On the Rebound

"Hmmm, well if the Winstone Equity Trust is keen to have part of its property improved without costs to it then perhaps your proposals will be accepted."

Darcy suggested moving to a cheaper hotel because if the deal finalized it would take several months before renovations were designed, approved and completed and their new business with their home above it could be launched.

"No," Chanel said. "We are comfortable here with plenty of room to work on business planning. Let's go somewhere for a few days while we await the trust's decision."

"Where?"

"I've never been to Vermont."

"Okay."

She laughed and said god he was so agreeable.

"That's why I like living with you. We have tiffs, not fights, and we have rather a robust way of making up, and that usually occurs without much of a gap. I know we will be very harmonious working together in business."

"Don't expect me to like color combinations I don't accept."

"I believe I've prepared myself for that," she giggled. "Shall we leave in the morning?"

CHAPTER 2

There had been so much to do, right down to printing of business cards but Chanel had employed a small marketing firm comprising a switched-on marketing consultant Mrs Armstrong who had two young assistants, to do the promotion, legwork and attend to menial matters.

They decided not to buy cars or even one car because there was a vehicle hire business across the street from them and they entered a preferred customer deal with Lenny. Whenever they wanted a car they had only to make a call and he'd have it delivered to the door within minutes. At other times they used cabs.

Chanel loved their upstairs home. Instead of using the curtain glass wall as part of the living room, it became part of their bedroom and the front end of the dressing room led into a bathroom with a huge Jacuzzi at the far end against the glass wall. It was installed with very efficient steam extraction, room heating and sound system with earphones for use when the bubbles were being used at full blast. It was divided from the dressing area by a sliding glass door. She spent a lot of time in the spa and on most nights Darcy would join her, arriving with sparkling wine, and they would watch TV news on the wall-mounted screen with forced-air downdraft protecting it from steam and moisture.

"I'm living my fantasy," Chanel often reminded herself vocally, slipping into slightly scented water to watch a women's chat show or a wildlife documentary on TV. But as their business volume picked up she had less time to spend lounging around.

Within three weeks of the business opening, Darcy said he needed to hire a draftsman.

"That's fine," Chanel said, "I expect to require office assistance when my end of the business gets going."

They had shorted the name of the business.

DC Interior Design's first clients were very local, the parents of Darcy and Chanel's accountant. They lived in an aged ground floor apartment and Mrs Mapp wanted a new kitchen and her husband wanted the laundry made smaller and the recovered area to be closed off and to become an alcove in the main bedroom that he wanted fitted out as an office. Although a retired attorney, he still did work from clients who'd been with him for many years.

Once that work was underway Darcy received spin-off work from two other occupants in that apartment block who wanted structurally minor changes made to their apartment layouts.

Darcy's fourth client called him from an advertisement Chanel had placed in a magazine. The woman's voice had been low and sexy and he agreed to make a house call. Because of the way she'd spoken on the phone, it almost wasn't a surprise to find her wearing only panties, stockings and bra when she answered the door. She smiled sweetly and said, "Oh you have arrived earlier than anticipated."

Oh yeah? He was almost fifteen minutes late. Well there was no way he'd fill that pussy. He'd warned Chanel this might happen and she'd just smiled and said, "Well you are in business, do what's necessary to secure contracts. Just remember who your real lover is."

"You're one of the news readers on TV," he said in surprise. "I didn't make the connection when you said on the phone you were Leslie Howard."

"That's correct. I must go and grab a robe."

"Don't bother unnecessarily."

"Are you sure?"

He didn't answer and waited to be shown what she wanted.

Leslie took to him to an extension to her ground floor apartment.

"I had this conservatory added four-years ago but did it on the cheap. I want it removed and replaced with a more elegant conservatory of similar dimensions. The in ground spa pool goes and I want under floor heating. I am permitted by the owners to have this extension provided it is completely dismountable and can be attached without undue damage to the main building that must be made good at my expense. You will notice other residents have used their rear space for gardens."

They sat at the breakfast bar and discussed ideas.

Twice Leslie lifted an arm to scratch it and the breast movement caught Darcy's eye and he noticed her sly smile.

She made coffee and he made sketched and she chose one and gave him $1500 to produce draft drawings and a computerized sketch. She gave him the plans of the existing structure and that provided him with the dimensions.

Darcy left her without being mauled with her still without a robe.

Chanel greeted Darcy's return excitedly. She'd had two spinster sisters call, saying they'd noticed the signage.

"I'm going to their home in JP (Jamaica Plain) for lunch at 1:00. They intend employing me as a consultant to have their entire single-level home redecorated and with some refurnishing. The budget must be within $30,000."

"Wow you could provide great renovations with that amount of money. What is the condition of the house? Be careful of plumbing and drainage changes."

"No it's not that complicated. Katie says their neighbor is a builder and he says the condition of the structure is sound. Nancy says their décor is drab and out-of-date. Oh god I'm so excited. We must engage a receptionist so we can both be out at the same time."

"Well you're in charge of admin. Get the resources you need."

Darcy thought yeah, well if they had a receptionist he'd be free to go back and fuck Leslie. She'd been hanging out for it.

It was a quiet afternoon, only two calls that were tentative enquiries but at least it showed Nina Armstrong's marketing efforts on their behalf were bearing fruit. God bearing fruit was one of his gran's expressions. He'd not used it in years.

He worked on his computerized design on the conservatory, making it square rather and oblong like the existing one because the client with very mobile tits wish to entertain up to eight people at lunch and sometimes at evenings in summer. He intended suggesting a round table with a revolving large center set flush to the outer surface with a raised center stand for a floral arrangement so that would revolve as well.

The client who unfortunately also had a wide butt, had not said anything about the roof structure, he assumed she would be expecting it to be aluminum sections wide enough to carry the weight of the glazing, a design like everyone else had. He added a second designed featuring painted corner posts supporting oak roof trusses to support to solar controlled glazing.

He grinned, knowing if he had the money as a client he'd go for the non-conventional design.

Late next morning he emailed the two designs to Leslie, expecting the on-heat slut, er news reader currently without attentive male company, to contact him for a face-to-face discussion. Well she could be no way would he ram her knowing he was committed to a woman he was quite sure he was beginning to love.

Leslie called and surprisingly had made her decision.

"I want the oak beams and support framing. The estimated cost takes my breath away a bit but this designs looks like a design made for me, not aping the style of aluminum and poly carbonate glazing conservatories that are a dime a dozen."

"Yeah will oak doesn't come cheaply."

"I know but thanks to your sketch I can visualize the structure and know that oak would have a more distinctive and warmer look than South American hardwood."

Darcy was relieved she wasn't out to ask him to call to explain the plan in detail to give her the opportunity of squeezing him between her thighs to fill her throbbing pussy.

"It's two hours before I need to push off to the studio. Come over for coffee."

"Yeah well okay."

Too late. She'd sprung the trap and induced him to accept without thinking. Well perhaps he was overly suspicious. She could just be lonely and in need of verbal interaction.

What kind of interaction?

He sighed and thought he was stupid to accept the offer. Going to her lair, er her apartment, meant the control of the situation flowed to her because he'd weakened to become cunt-focused.

Chanel was on the phone and so he left a note saying back in two hours.

On the cab ride over to Leslie, Darcy worked to build his mental immunization to stray pussy. But before he arrived at the apartment he became aware he was under some kind of viral attack. He kept seeing tits and thighs pressing against skirts and one woman getting out of her VW Eos exposed to his gaze a huge among of bare thigh between her stocking stops and canary yellow panties.

This was unbelievable but not matter what he was seeing, his mind was out of the equation. He'd already instructed it not to be tempted by pussy or any willful actions by his client. The afternoon agenda was limited to coffee and discussion; nothing else.

Absolutely.

He wondered what she'd be like to fuck.

Darcy!

Gee he really was thinking like a jerk.

Leslie greeted him at the door wearing a knitted dress that finished at about where her groin ended. But dammit she was wearing colored thick tights.

She kissed him and as they broke his said she had great tits.

She raised an eyebrow but looked at him rather coldly and didn't reply.

Leslie stood aside to allow him to enter and Darcy saw a much older woman standing in the lobby.

"Young man you are awfully crude and you have not right to speak to my daughter like that. My goodness Leslie has been married for less than six months and here you are testing her wedding vows."

"Married?" Darcy gasped.

"Yes and you must be aware most women my age are married. Mom this is my architect Darcy Williams."

"Are you married Mr Williams?"

"No ma'am."

"Well then I can understand why you might flirt, particularly when you weren't aware Leslie has a husband. However I do think you shouldn't make such a personal remark to any woman and to call breasts tits is disgusting."

"I hear what you say ma'am."

"You surprise me young man. I was under the impression architects were like accountants and IRS officials... conservative.

"Coffee Darcy?" asked Leslie, effectively ending the inquisition.

Darcy followed the mother to the breakfast bar where the two women must have been discussing the replacement structure.

Leslie was following Darcy and as she diverted to go into the kitchen she whacked him heavily on the butt and made him jump and almost crash into her mother.

She served coffee and came around and sat beside him, pressing a hand into his thigh and she pushed a tit against his arm and held it there. She was right up against him whereas there was a 12 in. gap between her mother and him. What was Leslie up to... as if he didn't know?

Leslie learned forward to point to features on the A3 size plan and her mother then moved in much closer to Darcy. He would have accepted that both women needed to become more closely seated but then noticed right-handed Leslie was pointing to something on the plan using her left arm because the other hand was stroking his dick and exciting it.

Jesus.

Darcy sweated thinking the room was pretty quiet. If Leslie, working her hand under the overhanging countertop, unzipped him the zipper noise would sound as loud as a screech.

She didn't reach for the zip.

He drank his coffee, answered Leslie questions about weather-tightness, snow loading, ventilation and whether the structure could be successfully relocated at a later date.

He then said goodbye to the women and practically fled.

Leslie called him half an hour later.

"I'm sorry, mom arrived just after I called you and I struggled to try to get her away and was almost pushing her to the door when you pressed the buzzer."

"It's okay."

"But she embarrassed you."

"Well I deserved it."

She laughed and said at least she knew he admired her breasts.

Darcy choked and said, "Leslie I live with my business partner."

For a moment he thought that would end it. But no. She said, "Well are you on for adultery or not?"

"Um not."

She sighed and said he disappointed her but could he call with a contract to sign because she wanted him to provide working drawings and get all the approvals and hire a builder.

He sighed happily, thinking this was much more personalized and petty interaction with clients that he'd experienced working on major projects. Did he like it? Well he did like working with people. Perhaps if he filtered out all thoughts of sex with the prettier clients he might lessen the stress?

Chanel had called the Edwards sisters and had arranged to explain her interior design proposals over lunch on Sunday.

"Katie invited me to bring you for lunch and I said I'd try to arrange that. Will you go?"

Darcy was conscious of his earlier adulterous thoughts about Leslie and rather than say a guilty yes he'd go, he smiled and looked at Chanel's breasts and said yes it would be a please to involve himself to a small degree with her work.

"Oh how charming," she smiled. "Are you aware you sometimes talk to my breasts rather than me?"

Huh?

He laughed to cover his embarrassment, well-knowing what she meant.

On Sunday Darcy came out of the dressing room wearing a snappy gray suit and an Hawaiian shirt of dazzling red, blue, green and yellow floral design.

"Oh god, go back and replaced that Boys Own monstrosity with a white shirt and tie. The girls won't be expecting you to wear a suit without a tie.

"I bet the port-sipping, cucumber scoffing old ducks will have been to Hawaii a couple of times and will admire my taste."

Eying him in the make-up mirror, Chanel said dryly she'd bet his mother and his kindergarten teachers would have had many difficult encounters with him.

"That's pretty heavy kite-flying," he countered. "Rather than fictionalize, would you like to meet my parents and ask them?"

"Yes."

Darcy said carefully, "Until now you haven't mentioned you were interested to meet my parents?"

"Well we are living together and they will be curious about me."

"But why now?"

"Because until now you haven't invited me to meet them."

"Oh."

They left the bedroom happily, Darcy having said the old girls would think she looked like a princess and being accompanied by a clown.

The sisters who appeared to be in their mid-sixties opened the front door and surprised Darcy. They both wore modern-style suits and mid-calf boots instead of granny-print dresses almost to their ankles and wore full make-up.

Katie was the lively one and kissed Chanel and said, "Welcome darling. My god she looks like a princess doesn't she Nancy?"

"Indeed she does and take a look at her Prince Charming will you, dressed like a Hawaiian millionaire."

That set the tone and Darcy occasionally glanced at Chanel and caught her smiling at him and he teased and provoked their hosts in light banter.

Instead of port everyone drank a highly potent Martini.

After they finished lunch, Darcy said mildly, "I wonder if one of you could call your builder and let me talk to him?"

"Yes of course," Nancy said. "Come through to the kitchen. Kevin is our nearest neighbor."

When Nancy returned her sister asked what was that about? Nancy said she had no idea and they looked at Chanel who shrugged and said Darcy had said nothing to her.

They were in the living room when Darcy returned and he said, "This is a very large area. Was it always open to the dining room and the TV area?"

"No," Katie smiled. The dinning and TV rooms were separate rooms. We had Kevin remove the walls facing here to open everything up, to make our home appear more modern inside."

"It certainly has done that."

The front doorbell went.

"That will be Kevin who is bringing a pair of overalls for me. We need to go into the enclosure above the ceiling to take a look."

"Is there a problem?" Katie asked, looking worried.

"Hopefully just a small one," he smiled.

"Tell them," Chanel urged.

"We'll know within fifteen or so minutes. There is no sense worrying over something that might not be much of a problem."

He left for the kitchen with Kevin to put on the overalls and the two women returned to Chanel looking greatly worried.

"I think he must have noticed a deflection in the roofline when approaching the house," Chanel said. "I saw him examining the ceiling and he showed no concern. Had it been something bad I think the ceiling would have been showing cracking."

"Well it's reassuring to be told that," Katie said, looking reassured. Nancy still looked very worried.

The men arrived into the living room smiling.

"No real problem," Kevin said, showing yellow teeth. "The ridge beam, that heavy piece of lumber that supports the rafters of your gabled roof, has not supported the extra span although the calculations I had done indicated it would with sufficient margin to spare. Perhaps there is a slight weakness in that beam at that spot where there has been some deflection, probably due to the weight of heavy snow earlier this year. I accept responsibility and will pay for the remedial work that will require two RSJ sections of steel welded together to form a 'T' shape that will lie flat. That will distribute the weight of two new support poles for the ridge beam after it is carefully jacked up till it is returned to its originally level."

"That's correct," Darcy said. "I'll do the design of the steel sections based on appropriate calculations and will be here to supervise the jacking and I'll check the level by laser. Nothing too it really and the work and material will not be particular costly. Kevin and I intend working closely together when I need quotes for jobs I get in this district, and because of that there will be no charge for my work on this little job."

The ladies were delighted, Chanel looked pleased and Katie said, "You boys could do with a beer, and hurried to the kitchen.

When they were driving home in the rented car, Chanel said, "That Kevin is a rogue. When approaching that house every day he must have noticed the deflection if you could."

"Well that's just it. If he saw it each day he'd see no change because any change wouldn't be sudden and his eye would tell his brain everything looked normal, well theoretically anyway. But Kevin is fifty-three and no longer has sharp eyesight, Further, I noticed the deflection because I've been trained to look for that sort of thing. Are you aware houses on piles can sink slightly at one end, both ends or just around the middle because no soil testing was done before all the piles were set at exactly the same height without regard to soil composition and bearing capacity?"

"Omigod, it sounds as complicated as the drop in the length of drapes."

"Eh?"

* * *

Darcy hired a car at Philadelphia Airport and as they drove off Chanel said, "Why are you being so secretive about your parents?"

He smiled and said, "I didn't want my parents to be a disappointment to you compared with how I found your parents and also the act of discovery is a fine experience."