you do. How're you doin', Michelle?"

Michelle gave him a forced smile. "Fine, Chigger, doing fine."

"Good. Don't let this big boy get any big ideas, hear?"

She laughed. "Okay, Chigger. Thanks."

Tom and Michelle got a table in the back, and received menus from Margie, who dutifully recited the specials. Coffee arrived and orders were made. She looked abstracted, he watched her and glanced at the other patrons. "I'm just floored about Mutt's arrest. Did you think he might be involved in something like this?" she said at last.

"Never really suspected it, but it fits. Mutt's always taken advantage of people around here. A guy tried to unseat him at the last election; the man found the title to his lakefront in dispute and had so many legal troubles, he settled the court case and went home. That developer who tried to start a resort at Carefree Cove got short circuited when Mutt found out it was going to be a gay community."

"Men can be so two faced," she said poisonously, her face set. "To think he was fucking young girls, and he wanted me to be with him." She shuddered delicately. "It was a close call: I've just avoided a monster."

"Be careful about convicting someone before they've gone to trial."

"Oh, I know the kind of bastard he is. Promising everything to everybody, throwing money and influence around, threatening where he can't sweet talk. Check please, I just left my husband, thank you. I'm done with two faced bastards."

They went home and separated for a quiet afternoon and evening. Tom developed more prints of his photographs, Michelle bustled around her house, cleaning the residue of three day's absence. Tom managed an uneasy nap that afternoon.

Michelle and Tom met for a salad in the early evening, finding their way upstairs to look at the pregnancy collection.

"I miss being pregnant; I loved it," she said, looking wistfully at the series.

"That's weird, Michelle."

"You have a choice, Thomas: call me Micki or call me Shelley."

He thought for a moment. "Micki. I like Micki. Amanda can call you Shelley."

She kissed him on the cheek, licking his ear. "Only my lovers call me Micki."

"Glad I qualify."

She looked at the last three paintings in the collection. Renee was pensive for every sitting, her body looking more and more stiff as it became more gravid. The scene of her with her baby was striking: the infant was peaceful, nursing at her breast, but she held the baby away from her body stiffly, obviously uncomfortable with the burden, her eyebrows tense as she looked at her child. "Some day Amanda's going to realize what this picture means," she said seriously.

"I know, and it makes me uncomfortable. But I want her to come to her conclusions herself. When she asks questions, I'll tell her the truth and let her work out how to deal with it. Right now, she sees herself in her mother, sweet and loving. She doesn't know her mother ran away from her and died far away with another man. When she's ready to ask, I hope I'll be ready to answer."

She caressed him from behind. "Ready for bed?"

"Sure."

*******

"Daddy! Daddy!" The blonde thunderbolt flashed through the Great Room when she spotted her father, leaping into his arms and burying him in dozens of feather kisses in greeting. Michelle slipped back to her house around dawn, so Tom had some time to recover before Amanda got home. "Ya miss me, Daddy?"

He smiled broadly as he held her in the middle of the room. "Absolutely, sweetheart. Did you have a good time?"

"It was the greatest, Daddy. You should have seen the rodeo yesterday."

"In a minute, baby. I need to talk with your Grammie before she goes. Take your bags upstairs and we'll unpack." Amanda ran back to take her little bags upstairs, a one girl stampede on the steps. Tom went out to help Gracie bring the rest of the bags inside.

"How's it going, Gracie?"

Gracie gave him a wan smile. "I survived it, barely."

"Why did you take so long coming home?"

"Had a hard time letting go. We had such a wonderful time, priceless, and I didn't want it to end."

"It's going to take you days to recover."

"Thanks all right. I'm going to by lying around enough from Tuesday on."

"Thanks." It was difficult to persuade Amanda into coming out and saying goodbye, but Tom did it. Amanda only spared a hug and a quick kiss before running back inside. Gracie sighed and got back in her car for the trip back to her trailer park. Tom carried the rest of his daughter's bags back in the house and she spent most of the afternoon relating her adventures in Branson.

To be concluded...