It's All About Faith Pt. 10

"He's been out of town. Besides it wouldn't be right to have him here."

"You have the right to do whatever you want."

"I have the right, but I still think that would be cruel and unforgivable of me." Buck said nothing more and went to the computer room and logged onto to check his e-mail.

Chapter One Hundred Sixty Two

Buck was on his way to a construction site when he got a call from Carly. "Hi Buck, you doing okay?"

"It's good to hear your voice, how are you?"

"I'm fine. I was with Kali last night and we spent part of the evening talking about you and Anita. Well you mostly. Kali said she suggested you stay with me until something is figured out."

"Did she also tell you what I said?"

"She did as a matter of fact. When can you move in?"

"Carly, I'm not going to do that."

"Let me guess. You're afraid that we'll screw our brains out and you'll end up never leaving or whatever."

"I don't know what I'm afraid of. You and I have a special relationship."

"Yeah, we enjoy talking to each other."

"You know there's more to it than that."

"Buck, I know you love Kali. Why you two can't do something about that I still don't understand, but that's up to you two. Look, I have a guest room with its own bathroom."

"Right, a guest room, not a motel or a rental. Friends and fish smell after three days, haven't you ever heard that?"

"Well, you have to shower if you live here."

"You're too cute, and I appreciate you trying to help, and I love you, but the answer is still no."

"You do not love me."

"I love you like a sister."

"You'd make love to your sister?"

"Well okay, more than a sister...different than a sister, whatever." Buck was so tempted by her offer, but he knew that wasn't the answer. He also knew he had to do something before he changed his mind. "Don't worry about me love, I'll have an apartment by tonight."

"Okay, but I'm serious."

"I know and thank you, love."

Buck worked until lunch and then spent the rest of the day getting an apartment and moving his clothes and other essentials. Doing that really magnified the reality of his situation. He also knew that he had to have everything out of the house that he was going to take, because Doug would almost certainly be there and he wasn't ready to deal with that just yet.

That all happened on Wednesday and he was still getting his mind around that Thursday when Faith called him again. "Hi Buck, it's me."

"Good morning."

"Are you adjusting to your new life?"

"Working on it, I just moved into an apartment last night in fact."

"That wasn't much fun was it?"

"Not much fun at all."

"I know. My move was voluntary and it was still traumatic."

"Where do you live now, Faith?"

"Williamsport, or rather on the outskirts of it, I have all of one acre, can you believe that?"

"That must feel like an apartment to you."

She laughed and said, "Yes it does. I so miss being able to just walk outside without worrying about being dressed."

"I'm sure you do."

"Buck, are you going to Phoenix Lane this weekend?"

"Mitch, Layla, Kali, and I were talking about doing just that to talk about future plans."

"Could you come early, say Friday night? I want to talk business with you for an hour or so, maybe over dinner. One advantage of living in town, is I have restaurants to choose from. It's my treat of course."

"Faith, I'm close to broke, so if this is about buying more or whatever, I don't have the means."

"No, I'm not selling anything, love, but that's all I'm telling you until dinner. Can you make it?"

He told himself to say no, but what did he say? "Yes, I can make it. Just tell me where and when."

"The Olive Garden would be best, because it's not far out of your way. Say six?"

"Yes, I know where the Olive Garden is. See you at six then Faith, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again." Then he called Mitch and told him about the change in plans.

"Buck, be careful buddy."

"She can't hurt me now. I own the property and I'm near broke, so she can't take it back or sell me more. I'm just curious what she's up to now."

"I have to give Faith credit for one thing. She may get knocked down, but she doesn't stay down for long. I'll be curious what she has to say and how she looks. I'll also be curious what Kali has to say about seeing her again." That was the next thing Buck had to do, call Kali and tell her the news.

"Hi Kali, it's me."

"Hi, hon, how is the move going?"

"I'm as in as I'm going to get. Listen, I got a call from Faith."

"This can't be good."

"She wants to have dinner with us Friday night in Williamsport and talk business. Now before you say anything I told her I couldn't buy anything even if I wanted to, but she said she wasn't selling anything."

"What do you think she's up to?"

"I don't know. I just told Mitch that it's too late for her to change her mind about the property and I'm too poor to buy anything else, so she can't hurt me now. Can you go Friday night?"

"I can, but I won't. I'll ride up with Mitch and Layla. You go see what she's up to and we'll meet you at the apartment Saturday morning."

"Don't you want to see her and hear what her story is?"

"Not especially. I don't hate her or even dislike her for that matter. But I'd just sit there and listen to you two talk business and have my guard up the whole time. You just be damn sure you're at the apartment when we get there."

"Well, if you change your mind just say so okay?"

"I will."

Chapter One Hundred Sixty Three

Buck made it a point to be at the Olive Garden a little early and waited for Faith just inside. He smiled when he saw her come in and she walked into his arms. "It's good to see you again, Buck."

"You look great as always, Faith."

"Thank you, but with all that has been going on, I'm afraid that stress has taken its toll."

"If it has, I don't see it." They stood there with their arms around each other's waist and waited for the hostess and Buck told her, "You have me very curious about what you might have in mind."

She smiled and said, "Let's have a light dinner and talk about better days, and then we'll go back to my place and talk business. I have a nice satiny port that will be perfect for after dinner."

"I'm yours to direct." Again she smiled, but this time she said nothing.

Buck expected Faith's home to be impressive and it was. Not as ostentatious as he had expected it to be, but it was impressive and he told her how impressed he was.

"But I have no pool and not much privacy now."

"That had to be hard to give up."

"It was, but I was going crazy being so isolated out there. Okay, a taste of port and talk of business in the sunroom." Buck obediently followed her to the sunroom and they settled into soft brightly colored chairs next to each other. They talked of little things as they enjoyed their sweet after dinner drinks and then Faith asked him, "Have you made firm plans for what you'll do with the hundred acres?"

"Not firm plans, but we made some drawings of what we think we want to do with it."

"More homes for Phoenix Lane I assume."

"Right. In stages though. Half a dozen homes and wait to see how that goes. You're not going to ask me to sell it back to you are you?"

She smiled and said, "No. I have no need for more property of any kind and as long as I don't do anything like I did with Discovery I have more money than I'll ever need or even want. I only make mistakes of that magnitude once."

"Still beating yourself up over that?"

"I am and I will for a very long time. I was told not long ago that Ethel wouldn't speak to me if we met on the street. It hurts when I hear news like that. I don't blame her, but it still hurts. You know Buck, I'd never tasted failure before Discovery."

"That had to make it even harder for you."

"It was a terrible wake up call. Max had me believing that I could do no wrong. I also believed that all of my successes were from what I did, when in reality he was always there with just the right word or idea to save me from myself. Okay, that's all history. Let's talk about the present and the future. What would you say if I were to tell you that I know somebody that is very interested in your hundred acres?"

"Already? I'm not sure the ink is dry from our transaction."

I'd heard a rumor not long before I sold most of the farm. I gambled on the rumor and that's why I said you had to buy a hundred acres minimum. I had a strong feeling that something was brewing."

"Then why didn't you keep it?"

"Unlike Max, I'm not driven to make more and more money. I told you that I have more than I'll ever use, so why work to make even more? This way I made a few dollars by selling it to you. If I was wrong, you could still sell it for more than you paid for it. But if I was right, you could make a handsome profit; minimal risk with good potential. I believed that would be considered a good business decision, and you did too, or you wouldn't have bought the land."

"Are you talking about the whole hundred acres...I mean what if I sold, say eighty of it? Would that kill the possible deal with this other party?"

"I don't know. I can hear them whining, but it's my guess they would still take it."

"So your only interest in this is me making money. You get nothing out of this at all."

She leaned toward him and reaching for his hand she said, "I have to be honest Buck, I do have another reason I want this to happen. I can't reveal that reason yet, but I will promise you that I'm not doing anything illegal or even hurtful. It's a personal issue much more than anything to do with business. Buck, I want you to succeed. I want all of you to succeed and to see Phoenix Lane to prosper. Beyond wanting the best for all of you, your successes will also benefit me in my reach for my goals."

"Pretty Faith, I don't know what you're up to, but to answer your question, yes I might be interested in selling eighty acres, but I have to talk to the others before I could commit myself."

"I understand."

"Come out to the apartment tomorrow and you and I can talk to the others."

She lost her smile and looking down said, "That wouldn't be a good idea, Buck."

"Faith, you won't be stoned or even spurned. I know all of that bothers you, but the best way to deal with demons is to face them down. Go in with your back straight and your chin up." It was easy to see she was struggling with the idea, and that was the first time he had ever seen Faith lose her confidence. "If you'd rather not be seen, then call me when you get there and I'll bring you up through the garage."

She stood up and extending her hand to him he joined her and she put her arms around him. "I'll do as you ask, but on one condition. Take me to bed before you go." "Now that is an easy request. I'd be honored, love," and he followed her back through the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. As he undressed her he told her, "Just for your information, I had every intention of attempting to get you into bed anyway." Faith was the same good looking woman that he remembered and she responded to his touch as he remembered. But there was a newness to her at the same time. Maybe it was all in his mind, but she seemed to be into their lovemaking more than she used to be. She was a more active partner now and less concerned with her being satisfied above all else. They made love and that was over soon, at least that first part was. She was still under him and his cock wasn't about to go completely soft as she whispered to him and they shared soft kisses. He was lying on her and his left hand was teasing her right breast and she would move her hips just enough to keep them stirred up.

"Buck, it feels so good to be with you again. Remember that night when I called you up to join me on stage and we made love?"

"Of course I remember that night. I think we were good together that time too."

"We were better together this time though." Their teasing continued and Buck's cock responded to Faith's teasing moves, so it wasn't long before he was sliding in and out of her again and she was whispering to him as she begged him to fuck her hard and fast again. He did his best for them and though he didn't have another orgasm in him, Faith did and he watched her as it hit her. She closed her eyes as she rode it as long as she could and then they shared a soft kiss. "Buck, I wish I had more to give you."

"I wish we both did, but I'm used up too."

They washed up and she stayed naked and watched him dress and said, "I hope I'm not making a mistake by coming to Phoenix Lane tomorrow."

"I don't see how that can be a mistake."

"I do, but I'm coming anyway." It was getting late and Buck wasn't about to spend the night with her. She walked him to the door but stood back as they kissed and then he left closing the door behind him.

He wasn't a mile from Faith's house when he called Mitch and they talked about what Faith said, and that he'd talked her into joining them at the apartment to talk more.

Chapter One Hundred Sixty Four

Buck had snack bars and coffee for breakfast, and then showered and dressed and went to the balcony and enjoyed the cool morning air. The area was now wearing a bright spring green coat of leaves and grass and he enjoyed the view until he got too cool and his coffee was cold. He still had at least two hours until the others would arrive. He'd seen Rod and Adriana in front of their condo, or at least that's who he assumed it was because they were too far away to be certain. Wendy was gone now so that was quite a change. Wendy was good at taking life one day at a time so she was rarely down in the dumps. She had a boundless faith that things always worked out in the end. As he poured another cup of coffee, he thought about Faith and classified her as a survivor. A rich one to be sure, but she was surviving losing most if not all of her friends, both from Discovery and friends of Max and her. She survived the embarrassment of losing tens of millions of dollars and her much loved Discovery. Faith was rich, bored, and lonely, was his assessment of her now. Did that make her any more dangerous or vulnerable? It was impossible for him to decide.

Buck was still on those thoughts when Faith called and said she was out at the garage door. He put his cup on the counter, went down and let her in and they shared a warm embrace. "I just want you to know Buck, that I'm doing this for you. I feel very uncomfortable being here."

"Come up and have some coffee with me and give yourself time to adjust." As they went up he watched her shorts clad ass swing back and forth in front of his eyes so he said, "This alone is enough to make me glad you came love."

She stopped with her foot on the next step and looked back down at him with a smile. "Now we both know you aren't love starved."

"No you saw to that last night, but the view is still most excellent, and I thank you." They went up the last few steps and he followed her into the kitchen. "Coffee, Faith?"

"Yes, thank you." He poured the last into their cups and started another pot and then turned to her. "Let's go out and enjoy the view from the balcony."

"Buck..."

"I was just out there and hardly anybody is even stirring right now."

She wasn't eager to be there and even more she dreaded going out onto the balcony. She led the way and once outside she looked around and admitted, "The balcony idea was a very good one. I like it from up here."

"I do too. Sometimes I'd rather sit up here rather than go down."

"When will the others be here?"

"Probably not for awhile, but it's hard to say. Oh, I just thought of something, be back in a second." Buck was back a few minutes later and stood beside her with his cup in his left hand and his right arm around her waist. "It's good to have spring with us finally."

"One of my favorite seasons.

Buck saw them out of the corner of his eyes, but waited until they heard, "Morning, Buck."

"Morning, Winnie, Jeff. I'd like you to meet Faith, a very good friend of mine."

They shook hands and Faith and Jeff exchanged kisses on the cheek before Jeff said, "Buck, how do you do it? You're never far from a beautiful woman."

"Don't have an answer to that one, but I'll never complain about having Faith here." They lined up at the railing and watched the trees sway in the building spring breeze as they talked. Buck could almost feel Faith smiling as she talked to the neighbors. Then Rae and Theo came across the square so Faith felt compelled to go down and say hi to them. That began Buck's plan for his resurrection of Faith. She hugged Rae who was wearing traditional tiny shorts, but a top with sleeves so Winnie wouldn't leave that alone, so she went up and changed into tiny shorts and a more revealing top and came back. Then Peggy appeared from down the road and they fell into each other's arms and held on tightly. There was still a bond there, but none of the others would know the details of that friendship.

Peggy had seen to it that the word spread, and half an hour later Ethel entered her code and came in through the gate to join the building gathering. Buck watched them closely as Ethel and Faith walked toward each other, but he didn't have to worry. They threw their arms around each other and cried. Faith's lost friends were coming back to her. As soon as they recovered and wiped their eyes, Faith went straight to Buck and hit him before she kissed him. You set me up."

"Now that wasn't my intention in the beginning."

"Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me."

"I'm just happy to see some fences being mended." The three tables were pulled closer and all of them gathered around and multiple conversations started. Then Rod and Adriana joined them. There were several strained seconds when they looked at Faith, but it wasn't long before the three of them were hugging and kissing, crying, and apologizing to each other. The air was warming nicely, so Rae led the way by stripping her top off. That nudged Winnie to do the same and in no time all of the women were topless including Faith. They all knew it was only a matter of time before they would all be naked.

Just before lunch, Kali, Layla, and Mitch arrived and they told Buck they brought lunch, so the four of them went up to eat, leaving the others to continue visiting. They ate and talked about their options and what they would like to see happen, but until they knew more about what Faith was up to they were stuck.

They cleaned up after lunch and were making iced tea when Faith knocked and stepped in. "It's just me," and she joined them. She went straight to Buck and kissed him again before asking Kali, "Did he tell you what he did?"

"No, and I'm afraid to guess." Faith just smiled and told them about Buck rallying her old friends for a gathering. Friends that she thought she had lost forever. Kali smiled at Buck and said, "Aren't you the clever one." Buck just smiled at her in silence.

"Okay," Faith said, "I owe all of you an explanation if you have time right now."

"That's what they had been waiting for so in seconds they were all gathered at the kitchen table. She looked at Buck first and then said, "When I was in the process of selling the part of our property where your hundred acres sits I heard a rumor. At first I didn't believe it, but when I thought about it and realized another parcel of an adjoining farm had sold I knew it was true. Because of that I was able to get another fifteen hundred an acre for that five hundred acre parcel that they wanted. They weren't happy that I sold a half of a mile of road frontage to you, but I told them it was a previous arrangement and couldn't be helped. They fussed and pissed, but I just told them they'd have to negotiate with you for it."