Carefree Cove Ch. 02

Thomas Albright sat up in bed at the beginning of a new day. His bedroom faced east, so the dawn usually served him better than an alarm clock. All was silent in the house: his four year old daughter Amanda wasn't stirring yet. Shaking the cobwebs from his head, he got up, took off his pajamas and hopped into the shower.

As he soaped himself, his manhood stirred fully. He tried to ignore it but it wouldn't go away. Rising himself, he focused on the rest of his routine and succeeded in returning to default position. Since he never knew when his little girl would invade his private space; he only indulged in self gratification when she was visiting her great grandmother.

All was quiet as he descended the stairs in a Mizzou T-shirt and sweat pants. Taking stock, he realized he had no projects going for the greeting card company in Kansas City, so he wouldn't need to telecommute for several days. He could draw or paint as the spirit moved him, although spending time with his daughter would probably take up most of his time. It was a prospect he looked forward to.

Going down to his studio, he started his iMac and leafed through his collection of pictures, raw material he'd used for several paintings Mutt Hayes commissioned for him over the years. A shot of Maria Garcia, a girl the same age as Renee. She was holding the straps of her swimsuit top aside, revealing her generous brown breasts. His mind went back to the day he delivered that painting to Mutt on a bright summer day

*******

A week after his encounter with Renee in the parking lot, Tom delivered his commissioned painting of Maria Garcia to Mutt Hayes. Mutt's home office was a huge wood paneled study with several trophies on the walls, including a huge bass over the fireplace. Two life sized classical Roman statues of Venus stood at either end of the room. The painting was a warm study in browns and reds against a blue background; Maria's teeth dazzled in this fantasy as they never had in real life. Mutt's eyes lit up and fixed on the fleshy mounds presented so richly by Tom's brushstrokes. "Tom, you're a Rembrandt, a Reubens, a Michelangelo. Two hundred and more, my friend, more."

He took the bass off the mantelpiece and hung the picture in its place, beaming proudly. "This will be an icon for me."

"Thanks, Mutt. Glad you like it."

"Did you get her to pose for you?"

"Didn't need it; your picture was enough."

"Excellent."

They regarded the painting for a moment, and Tom asked: "Say Mutt, won't your wife object to this in your study?"

"Sherrie's strictly forbidden to come in here," Mutt said calmly. "Only the housekeeper and I have a key to this room. I told her I dumped my last wife for violating my privacy. She'll stay away."

"You dumped your last wife when you found someone younger and cuter and who could deepthroat you better. But isn't Maria's mother your housekeeper?"

Mutt scratched his face. "Nothing much to worry about, I've got her under control. Oh my God, it'll be so wonderful to look at this while I blow my wad down Carmelita's throat." He closed his eyes and rubbed his crotch grotesquely. "I'll give her a bonus, and warn her if she has a problem with it, I'll call La Migra on her."

Tom shook his head. "You're really something, aren't you, Mutt?"

"Which something would you be talking about?" Mutt sneered, "A thoroughgoing bastard, an arrogant prick, or an avaricious horndog?"

"Yes."

Mutt stood with his hands on his hips and chuckled, still fixed on the new painting. "Of course, my boy, of course. Glad you noticed." He stepped up to hold his hands barely over Maria's breasts, then stepped back again. "How soon can you do the other girls?"

"It'll be a while, Mutt. Work's been a bitch lately, and I want to enter a competition in Chicago in three months."

Mutt tore his gaze away to look at Tom. "Do you want to send this one?" he asked, "I'll be happy to loan it to you."

"No thanks, Mutt. I'd like to do something more rustic, maybe something on my back deck."

"Would have been nice to have this a contest winner, but you know best. Okay, I can wait. If nothing else, I can print out the pictures from the camera and enjoy them in the meantime. No rush."

"Sure."

"Oh, by the way, your little girlie's grandmother got arrested last night." he said smugly.

"I beg your pardon?"

Mutt gave him a searching look. "All right, keep your modesty, but little Renee's granny got arrested for DUI again. Three strikes on her, and she'll have to do hard time, at last."

Tom shook his head, and thought a while. "What about her mother?"

"Whose? Renee's? Ran off when she was 12, hung out in trailer parks in Arkansas, and O'D on Crystal Meth two years ago."

"Any other relatives?"

"None worth mentioning. Gracie's lost track of 'em anyway. Good thing Renee's 18 already, it'll save some paperwork." Mutt pantomimed feeling Maria up again, eyes closed and a rapt expression on his face.

"Gracie's her grandmother?"

"Yeah," he said dreamily. Snapping out of his reverie, he looked at Tom strangely: "What are you thinking of, becoming a social worker?"

"Of course not. I gotta go."

"Sure, Tommy. Go ahead. Rebound sex is always sweet."

Tom pondered profoundly for a moment to summon his courage. "Go fuck yourself, Mutt."

Mutt smiled in appreciation. "Don't have to Tommy; got people to do that for me. Later."

The curves and hills kept him from speeding to the Thriftway, but he got there in reasonable time. It was 2:00PM, and as Tom went in to ask about Renee, he found her shelving green beans. The store was relatively empty.

Renee's face lit up when Tom approached. "Hi, Tom."

"Hi, Renee. How's it goin'?"

Tears ran down her face. "Awful."

He ducked his head to look her into her watery eyes. "Wanna talk?" She shook her head no. "Are you going to be all right?"

"I'm scared."

"Oh?"

"Yea. There's a couple rough men at the trailer court, and Grammie always had them scared to touch me. I didn't sleep at all last night: I sat up in front of the TV with her aluminum baseball bat on my lap. Now they all know she's gone. . ."

He paused and thought. "You need a safe place to stay?" A tentative nod. "I'll get you a hotel room."

"No, no, no, I don't want to be alone. They know there's only two hotels in town, and they'll look for me. Let me stay with you."

Tom looked at her for several moments. "I don't know if this is a good idea. . ."

"Please, please, please?" Tears flowed down her face. "There isn't anybody else I can trust."

"Okay, okay," he said at last. "You'll need to get your stuff from the trailer, I guess." A nod of the head. "Do you want me to go with you?"

She shook her head. "I'll be all right 'til dark. Don't have much. Sue'll look after the trailer, make sure nobody robs us. She done it before."

"Sue is trustworthy?"

"Yeah, I guess. She done it for us last year when we went to Arkansas."

"All right. Why don't I meet you here after closing? You can follow me."

"Okay." Her eyes filled again. "You're so nice to me, Mr. Albright."

"Call me, Tom."

It happened to be Methodist Domino Club night, and Tom passed the time with his buddies as he waited. Mutt was mercifully absent, and Hoot spent most of the time badmouthing him. Petey and Freddy sang harmony to Hoot's diatribes, while Chigger Jones nodded his head and drank. Chigger was the resident agnostic, an old auto worker, stout and grey headed. Tom didn't remember how he worked his way into the group, but they seemed to know him from antiquity.

Tom wasn't focused on the game, excused himself from participation, and drew some studies of his old friends as they drank and played Mexican Train. The pool girls were disappointed in the boy's lack of interest that night, gathered around a radio listening to the St. Louis Cardinals against the Cubs.

As the sun went down, the girls strode up en masse, unusually somber and damp. Their hair hung in wet ropes and their suits clung to their wet skin. Maria tapped Hoot on the shoulder: "Is it true what they said about Renee's Granny?"

Hoot looked her up and down, then her companions. "What did you hear?"

"That they're going to lock her up for ten years."

"No, I doubt that. She was caught drivin' drunk for the third time, and now she'll have to spend a few months in jail."

"She's too old to go to jail," Ashley cut in.

"No, she's only 60. Anyway, they don't put a time limit on when you can go to jail. Any of you see Renee today?"

Sharibeth spoke up: "Yeah, she went to work today. Punched out early, guess she went to see her Grammie."

"Any of you going out to check up on her?" Hoot asked.

"Why?" Ashley asked. "None of us really like her that much. We can't keep her away from the pool or school, but she's such a wuss. Besides, that trailer park's just awful, we're scared to go there."

"It would be the Christian thing to do," Hoot observed. The other old men nodded their heads gravely in agreement.

"No way," Sharibeth whined. "Like Ashley said, it's too scary out there and we don't like her that much anyway. She'll be all right, I guess."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but I guess I can't make you," Hoot rasped. "I am disappointed with you, all of you. Go ahead, you girls need to get to your own homes." There were a series of chuckles in reply; most of them were going to the drive in after showering and changing.

They turned to go back to the pool, but Maria went over to Tom and whispered in his ear: "Did Mr. Hayes like his painting?"

"Yes," Tom whispered back. "Did you?"

"Oh, yeah, thanks for showing it to me."

Tom drew closer to Maria's ear: "Not too loud; Mr Hayes thinks he's the only one who'll see it."

"Okay. The other girls are looking forward to their paintings."

"It'll be a while. Tell them not to hold their breaths"

"Bye." Maria turned to go back, revealing a full backside every bit as shapely as her frontside. A couple of steps and she was bounding full tilt, her backside bouncing recklessly.

The old men dispersed on shaky legs to drive home illegally. Tom went with them, making sure to follow Hoot at a distance lest he notice the turn for the rendezvous. Renee's junker was waiting for him in the Thriftway parking lot; Tom pulled in beside her to talk driver's window to driver's window.

"Hi," he started, "You ready?" She nodded. "You got a cell phone?" A shake of the head. "Okay, I'll make sure you're in my rear view window. If you lose me, just keep going and you'll find me again. Understand?" Another nod. "Okay, here we go."

He pulled out on the empty road and followed her lights pulling out behind him in the mirror. Carefree Cove was ten miles away from the village of Seville Hills, but this drive seemed like a marathon. The fading light gave the woods an eerie look as the headlights carved a path through them. This wasn't going to be the first time Tom had a woman stay with him, or even the first night of an indefinite stay, but Renee's vulnerability scared him. He took deep breaths and tried to focus so he wouldn't be entirely erect the whole way home.

Tom's house was an A-frame dwelling, with the second floor being glass on both ends. A circle drive lead up to the house on the hilltop, and Tom made sure Renee found a spot off the drive to park. Grateful for the dim light that hid his half-boner, he called out: "You need help carrying anything?"

"No," came the feeble reply. Tom bounded up the stairs and unbolted his front door. A quick look to make sure nothing was amiss, and he flipped the outside light, immediately drawing a squadron of grotesque night flyers. Looking back, he saw the image of her cautiously ascending the rock pavers to his front door: blond hair disheveled, eyes red and leaking, wearing a maroon jacket over a white tube top, micro-mini jean skirt and bare feet in red flip flops. She carried a duffel bag over one shoulder while the other arm embraced a huge teddy bear half her size.

He backed through the door to hold it open for her. "Welcome," he said in his most friendly tone as she crossed the threshold.

"Thanks," she murmured.

"Let me show you to your room."

"Thanks."

He led her up to the front guest room. "Here's your room as long as you need it. Clean sheets on the bed, walk in closet, and a full bathroom, so you can have a long, hot soak if you need it. There is a lock on the door, which you are free to use. Make yourself at home."

"Thanks." Tom pulled the door shut and moved softly to the padded loft stairs that ran down the front entrance side of the Great Room. The air conditioning seemed at a good level, and he briefly pondered lighting a fire. Then, his attention went another direction: he'd baked cookies for Petey's smaller grandchildren the day before, and some leftover cookies with cold milk would probably help Renee feel better. He bustled in the kitchen to prepare the snack, but a chime from his computer distracted him. A series of e-mails from Kansas City needed to be addressed right away, and that led him to several other inquiries, including location of the police report of Grace's arrest.

It was a half hour later when he opened the refrigerator door to pour the milk and assemble the cookies.

Taking a tray up the stairs, he knocked on the door. "Come in," came the invitation.

"I've got some milk and cookies for you," he said as he entered the room.

"Great. I'm in here." The resonance indicated she was in the bathroom.

Bringing the tray, he pushed through the half open door and almost dropped it when he discovered her naked in the tub. A momentary disorientation, and he saved himself and his offering.

Renee looked at him with a huge smile on her face. She made no effort to cover her nudity. "Those look wonderful. Thanks, Mr. Albright."

"Tom, please, Tom."

"Thanks, Tom." She took a cookie and started to eat it daintily. Renee's skin was almost pure white, with a few body blemishes on her legs. Her leg hair was very light blond and wispy, as was her pubic hair. Her small, perfect breasts hung high and proud, her nipples perking in the cool air. Her hair was very damp but clean, her face scrubbed. Red nail polish adored her finger and toenails.

"Have a seat, you don't have to be embarrassed. I feel so safe here with you."

"I'm glad."

"Have a seat."

Tom lowered the toilet lid and sat on it. She touched his knee and stroked it. "Renee, I'd like to talk about a couple of things," he began uncertainly.

"Okay."

"I don't want to make you feel pressured to do anything. You're here because I want you to be safe. I know that night in the parking lot. . ."

"Was the best night of my life." Her eyes gleamed in admiration.

"Yes. Even so, you're much younger than I am, and you need a safe space. When you're here, you never have to worry about waking up to find me next to you."

"That's nice, Tom, but don't you want me to sleep with you?"

"Ah, I'll take the fifth on that one, but you need to get adjusted with your grandmother's situation, and trust me, sex is the last thing that should happen tonight. You need some rest after your sleepless night last night, and you don't need to feel like you have to pay for your room with your body."

She stroked his legs and smiled broadly. "My knight in shining armor."

"Well, those knights weren't always nice. Anyway, I'm going to leave you now, I want you to stay in here until morning, and go to work when you're scheduled."

"I'm not on the schedule tomorrow. They fired me today."

"Oh. How come?"

"That little snitch Sharibeth told the boss I was stealing apples and bananas whenever I wanted a snack. She's the one who's been doing it, but nobody'll believe me. I caught Sharibeth fucking the manager doggy style in the stock room last week, so she gets her way."

Tom shook her head. "Guess that doesn't surprise me."

"The other girls are the same way. Maria gives blow jobs to any man she thinks will help her, and little Ashley Harms is a major league slut, too. . ."

"Well, we'll talk about the rest of the world's problems in the morning. I'm tired and I need to rest. You will, too."

"You're so wonderful, Tom," she said, beaming at him.

"Thanks. 'Night."

"Night." He closed the door behind him, glimpsing Renee leaning back to savor her cookie as she soaked. Making sure the extraneous inside lights were out, he took a glass of Amaretto to his room with him and locked the door behind him.

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Tom's eyes flipped open at the sound of bacon frying in the kitchen. There was also a smell of baking, sharp and cinnamony. Putting on his Mizzou sweats, he padded down the stairs to the kitchen area to discover Renee, wearing sweats, hard at work.

"Good morning, Tom," she smiled brightly. I'm almost ready for you."

"Where did you get this?"

"It was in your refrigerator and on your shelves. Grammie and I used to cook from scratch all the time; we didn't have the money for prefab food. Grammie was really old fashioned."

Tom blinked, and reached to put the coffee on, finding it was already made. The first cup was like ambrosia.

"Anyway, I needed to move around a bit," she said. "Can I go swimming in the cove later?"

"Yeah, sure. It's all right during the day, but at night there's copperheads."

"Right, copperheads."

"There's also a nice trail through the woods, if you want to take a hike. The Smithtons next door don't like surprises, so you probably better not approach their house. Check yourself for ticks regularly, too."

"All right, dad, if you say so. Ready for bacon and a cheese omelet?"

"Bring it on."

He spent the morning on the computer doing business before cooling off in his semi- private cove before lunch. As he waded, he made a resolution to clean the brush off a tiny island that stood at the entrance of the lake. It would be big enough for a lounger to greet the sunrise. The water was a perfect temperature: not too warm and not too cool. A fish bumped him a couple of times as he waded out, but he strode up the pathway to his house whistling, his equipment flopping extravagantly.

He was dry enough when he entered the house to run up to his bedroom. When he got there, he remembered he had company and had just walked naked to the Lake and back without a care in the world. There was no sign of Renee, so he thought he got away with it. Turning on the taps, he got ready to shower.

As the suds sluiced off his skin, he heard the bathroom door open. He turned to see a distorted figure enter and reach for the door. It opened, and Renee stepped into the shower, sinking almost immediately.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sheepishly.

"Something I've done before," she said calmly, grasping his wet cock in her hand. It sprang to life immediately, and her cool breath encouraged its resurrection. "I know I'm safe here, and I don't have to do this." Her thick lips creased in a huge, toothy smile before they formed the wet, warm circle that engulfed the object of their desire. She let him go with a pop. "But I want to, I really want to," she whispered huskily before sucking his penis in.

He reached down and touched her hair. She hummed, and his fingers probed her earlobes. Around and around they swirled, and she took more and more of him into her suck. Her nose was lost in his pubic hair and she could still not get enough.

Like the tension before a lightning strike, his testicles quickly filled with sperm and jetted out time after time until he thought he was going to pass out from the sensation. She sucked every drop down, licking the corona to get every stray drop, circling the head with her tongue. At last she broke her mouth's embrace of his manhood, licking down the shaft to tease his balls before leaning back in triumph.

Tom managed to lurch out of the bathroom and over to the bed before he sank to his knees, still wobbly from his ejaculation, and took a couple of deep breaths. Renee had a gleam in her eyes as she followed him, a light he'd never seen there before. She started to giggle, sitting on her haunches, her breasts swaying slightly at her humor.