Redwood Nine Ch. 04

"Are you okay, mister?"

Stan caught himself and took a few deep breaths, assuring them he was fine. They could see a sadness in his eyes, despite his smile worn weakly. He knew they were aware and lowered his eyes.

"My son, Lester, was killed in Vietnam a few days ago. We just got news of it today. That's where we all were earlier. My oldest boy Piney and JT, came with their friends and paid their respects to my wife and I. We just got back here to try and clean this place up."

Suzy and the other girls felt for him deeply, all expressing their sadness at his son's passing. Mary turned to look at Piney, seeing a man she felt an admiration for, beyond her own secret lusting for him. He was a man she could see had a commitment and had a strength to keep to that commitment. Knowing he had just lost his brother, she saw that he wasn't about to dwell in the misery of loss, but was dedicated to being with his other brothers and helping them live. She looked at the big Irishman and felt the lust of physical want of him, but Piney touched her on a deeper level, one that opened some pages in her heart and wrote words about him there.

When the guys saw that Stan was back, they took a break and dusted themselves off and pulled down their makeshift masks. They saw the girls acting warmly towards him and knew he must have told them of his loss. Stan turned and saw the guys coming over.

"Hey guys, the girls were just telling me that this was the closest they were coming to dinner tonight. You won't mind if I take them back to the house for a bit and let them eat?"

Piney was first to encourage them to go, then the others agreed and urged them to go and enjoy the food, as well. It was obvious they had nothing to do there, but get dusty and dirty and eat junk food, so they agreed and Stan had them all get in his car and he took them to his place. The guys were happy for a break and opened the beer and bags of chips, doing nothing more than wiping their hands on their pants and reaching in the bags. They talked over some of the ideas and they came up with a general floor plan, of how it would eventually look like. Without thinking, Wally began rolling a joint in front of everyone, including Jake.

"What's that you got there, Wally?"

At first, Wally didn't equate what he was doing as anything untoward, until he realized who asked the question. At first, he tried to cover it up, but realized how stupid it seemed. He looked at the others and in guilt, came clean to Jake.

"It's just some pot, Jake. I like to have a hit after work and unwind. Find it works better than booze and no hangover in the morning."

Jake looked at Wally's face, reading it and his eyes. He motioned for him to pass it over and Wally hesitantly gave it to him. Jake smelled it and felt it, then passed it back.

"Loco weed. Tried that down in Santa Fe one time. Tasted like burning rope, can't say it did much for me."

That had the tension level drop immeasurably, in an instant, as they waited for Jake's reaction. He watched Wally finish rolling and lit it up, sniffing the air.

"Smells a bit different from what I remember."

Wally took several puffs, then testing how far Jake was willing to allow it, he motioned to pass it to him. Jake looked at it and then quickly to the others, seeing looks of expectation on their faces. As casually as he could, he just reached over, took it and smelled the smoke, then took several small draws like Wally had done and then blew it out. The guys waited with baited breath, waiting to see what Jake said.

"A lot nicer tasting than the stuff I tried years back. Smoother too. The other shit made me just about barf my lungs out."

The acceptance of it made everyone relax and feel at ease, as they took their turn and passed it on. Jake watched them all and studied their reactions, not seeing anything out of the ordinary in them. Once it had gone around and finished, he saw that eyes were closing and smiles were worn a little easier. For all the talk of the horrors of the plant, that kept being bombarded on them, he was failing to see any signs of what they talked about.

"Well, I don't see all the hoopla about the stuff myself. It doesn't seem to affect you guys the way they says it does, so once again, I'm going to have to believe what I see and not believe a word of what those assholes in Washington say. I don't mind you doing it, just not during work, or anywhere customers might catch wind of it, okay?"

All the guys agreed without question, thanking Jake for his understanding about it. The last of the beer in their hands was drank down and they got back to cleaning, now with a happier disposition to go on. In another hour of dedicated work, they had the bulk of the stuff out and the floor was almost bare, except for some office furniture and materials, as well as things they felt were usable. They were sitting on the table, enjoying the beer and snacks again, when Stan drove back in with the girls.

They all got out and came over, giving hugs and kisses to their partners, happy to be well fed. Stan looked at all the stuff moved out and peeked inside.

"It's all empty. Guess my help wasn't really needed."

Ann-Marie saw the look of disappointment come across his face and it saddened her to see it. She thought of earlier and knew it would maintain his happy mood.

"Mr. Winston, we needed you, thanks and tell Mrs. Winston we'll be happy to come by any time and see her. She's so nice."

Stan's face did brighten at her words and then looked at all of them, a loving smile showing warmly.

"No, thank you, girls. You have no idea how much happiness you brought to her, by coming over. She truly enjoyed having you there and getting to know you all. She told me it was almost like having a daughter and her friends over."

The guys listened to the girls talking to Stan and saw that the worst of the pain was over, his smile easily worn and a happy disposition was in his heart. They saw how he doted on them, treating them almost like daughters of his own and they lapped it up. It was just hard for them to imagine Stan's reaction, if he knew about their little Circle Jerk of Ecstasy, or their enjoyment of romping about naked. Regardless, they didn't want to do anything, that could upset the mood and destroy what had taken so much to achieve.

Stan felt the need to leave and be with his wife, but thanked everyone for their kindness and would be honoured to have them there, when Lester came home. They assured him they would be and he made sure he went around to everyone to shake hands and received kisses on the cheek from a couple of the girls. He stood finally in front of his son and JT, both showing a new happiness on their faces, ones that had been lost for such a long time. He hugged JT first, letting him know how pleased he was to have him back in his life. JT smiled even happier and said he was glad to have a father again. Stan gently held JT's cheek with his palm, a few gentle pats and a look that said all it needed to.

He looked slightly up at Piney, now a couple of inches taller than he was, looking at his only flesh and blood.

"I love you, son."

Piney's composure quivered, as the words burned into his heart, waiting in need all these years, the need to hear them. His smile broadened, as his eyes held a look of inner peace.

"I love you, too, dad."

The equal reaction in need, to hug, had them bonded in their connection, still strong in affirming it completely in their hearts it was all real. Stan reluctantly let him go and waved goodbye, as he drove away from them. The air became alive with silence, as they all stood there together. Eyes turned to look at one another, an unspoken question seemed to be shared by them all, 'What do we do now? The thoughts of sleep were getting close and most weren't in the mood to rough it out. It was nine forty now and something had to happen. Jake sensed it too and could see no one's mind was coming up with a solution to it. He went over to Keith and asked him about the woman at the motel.

"Tell me, who was the woman at the motel, who asked you to leave?"

Keith told him he didn't know her name, just that she was in charge.

"She's the owner's wife, she said. Bloody, great ring on her finger to prove it."

Jake was pretty sure he knew who she was, but his next question would confirm it.

"What did she look like?"

Keith used his hands to explain, as much as his words, to describe her.

"Aye, she was a right, nice looking woman. Five foot eight, or so, red hair, great ti.., you know, breasts. Her attitude was'ne all that nice, I'm afraid, wee bit too much on the bitchy side for my liking. Said she was there all week, so we're buggered to get back in again."

"I think I can help you guys with this one and you might not even owe me, if it works out the way I'm thinking."

Jake walked into the garage and took off his overalls. He cleaned his hands and then washed his face and brushed his hair in place roughly, with his fingers. He walked to his bike and looked over at the group standing by the building, as he put his helmet on. He looked off into space and thought about times past, a moment remembered, a smile appearing from thoughts of it. He started the Panhead and warmed it up, then pulled up to the group and stopped, the heavy thumping, pounding the air and reverberating between the two buildings.

"Just sit tight. I have to go see someone and maybe we'll have a place for you to sleep. Smoke another one of those joints if you like, no one should be coming in now."

It was his wink and the smile that left them guessing most, as he shifted into gear and roared down the lane way and out onto the street, the exhaust notes declining in volume, to a muted silence again. Eyes turned to Keith, wanting to know what Jake had asked him. He told them he just wanted to know who the woman was at the motel. With nothing else to go on, it left more questions, than answers, as a couple of joints were rolled and enjoyed.

There was little more, than dead calm at the motel, only the faint sound of a TV on in the back office, the canned laughter louder than anything else, made it a comedy show. The sound of a motorcycle interrupted the peacefulness and grew in volume, until it was certain, the destination was the motel. The noise made loose items rattle and buzz in the room, as it vibrated through the thin walls. The red haired woman watching the show, got up and closed her robe tighter around herself, then turned off the TV, walking around the outline of the late Mr. Henderson and what remained of him, then out of the back room, ducking through police tape, to go towards the counter.

Outside, Jake was doing his best to fix himself up and look as presentable as he could. The one thing he knew he had to do, was make sure he looked at the woman the right way when he saw her and his chances in succeeding in his goal, was almost a certainty. He walked to the door and opened it, just entering in, as the woman came from the back room. Both of them stopped where they were, when they made eye contact. Whether Jake had succeeded in putting forth enough of the look he wanted to give her, didn't matter. The fire that ignited in her hazel-green eyes, was more than enough for Jake to see, that a return to the past was on her mind.

"Hi, Marlene, great to see you.

"Hi Jake, great to see you too. So, what do I owe this unexpected pleasure to?"

The directness never threw Jake off his game, his knowledge of who and what Marlene Brock was, was well known.

"I heard there was a bit of trouble here earlier. Some friends told me there was an impromptu baseball game that happened and got out of hand."

"That's about as close as I'd call it, too. What the fuck is wrong with people, Jake?"

"Not sure how to answer that one, Marlene. Seems there's something wrong with everybody."

Marlene raised an eyebrow at Jake, her expression changing and body language adjusting to it.

"And what's wrong with me?"

"Not a thing, Gorgeous, not a thing."

The attitude went right back to one of interest and she invited him to come inside. She ducked through the tape and held it for him, then skirted the outline and blood and showed Jake to the couch. Jake looked at the outline and the dark stains on the thin carpet and then to Marlene, who chose to sit to his side, in the arm chair.

"See you've had the decorators in. Can't say I'm fond of the new style. I prefer the less dramatic look, helps me feel more at ease."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Jake. So, just here to see if I'm okay, or was there something else you wanted to talk to me about?"

As if on cue, Marlene crossed her legs and allowed a good view of them past her knees, as the pink, satin robe slid away. Jake could feel her eyes studying him, as he continued to look at the carpet, then started to chuckle to himself.

"Jesus, Marlene. You still have the most beautiful legs I've ever seen. No, sexy. Definitely the sexiest legs, I've ever seen."

Marlene couldn't help but smile at herself, enjoying the tease and flirt with Jake and getting what she wanted out of him. She stretched them out straight and caressed her hands up from her knees, slowly making the robe expose more of her thighs.

"Okay, enough of these, tell me what you want, Jake?"

"I have some friends down the street that are in a bit of a bind. Seems they got a job with me and moved from Lodi to Charming and of course, your place being as fine an establishment as it is, chose to rent rooms here, so they could be just down the road from work. But see, here's the problem. They finished their first day of work, plus help me clear out that big storage building and deal with some terrible news, one just lost his brother in Vietnam. We came back from his grieving parent's place and they find their girlfriends and other buddy sitting there with all their stuff."

Marlene was becoming more and more immersed in the telling, as Jake worked his brand of seduction on her. As well as she knew his weaknesses, he knew hers.

"We asked them why they were there and they said a woman threw them out of their rooms. Said they weren't registered, or something, so she tossed them out. I was shocked. I thought no way would Marlene do something like that to these good people. There must be some kind of mistake, I mean, they even had the key to give back. That couldn't have been you, I know it couldn't, you wouldn't do something like that."

Jake finished it off by placing his hand just above her knee. He looked in her eyes deeply, searching for her answer. Marlene looked at Jake, her expression one of compassion, her look showing her tender side, then quickly changed to a snide laugh.

"Fuck Jake, you're getting better with age. You could never have pulled off a story like that, without giving it away, long before you got that far. So, the freeloaders still need a place to sleep?"

Jake smirked and chuckled, shaking his head at himself.

"I thought I had it pegged. Looked like I had you there at one point."

"Yeah, you did. That part about the losing the brother, that was good."

Jake went serious on that and Marlene looked at him in wonder.

"What? What did I say?"

"He really did lose his brother, Mar. That, I'm not bullshitting you about, that's straight. I really was at his parents house and all those kids you tossed out, including me, are going to welcome him home when he lands and pay our respects, to lay him to rest."

Marlene took his hand and held it in hers, showing true response of her sadness in her eyes.

"Seriously? Damn, Jake. I'm so sorry. How many more kids have to die? It just gets worse and worse, every time I hear the news. I was watching some stupid comedy show just now, because the news depressed me too much. Nothing like looking at the screen and seeing the outline and the announcer talking about it and then looking there and seeing it. I just wanted to waste some time until I was tired enough to go to sleep."

"How long are you staying to run the place?"

"As long as it takes to hire three people to take over for the other ones. Once I know they won't screw it up, I'm back south again. It's nice here in the summer, it's just too cold in the winter. Clive says he hates it up here. He only has this place to use as a write off and couldn't give a shit about it. I kind of like it, myself. Little fixing up and some paint. I certainly like the scenery."

Her hands gave away her feelings, as much as her eyes did, as she looked at Jake.

"I can help you out I think, if you can help me out."

Marlene took it intimately and leaned forward, her bountiful cleavage coming into focus and played its part.

"What do you have in mind?"

Marlene's playfulness showed in her smile and her mannerisms, as she waited for Jake to tell her.

"I think I can get a couple of the people you need right away. Couple of the girls back there would be more than happy to work here for you. Better than serving tables, or taking off their clothes. They seem smart enough, from what I've seen, so they shouldn't be a problem. Anything that needs fixing, got a strapping, big Irishman you just kicked out, could turn his hand at a few things for you. Want the place to look nice, you got a live in handyman to do whatever you need. How's that?"

Marlene was smiling happier and happier as he went on. Once he finished, she looked at him coyly.

"So, what would you like in return, Jake?"

Her hand found its way onto his leg and was rubbing it softly and suggestively, her eyes focusing on his.

"Need rooms for those people I mentioned just now. Would really help in me closing my place, so I have the chance to do other things, I'd rather be doing."

Marlene was good and read every word between the lines easily. She patted his leg and rubbed it, looking into his eyes.

"Go. Tell your friends to come back and have their rooms. I'll meet them in the morning and see if I agree with your assessment of them. I do like the Irishman, very cute. And Jake, hurry your ass back as well."

Jake smiled and pulled her into a kiss.

"Darlin', once that gate is locked, I'm not waiting for anybody to get here. Leave me some hot water for a shower and a spot on the bed beside you and I'll be there to warm it soon."

Marlene had lust written all over her. As much as they were no more than good friends together, at best, they lusted hard for each other in bed. One thing both of them knew, since they met and since they parted, was first loves never die, they just get brought back, to relive at a later time. Whenever fate brought them together, they never wasted the chance to rekindle the flame and burn in its sinful pleasure. Clive Brock might have been 'lucky' enough to marry her, after she left Jake, but he never got all of her heart when she said, 'I do'. Jake had won that prized part of her, despite his misgivings. It took little to retain it in her though, knowing she had the best of everything from one man and one man who brought out the best of everything sexual in her.

Jake kissed her with that familiar passion and she responded with her body presenting itself to him. He broke away and looked at her on the verge of entering lust, smiled at her and patted her firm ass.

"Hold that thought, I'll be right back. Just leave the keys behind the counter for them and they can get them themselves. I want you ready for me."

Jake turned and made his way to the tape and carefully stepped through. Once he made it and stood, he heard Marlene call his name. He stopped and turned to her, as she let the robe slip from her shoulders and slide to the floor. The sheer white nightie barely covered her anywhere, its shortness almost exposing her crotch, while the deep vee plunged so dramatically, there was no chance to miss the view she presented