Mike & Karen Ch. 17

Disclaimer: All characters are 18 years of age or older while actively engaging in sexual activity. This story is a prequel/sequel (sprequel?) to my other work, Alex & Alexa. As always, many thanks and gratuitous panty shots from Freja and Jeanie to my long-suffering editor and beta-reader for their assistance in polishing up and improving this work. Reviews are welcome; flames will be snickered at and deleted with extreme prejudice. Enjoy!

Please Note: There are incest themes with a secondary couple in this story. Just a forewarning.

Chapter XVII- To The Manor Reborn

St George Campus, a bustling dorm house, September 1985...

Karen walked down the hallway of her new accommodations, smiling and nodding at people as they passed by. She wasn't surprised by the stares she got from the occasional person, she was actually quite used to it. She knew she was striking and while she didn't enjoy the phenomenon, per se, she was aware of its utility.

She tried not to smirk as one young man gaped at her while walking by, earning him an elbow in the ribs from his scowling girlfriend who walked next to him.

It was a girls-only dorm right off the central square of campus, surrounded by several buildings of prominent departments at the university, along with Convocation Hall. She was glad that her parents had procured her a placement in this particular dorm, although her stellar grades would probably have guaranteed it anyway. She'd gone to boarding school for most of her academic career to this point, so living in a dorm was nothing new, but she was looking forward to being surrounded by developed minds that could match her own. Hopefully.

She had already moved her personal effects into her large, double-berth room the day before, assisted by Jordan, her parents' seneschal and valet, in addition to being Karen's self-appointed minder. The crisp British gent was very fond of his charge, and always ready to assist. Both her parents had prior engagements and could not be there to see her moved in. Karen didn't mind all that much, however, since lack of parental interference suited her sense of independence. She'd even decorated her room for herself, since the university had seen fit to lose her roommate somewhere in the all the shuffle.

She paused as she approached one of the stairwells, because she heard restrained sniffling echoing in the alcove. Karen tilted her head curiously as she noticed some luggage sitting tucked away behind the winding stairwell that granted access to the upper floors. Curiouser still, she saw a pair of pale white knees, and dainty hands gripping them.

Without hesitation, she walked over and peeked behind the stairs into the little nook to see what was amiss.

Sitting against the wall on the floor, a petite red-headed girl was looking utterly miserable as she tried not to cry. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her ivory cheeks almost scarlet. Staring off into nothing, she appeared to have not noticed Karen yet.

"Not exactly the look of excitement one expects from first years on move-in day," Karen stated as she came around to stand in front of her new associate. She would have been rather pretty, in a wispy and waifish sort of way, were it not for the tears dirtying her cheeks and the mucus glistening beneath her nose. "How can I help? Are you hurt? Are you lost?"

The redhead blinked and looked up at Karen, her eyes registering some surprise, but the rest of her body could not. She trembled as she tried to rein in her emotions, looking at the young woman who had joined her.

She was... beautiful.

She was tall, and her face was perfectly formed, with patrician lines to it, framed by shining bronze hair cut in a fashionable bob. Her eyes were absolutely bewitching, a golden-amber colour that drew her in and held her spellbound. A snug, silken blouse accentuated her large bust, and the skirt showed off her long legs.

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes.

"I... I lost my berth in the dorm, and I've been told there's nowhere else to stay right now," she managed to say, a shiver passing through her as she said the words. "I don't know how to look for housing off campus, and if I can't find it, what do I do? Go home to Orillia every day?"

"Well, that is something of an inconvenience, yes," Karen admitted, bending her knees now so that she was eye-level with the girl. "Maybe I can help."

The waifish redhead blinked. "You an admin, or a rep?"

"Heavens, no," Karen replied. "I am just a first year, like yourself."

"Oh," her associate mumbled, her momentary hope fading. "I doubt there's much either of us can do, then."

"Well we won't know unless we try, will we?" Karen pointed out, standing again and holding her hand out. "Come, get up, and let's see what we can do."

The girl took her hand and squeaked as Karen pulled her easily up to her feet. The redhead tried not to gape, because her new associate was rather strong. She came up a little too readily and bumped into the bronze-haired girl slightly, their breasts pressing.

She blushed and stepped away. "Sorry..."

"Nonsense, no harm done," Karen said cheerfully, with a smile that made the girl's knees weak. "Today shouldn't be all toil, after all. Let's clean you up and get you ready to face your public..."

Karen reached into the small clasp she was carrying and pulled out some scented tissues, infused with aloe. The girl trembled as she allowed Karen to wipe her face clean and then appraise her for a moment. "There we go. I think you're safe to leave your things here for a few minutes, we will not be going far."

The girl considered for a moment before shrugging and then following Karen back into the bustling hallway. A short trek took them to the monitor's large desk and station by the front doors. They waited while some students in front of them got issues and directions resolved. The redhead seemed to shrink in on herself, looking uncertain, but Karen took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, which seemed to relax her.

Finally, it was her turn, and she addressed the woman behind the desk pleasantly but professionally. "I was hoping you could help us resolve an issue, miss. My friend here has lost her berth in the dorm on a technicality, and no options to remedy her plight were given to her. I would see this issue corrected quickly."

If the woman behind the desk was feeling sarcastic, Karen's appearance prevented any snarky rebuttal. The girl was intimidating to look at. "Uh... what's your friend's name?"

Karen considered. "I don't rightly know, now that you mention it..."

She turned to look at her redheaded associate. "Sweetheart, what's your name?"

The girl blinked. "L-Lisa. Lisa Heyman. Sociology and Human Studies Department, first year."

Karen looked at the woman behind the desk and smiled. "There we go. She is Lisa Heyman, first year, Sociology and Human Studies."

"You had to ask her name?" the woman queried, given Karen a quizzical look. "I thought you were friends."

"We're new to one another, we met just a few minutes ago," Karen said simply. "And my new friend needs accommodation."

The woman seemed hesitant. "That may be a problem, because all the berths are accounted for, I believe."

"Nonsense," Karen announced, done with the woman's dithering already. "I have been given a double berth, when they misplaced my scheduled roommate. I will happily take Lisa Heyman in with me, for as long as she pleases."

Lisa's eyes widened in shock.

"I..." the woman said, uncertain. "I'm not sure I can-"

"Maybe you can't, but I know people who can," Karen said simply, pointing at the phone on the desk. "Shall I call the president, or will you be doing it for me?"

"Maybe it doesn't have to come to that," the woman said rather hastily. "Uhhh, what's your name?"

"Gordon," Karen said in a low and firm tone. "Ekaterina Leda Gloriana Gordon. Mathematical and Experimental Physics, first year. Room 317."

Of course, the woman had heard the name, and she was now working hard to make sure that everything was in order. Whatever the details were, they could be sorted later. It took her maybe three minutes to do some paperwork, while Karen watched her quietly. The woman wished Karen look somewhere else, because she felt like she was about to be executed by laser fire.

She finally looked up. "Miss Gordon, there are still minor administrative details to handle, but as of this moment, Lisa Heyman is now your dorm mate for the year. Is there anything else?"

"Thank you, no, you have been most effective and helpful," Karen said, nodding. "We'll be on our way now. Come, Lisa. Ta!"

Karen walked away from the desk, pleased with herself. She hadn't relished the idea of spending all her time alone anyway. True, her parents would have questions, but it was easier to ask for forgiveness, than to ask for permission.

She smiled at Lisa, who hurried to keep up beside her. "Shall we gather your things, my dear?"

"Did you just... I... you'll let me..." the redhead stammered, flabbergasted.

"We are now roommates, and I for one am quite happy with that arrangement."

Karen was carrying two suitcases, while Lisa followed with a third and a duffel bag. They went up the stairs and down the busy hallway, as people parted like the Red Sea before Karen. They finally reached the end of the hall, and she used her key to unlock a door. She let it open and then gestured for Lisa to head inside.

The redhead stepped through slowly, looking around in awe. There was nothing particularly special about the room, except for how her new roommate had already decorated- there was an elegant feel to the place, and her large, plush bed occupied one corner. As it was a corner room, there were windows on two sides, allowing plenty of light in.

"We'll still need to procure a bed for you, of course, and I can modify the décor to help suit your sense of expression as well," Karen mentioned as she followed Lisa in. "Maybe we can come up with a fun and fancy hybrid. That said, Miss Heyman, we-"

"Oh, no," Lisa said, turning and shaking her head. "No no no no, my mother is Miss Heyman. Just call me Lisa."

Her new roomie smiled, and Lisa felt her knees go weak again. "As you wish, Lisa."

"And, uh... what do I call you?" the redhead asked sheepishly, blushing. "A-aside from my saviour."

"My name is Ekaterina, but I commonly go by Karen, the diminutive. Less intimidating for people," Karen said, holding out her hand. "Hello, Lisa. My name is Karen."

Lisa took the hand, somehow enduring the brain-melting touch of the goddess before her. "Hi, Karen. And thank you. In less than half an hour, you solved every problem I had in the world. I could just kiss you."

"That sounds like an excellent start to our association..." Karen said in a breathy voice as she gently drew Lisa to her.

Neither cared that their door was still open.

***

Today, late January, at a manor on The Bridle Path...

Alex found it hard to keep the look of amusement off his face. On the bus rides over, people had been laughing and singing while he played guitar and kept them entertained. Everyone was in their assigned seats, with their assigned boxes. But as they'd rounded a corner and pulled onto the long driveway heading up to the grounds, people began to go silent, gaping out the windows as they approached Blackwell Manor. He had no doubt the effect was the same over in Alexa's bus, just behind.

The large, circular end of the driveway, punctuated by a fountain at its center, was now a parking space for the two buses and several other vehicles. People almost stumbled out of the bus, still gawking at the sprawling grounds and mansion laid out before them. Standing at the top of the white steps in front of the large front doors, waited Mike and Karen DeBourne, owners of the property. As directed by Alex's father, the bus drivers had allowed them to arrive first.

"For poker..." Freja whispered to herself as she looked up at the edifice in front of her. It seemed as big as the royal palace back in Roskilde to her, although not so garishly painted. This was solid stone, stretching a considerable length in either direction. "Never have I seen such a thing."

"Fuck me," Jeanie breathed, standing near Alex, her clipboard pressed to her chest as she ogled the place. Her parents had been rather wealthy, and she'd lived in a posh house in Collingwood, perhaps even nicer than the ones the DeBournes had just vacated. But this was something totally different, like one of those places her mother watched shows about, usually hosted by that obnoxious dead Brit dude, Robin Leach. "I don't wanna think about how much this place cost."

"Couple'a million bucks seemed to go a lot farther back in the Edwardian era, didn't it?" Alex agreed, nodding. People were still lining up in their rows, according to colour and number given, along with their boxes. "Jeanie, give everyone a quick check, make sure they have the right boxes still. Alexa's already got Heather doin' it."

The brunette blinked and squeaked before hastily going about her assigned task, making sure everything was in place, lined up and correct. Mike had planned everything with flawless military precision, and she wasn't about to be the reason anything went wrong.

"Everything good, Alex?" the titan blond man called from the door, his arm around his beautiful wife as they watched.

"Runnin' like a Swiss watch, pop," Alex replied, nodding as he assessed everything for himself. A bus length away, his beautiful aunt, his wife, was doing the same, and she smiled at him dazzlingly and winked. So far, so good. He looked at his father. "Permission to come aboard, sir, ma'am!"

Karen looked up at her husband and nodded. They turned and opened the huge, ornate doors, gesturing for everyone to enter.

"Everyone, welcome to Blackwell Manor!" they both announced grandly.

Always a show with those two... Alex thought, chuckling to himself as he led his troop of volunteers forward. Well, he had to get it from somewhere, after all.

***

Even inside the manor, the vast majority of the helpers were very quiet, seemingly cowed by their surroundings. Ribbons corresponding to their shirt colours were stretched across hallways and up flights of stairs, leading them to their destinations where they were meant to deposit their boxes, once again checked off a list.

"Wouldn't it've been easier and cheaper to just use coloured spike tape?" one student asked as he walked with his team, led by Alexa.

Alexa almost snorted in amusement. "Dude, y'think my big sissy's gonna let anyone put sticky tape on her marble floors? Okay, we're about to go down the so-called Hall of Ancestors, folks. Try to remember to breathe."

People were silent as they passed down the hallway, as if they dared not make a sound. Even though the portraits that lined the walls, and the busts sitting in alcoves were still all covered in protective tarps or linen, there was no doubt that the passage just felt ominous. Alexa hadn't seen any of the portraits yet, and she still felt like she understood why it freaked her older sister out as a child.

Everyone sighed heavily as they came out on the other side, now at the west wing. That'd take some getting used to, and Alexa hadn't even viewed the portraits yet. Of course, she'd seen pictures in the photo albums her mother had brought with her in her flight to Europe, but they were mere glimpses. Miranda had related as much as she knew about the Blackwell ancestors to her daughter, and Alexa had memorized it all faithfully. But being here, now, was so completely different from her expectations. She would need to adapt, to bend this place to her will.

It was what Karen would do. And Alex. And that was more than good enough for her.

"Right," she said finally, pointing toward the wide stairs they'd arrived at. "Up we go to the third floor. That's where Alex and I have our rooms. Let's go..."

Everyone followed Alexa up the stairs, and one of the students paused on the second-floor landing. "Hey, Lexi, what's on this floor?"

"Kar told me that there's guest rooms in the wings, and the live-in staff we hire'll be staying in the front rooms on this floor," she replied, pausing for a moment to answer the question. She hadn't actually been on this floor herself yet. "I think she said there's gonna be about ten."

"Ten fucking live-in staff?" one student gasped, looking astonished.

"This isn't just a big house, it's a trust," Alexa said, shrugging. "The Blackwell family entrusts it to the chair and CEO. And it needs to be kept up, it's the center of the empire, I suppose. So there'll be housekeeping, gardeners, some kitchen staff, I guess. I haven't really talked with Kar about it that much, because I wouldn't know what to do yet. She grew up here, she does."

"Jesus H. Criminy," muttered the girl. "No wonder Lady Prof is such a queen. I don't mean that in a bad way, I love her, but this explains a lot."

"You'll get no argument outta me, Reese," Alexa agreed, gesturing toward the stairs. "Tours later for anyone who's interested. For now, let's stick to Mike's schedule and make him happy."

They trooped up to the third floor, and once again, people's breath was taken away. Another spacious hallway greeted them, along with suites of rooms that one would expect to see in grand hotels. They walked all the way to the last suite of rooms at the end of the hallway and headed inside. A big bedroom and sitting room greeted them, with large windows facing south, east, and west. Smaller rooms and a full en suite bathroom waited to the sides, along with large closets.

"I can't believe you get to live here," breathed a girl, looking around in awe. "This bedroom is bigger than my parents' whole house."

"It's gonna take some getting used to," Alexa agreed. "And the master suite at the end of the other wing where Mike and Kar are staying is even bigger. Apparently, I was born in that one."

Everyone put down their boxes in assigned places and then headed out for the next round. They went out a service door on the side of the first floor and rounded the property toward the front again. It was remarkably pretty, even if everything was still covered in snow. Except for strategically placed ornamental trees or topiary, the grounds were clear to allow for gardens and paths. Tall conifers bordered the property a considerable distance away, and it was a good trek down to the public road.

"This lot is freaking huge, even for a zillionaire's neighbourhood," said one young man, trying to wrap his head around it.

"My mom told me it was built out here before it was a neighbourhood, even a zillionaire's one," Alexa said, leading them forward. "No one else to compete with for land in 1910, just a bunch of nearby farmers. So yeah, it's a big lot by any standards. I don't wanna think about what it would cost today, I'd probably cry."

They reached the buses at about the same time that Alex and his troop did. She walked up and hugged him tight, feeling very emotional.

"A little overwhelmed?" he asked, stroking her long, golden hair. She smiled up at him.

"How'd you know?"

"Because I know you, and I can tell from how your hug felt," he replied, running a thumb along her cheek. "This place is in our blood, Alexa, both of us. And yeah maybe it'd be obscene if someone like Uncle Rod lived here, but not us, and not with my mom and dad. A place like this can do a lot of good. Let's remember that, once our proletarian helpers are gone."

Alexa giggled and kissed his nose. "Yes, yes, I promise. It's just gonna take some getting used to. I've got two more loads to get upstairs to our rooms, how 'bout you?"