Alex and Penelope Ch. 01

Author's Note: This is an erotic novel in many chapters. This first chapter is the set up for what's to come, simply for the character development and scene setting a novel requires. It's my first time submitting to Literotica.com, and I appreciate you taking the time to read what I so enjoyed writing. Thank you.

***

The summer after graduating high school had been filled with camping and hiking with friends and family before Penelope started college in the fall. She'd grown up in a tiny town, her graduating class less than a hundred, but had been accepted to many colleges after years of hard work.

She'd earned most of the scholarships available to her, as well as working a part time job to save, but the in the end, the money would barely get her through her first year anywhere other than a local community college, and even that was a good three hours from home.

Penelope had a godfather that was loaded, though she hadn't seen him since she was ten. He was a busy man who worked all the time, but had sent her money for her first car, along with extravagant gifts for her birthdays and Christmas presents over the years. He'd offered to pay for her college no matter where she went, but it was on her parent's suggestion that she choose the one closest to him.

"When he offered the full ride, his first suggestion was the university near his estate. He'll never have any children of his own, and he considers his own siblings money grubbers," her mother had explained one afternoon. "I have no doubt that you're high on his list as an heir. He loved you the second you were born."

Penelope's mother had given birth to her when she was sixteen, her father twenty. While typically the choice for a godfather would be someone much older, they'd chosen her mother's best friend, Alex. Two years after Penelope had been born and he'd graduated high school, his great grandfather had died and left him his estate. He'd moved there and attended the same university he'd suggested to Penelope, and had managed to make the money left to him ten times over.

"But I don't know him," Penelope had argued. "Why would he care to know me?"

"His life keeps him busy, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you still," her mother had said. "Alex is a good man, and he's done a lot for this family even though he didn't have to. Choosing a college close to him will give him a chance to know the beautiful woman you've become. It's very generous that he's offered to pay at all, so going to live with him while you attend would be as good as a thank you."

Penelope wasn't too sure, but she couldn't argue. She was grateful to this man she didn't know anymore, and staying close to him for the next four years as a thank you was the very least she could do.

A month before school would start, Penelope said goodbye to her mother and father, tears in their eyes, and boarded a plane to the unknown. She'd never been too far from home, and it was extremely scary to be moving away to live with the godfather she'd only communicated with through thank you cards and the occasional e-mail.

Alex was tied up in a conference call at home, so he sent his driver to retrieve Penelope from the airport. He felt like he owed her more, but his work had, unfortunately, always come before anyone else. It was why his marriages had failed, and his third was careening down hill. Luckily he'd been smart enough to have airtight prenups, or what he'd accumulated in his thirty-four years would be gone in alimony.

He'd been a terrible godfather, and regretted that he'd ever accepted. It wasn't that he didn't care deeply for Cheryl and Kevin, even more so for their only daughter, Penelope. But the life he'd chosen had kept him away from the only family he'd ever loved; the family that wasn't his. He'd tried to make it up by sending them checks that were never cashed, unlike the many loans to his own family that had never even been paid back. He was so glad that Penelope had taken him up on his offer to come live with him. Maybe he'd finally get to know the girl he'd once held in his arms and swore to take care of.

Most of his money at this point was made through investments, but he worked from home as a business consultant, and was a shareholder in various companies across the country . Often he'd fly out on his private jet for a few days at a time to help pick up the pieces of broken companies, at a hefty fee of course. He always relished leaving; it meant nights alone and away from the third bitch he'd married. It was sad, really. He'd thought Claire was different; that she hadn't fallen for him for his money. But no sooner had the marriage certificate been signed, she'd become they typical wife of a millionaire, living extravagantly and constantly attending social functions with other wives in the neighborhood for social clout that was undeserved.

He'd grown to despise her to the point where even her gorgeous looks weren't enough to compensate. Sex was rare, mostly because of him. She'd try, he'd turn her down. He doubted they'd last much longer, so a new face in the house might cheer him up.

While barely listening to the call he was on, he heard the town car pull up in the vast circular drive and glanced out his window with a smile.

"We'll have to pick this up tomorrow," he said strongly, knowing he had the power to end the call. "I have an appointment I must get to. We'll connect at nine AM to hash out the final details."

He hung up, then stood from his desk to look out the window. His driver scuttled around the car and opened the back door, and he held his breath. He'd received school pictures of Penelope over the years, the most recent in a frame on his desk. He'd never wanted children, but she was important to him, mostly because she never wanted for anything, unlike everyone he was surrounded by.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw her. He wasn't sure what he'd expected; certainly not this. An awkward teenager from the tiny town he'd grown up in. The pretty smiling girl in his picture that he felt like an absent father to, who had no animation. Certainly no body.

At least not a body like hers.

She was tall and thin; five-foot-six or so, and barely a curve to her adolescent frame, with sandy blond hair that fell in gentle waves down her back. There was actually an awkwardness, but only because she was hesitant, staring up at his vast estate in awe, as though it were unreal to her. She was no longer the little girl he'd been envisioning, his last memory of her as a ten year old playing on a merry-go-round.

She was a young woman.

Penelope thanked Ben the driver, never noticing the hungry looks he tried to hide as he eyed her body. What a lucky man, he thought of Alex, as he'd often thought, but never as much as now. A gorgeous wife, tons of dough, and this hot chick now coming to live with him. He found himself greatly looking forward to being Penelope's escort in the future. Maybe he'd get to know her. Maybe she'd find an interest in him. Maybe he'd get to bed her, if one of the gardeners or pool boys didn't catch her first.

Looking at the large double doors, Penelope felt as though she'd entered another world. She'd never seen anything so extravagant. They'd entered through iron gates into a high brick walled stretch of land, too large to be called a yard. The house was two stories, but wide as a city block; white, with balconies and pillars. The windows were paned and tall, curved at the top.

"We'll see your suitcases brought up to your room, Miss Penelope," Ben said, opening the trunk. "Head on up, you're expected."

Gulping, Penelope walked up to the doors. Before she could knock, they swung open with an air of grandeur, revealing an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair, maybe in his mid-fifties.

"Miss Penelope," he said with a bow. "My name is Reuben. I'm Master Alex's butler."

Geez, he even has a butler! Penelope smiled, her lips quivering in fear. She was so out of her element. "Nice to meet you," she managed to squeak, ducking her head low to look around through her eyebrows.

"Alex is on a conference call, so I'll be showing you to your—"

"That's unnecessary, Reuben," came a voice. Penelope located its owner as he entered the large foyer and clapped the butler on the shoulder. "I can't exactly work on Penelope's first day here."

Penelope was stunned. He wasn't at all what she'd expected. He'd always been kind and rather amusing in their correspondence, but she hadn't seen a picture of him in years, nothing recent. The only picture she had was of him and her on their last visit, and though she'd come to see him as an attractive man now that she was old enough to recognize it, today she'd expected to see someone old. Though her father wasn't exactly old, he was certainly showing the signs of age.

Alex was not. His chestnut hair was still as full as it had been eight years ago, though slightly shorter. It was an inch or so, thick and full of body. He was thin under his expensive button up shirt and black slacks, but the sleeves of his shirt didn't hide the definition of muscles only a man who worked out often achieved.

She'd expected a father figure. What she saw now was an attractive man, exuding confidence and wealth.

"Hello, Godfather," she said, trying to be bright. The title felt awkward as it passed her lips, but she didn't know what else to call him. Luckily, he made it easier.

"Godfather makes me sound old," he said with a chuckle. He was only thirty-four. "Or like a gangster, which I'm not. Just call me Alex. You look beautiful, Penelope. Lovelier than your mother, though I never said that!"

Penelope laughed, finally feeling at ease. He was the same great guy she'd come to love as a child. "Alex it is!" she agreed, grinning.

"Come give me a hug," he said.

Penelope obeyed, embracing him with a warmth they'd shared when he'd visited her more often as a kid. And though she still felt out of her element, she was now secure in her decision to come. It would take some getting used to—well, a lot of getting used to, but now she felt excitement rather than trepidation.

Her two suitcases had been brought in, and as Alex released her, he looked over at Reuben. "Take those to her room, then check on dinner." Reuben nodded, and began lugging the cases up the enormous sweeping staircase while Alex turned his attention back to Penelope. "I hope you don't mind we'll be eating here. I want to give you time to get settled before I take you around."

"Where is Claire?" Penelope asked, searching what she could see of the house. There was a large sitting room to the left that held an open door on the far wall that looked to be an office. To the right was a hall with many doors. She had no idea how a house could hold so many rooms, let alone what could possibly fill them.

"Claire is with her girlfriends picking out fabrics," he said with distaste. "She's unhappy with the drapes in the dining room."

Penelope noticed the first hint of a sour mood, and was surprised. He'd only married her a year ago, and didn't seem too happy at the mention of her name, so she let it drop.

He didn't, however. "We're supposed to attend a fundraiser tonight, but she's on her own. She's leaving for Fiji at the end of the week, but I'm sure you'll see her around before her much needed vacation."

The sarcasm didn't go unnoticed. "Well, I'm looking forward to meeting her. I'm sorry we didn't make it to the wedding. Mom and dad . . . you know. They didn't want to let you pay for the trip and couldn't get the funds to come . . ."

"Of course," he said kindly with a small shake of his head. "A third wedding isn't too much to celebrate. Come and let me show you around."

Penelope followed Alex through the first floor. There was a large dining room with a mahogany table long enough to seat at least twenty, adjacent to an even larger kitchen, where she met Beverly, the cook. She was a plump woman with rosey cheeks and the friendliest smile Penelope had ever seen. She warmed to her immediately.

A study lined with bookshelves that held a wall of bottles and a shelf of cigars, along with leather chairs and a pool table. There was even an honest to goodness ballroom at the far end of the house. There was an entertainment room that rivaled a movie theatre. Penelope hadn't known LED TV's could get so large, and there were enough plush leather couches to seat a large crowd.

Alex brought her through the sitting room, showed her his office, then led her down another hall to a workout room. She stared through the windows at the back of the house at an enormous pool that curved into different round sections; one with a waterfall, one with a diving board and slide, and the last with a sort of cave for privacy. Chairs and tables lined the pool and she envisioned the summer pool parties she had probably missed now that fall was steadily approaching.

The grounds continued beyond the pool to the high brick wall, perfectly symmetrical in the layout of paths and greenery. In the back corner was a house the size of the one she'd grown up in, and Alex explained that Reuben lived there with his wife. There was a drive by their tiny house with a back entrance to the grounds that was all their own. Penelope thought that was nice. They had a house provided to them that was private, despite working here in the house.

Alex lived like royalty.

Finally she was brought upstairs and told that there were twelve bedrooms. When she asked why he needed so many, he laughed. "You never know when company will stay over, especially after parties when they can't drive themselves home."

He entered a room and stepped to the side for her to follow. "This will be your room, if it's okay for you."

It was more than okay. The room was regal to say the least, with crème walls and a large four-poster bed, complete with a canopy tied to each of the posts. The bedding was lilac, the pillows plush. There was a door near the bed that led to a bathroom all her own. At home she'd had to share a single bathroom with her parents. She couldn't contain the gasp.

Alex smiled, pleased by her reaction. He would do everything he could to see that she was happy here, and it was nice to be around someone who didn't take anything for granted. The day Claire had moved in, she'd started redecorating his house on his dime, saying she didn't want his house to look like his ex-wife. Not that he blamed her. Alison had had horrible taste.

As he watched Penelope slowly search the room, taking in everything in awe, he couldn't help but admire her beauty. He'd been honest in saying she was far more beautiful than her mother, and he'd had a crush on Cheryl as a teenager, something he'd never really gotten over. He'd never disliked Kevin for winning her heart though, and was glad he'd been asked to be a part of their lives when they'd had the accidental pregnancy, in the form of a godfather.

He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help his eyes as they travelled across her chest; small perky breasts below the taught fabric of her grey tee. When she turned to look out the French doors to the balcony, his eyes located her cute little ass, accentuated by her form fitting dark blue jeans.

There's nothing wrong with this. She's not my blood.

But it would have to stop. He was only looking, and wouldn't allow himself to look again.

"It's perfect," he heard her breathe. Her voice warmed him, the awe it held, and he walked over to stand beside her.

"I just hope you'll be happy here," he said. "And if you're ever not, you let me know. You don't owe me anything, and if you want to move to the campus, I'll help you in every way I can. It's my job."

He meant it. Mostly.

"I can't imagine I'd be unhappy here," Penelope said, truly unable to. This house was a paradise she didn't deserve. She had no idea what she'd done in her life to be so blessed. "Thank you so much for everything."

Alex smiled, again warmed by her appreciation. He couldn't remember the last person he'd been around who didn't want anything from him. His so called friends were superficial rich people, assholes underneath. Their wives were petty and loved to trash talk. His business associates were greedy.

Penelope was pure. He'd expected nothing less, considering who she'd been raised by, but it was nice to know she lived up to his hopes. In fact, she'd far exceeded them.

"Get comfortable," he said. "Unpack, take a bath if you want. I know travel makes me feel grimy, so just relax and make yourself at home. I have dinner scheduled in about an hour."

After thanking him again, Penelope began unpacking her things into the dresser and closet, then took him up on having the most luxurious bath she'd ever had in her life, in her very own bathroom.

She didn't know what to change into after that; all her clothes were cheap and out of place in this palace, but she tried. Finally choosing a black skirt and blue blouse, she made her way downstairs promptly at six and into the dining room.

Alex had spent an hour working out in the gym in hopes of clearing the image of her body from his thoughts. It had helped until he'd popped in the shower, but while naked with hot water beating down on his body, his thoughts got the better of him.

It's only because she's new, he'd assured himself. She's just not what I expected. After a few days it'll go away.

The dinner was a four course meal, served by Beverly. The conversation never stopped as Penelope told Alex all about her life back home, her excitement over starting college, and how her family was. Alex told her about his job, then talked about a party he'd held here three nights ago. It was easy for both of them.

Until Claire showed up half way through and joined them. Penelope had been excited to meet her, but Claire looked at her coldly after hearing Alex wouldn't be escorting her to the fundraiser.

"I already told you," he said. "Penelope just arrived and I want to be around to help her settle in."

"That's what your staff is for," she said through her teeth. Claire looked at Penelope with disdain. She couldn't believe Alex had let this country girl come live with them, and for the next four years, none the less! It had been amusing in theory, but now that she was here, it was real. She had a teenage daughter figure to deal with, and she was too damn young to be a mother. She blew out some air. "You'll have plenty of time to make her comfortable while I'm in Fiji. This fundraiser is important, and I can't show up alone!"

"We are not talking about this," Alex growled. "Especially not in front of our guest."

Claire shut up, and dinner resumed in awkward silence.

When Claire left, Penelope and Alex sat down to watch TV and talk some more, but Penelope was quickly wiped out from a four hour flight. She felt bad about going to bed so early, especially since Alex had turned down attending the fundraiser that Claire found so important, but she was nodding off on the couch.

It was Alex that suggested she head off to bed, and Penelope was grateful.

***

To his chagrin, work kept Alex occupied through much of the morning. He wished he'd had his personal assistant cancelling his appointments, something he hadn't considered until he'd found yesterday that he wanted to spend time with Penelope and get to know her. So after ending a long call, he had his assistant juggle things for the following week so he could take the very rare vacation from work. Penelope would need to go to the college and get books, and he wanted to be there. He wanted to show her around town instead of making Ben do it. He wanted to hang out with her in the house so she'd start to feel at home, and that was exactly what he intended to do.

He met her for lunch and told her his plan. Penelope was thrilled, as she'd spent the morning at a loss of what to do. It wasn't that she minded being left alone. She'd been an only child, she was used to it. But she didn't feel like this was home, she felt like a guest, so wandering the house was out of the question. She'd spent the morning reading in her room.