New Roomies and a Fresh Start

"So, my dad called and let me know that you needed a place to stay, at least short-term," Cecilia went on, "That sounded great, but when I went to talk to Angela about it, Chris got all bent out of shape. He was under the impression that he and his deadbeat friends would be able to move in, since they had already chased Danielle away."

Their waitress arrived with the drinks. All three ordered dinner and Tom ordered a big plate of nachos as well. He had ordered a beer, and it was refreshing and relaxing to take that first long, cool sip. The girls each had ordered a mixed drink. Tom chuckled to himself, but they heard him.

"What's so funny?" Cecilia asked.

"I can't believe you're old enough to drink. Makes me feel really old," Tom replied. He was smiling ruefully as he said it.

"Well, come on now, you're not that old," Angela said when she finished her sip.

"I'm forty-five," Tom said, a little amused at her double-take.

"Really? Oh, you're kidding, right?" Angela mistook his amused expression; sure he was putting her on. When he shook his head, she said, "Wow. I would have guessed you were in your late twenties, twenty-nine, tops."

Cecilia had to agree. Her father was only a couple years older than Tom was, but he looked his age. Tom looked like a hot, slightly older college student. He looked like a guy she would have been very interested in dating.

They talked over drinks and nachos about their financial situation. Tom assured the girls that he could square that away in the morning. The three of them would need to go to the apartment office early in the morning, since it was only open until noon on Saturday, and was closed on Sunday. He kept to himself the fact that he could easily afford to pay all of the bills. After all, he didn't plan to be living with them long term. No sense ruining their independence.

Shortly after the entrees arrived, Angela's phone began to ring. "It's Chris," she said. She started texting, letting him know in no uncertain terms that their relationship was over. If he ever came around the apartment complex again, he would be arrested.

"Do you think he'll try something stupid?" Tom asked after a sip of beer.

"Oh, he's sure to do something stupid. Hopefully that won't include bugging me," Angela replied.

Chris did text back once, but when Angela responded with, "It's over. Move on." she didn't hear from him again.

Tom was a little uncomfortable with the situation. "Did I cause that, Angela? Were you and Chris alright before I became available as a roommate?"

"Oh, not at all. I tried breaking up with him months ago, but he just kept showing up. Chris' friends kept hitting on Cecilia and Danielle, and Danielle finally just snapped and moved out. The thing is, we were just too nice. Thank you for putting your foot down for us."

Cecilia once again felt a shot of arousal as she pictured him putting his foot down. "Yes, Tom. Thank you so much. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't showed up."

Tom smiled. It was a really sexy smile, the first time he had genuinely smiled since they had met. Both girls shivered when they saw it, and they looked at each other before looking back at him. "I'm so glad I could be there for you," Tom said.

After he finished his beer, Tom ordered a Mountain Dew. He answered the look from the girls with, "I still need to drive back to my hotel tonight." Inwardly, he knew he had to stay on high alert, in case Chris and his friends decided they needed to avenge themselves.

Dinner was pleasant, and the girls talked for a bit about their studies. Cecilia was majoring in Finance and Accounting. Angela was double-majoring in Criminology and Psychology. Both were doing well, and Tom could tell from their conversation that they were very intelligent young women. They were also very attractive. He hoped that his stay would not require him to have any more altercations with unsuitable suitors.

When they arrived back at the apartment, Chris was there with four friends. Two new men had joined the three that Tom had put down earlier. Tom just sighed as he prepared to deal with them, but Chris held up his hands defensively. "We're not here for any trouble," he said sullenly. "I just want to get my couch and my jersey back."

Tom glanced at the girls and raised an eyebrow. Angela nodded back to him.

"Alright," Tom said, "Angela, you get his jersey, and I'll bring the couch outside."

Tom followed the two girls up the stairs. When Chris and his friends started to follow, Tom said, "Whoa. You guys wait right here, I will bring you the couch."

Inside the apartment, Tom easily picked up the musty couch and stood it on its end, then picked it up and walked it right out the door and down the stairs. Angela handed Chris the football jersey. He started to say, "Angela, please, I—" when she cut him off.

"Don't ever, EVER talk to me again. If I see any of you guys snooping around here, I will have you arrested on the spot. You understand?"

The two new interlopers looked like they wanted to start something, but Chris just mumbled, "Okay." His friends shook their heads, but then looked shocked when the two of them could not lift the couch. Angela and Tom went back up into the apartment. Angela closed and locked the door behind them. Then she started shaking. Tom held her in one arm, looking over to see Cecilia watching through the curtains as the five men struggled to load the couch into the pickup truck. "It's okay, Angela," Tom murmured softly to her, "You did great."

Tom held Angela in a comforting hug as she shook and sobbed softly. Tom was finally relaxing the clenched muscles in his back and neck. He was relieved he hadn't had to fight again. He really wasn't a violent person, and a fight like that would have been ugly. After she watched Chris and his friends drive away, Cecilia turned to them and declared, "I always hated that couch. It was nasty when they found it, and I'm glad to have it out of our apartment."

Tom felt Angela laugh softly into his shoulder when she heard that. She finally stopped shaking and pulled her head up to look at Tom's face. At that moment she wanted so badly to kiss him. Cecilia recognized that look on her face. She could certainly relate. She wanted Tom to stay the night so badly, wanted to take him to her bed so she could—her phone rang, pulling her out of that train of thought. It was her dad.

"Hi, daddy," she said into her phone. Tom gently squeezed Angela's shoulder as he turned to survey the apartment. He really hadn't looked the place over since he had arrived. Cecilia continued on the phone, "Yes, Tom came over and took us out for dinner. Oh, we'll be really happy to have him stay with us" she looked at Tom and Angela, nodding, "as long as he wants to." Angela eagerly nodded back at Cecilia.

Tom's eyes were those of a highly trained military observer and electrician. He didn't want to disrespect his best friend by suggesting it, but he immediately wanted to replace the cheap dining set and chairs, the shabby hanging light fixture, and the old microwave oven. The television was an older model, sitting on an end table that was really too small to hold its weight. Without the musty old couch, the coffee table sat forlornly in the middle of the living room. Two mismatched living room chairs were all that were left. One was an overstuffed brown recliner, the other a narrow blue chair with a round cushion for a seat. Both chairs had a patchwork of duct tape keeping the stuffing from escaping.

Tom turned to Angela, as Cecilia continued on the phone. "Would you mind giving me the dime tour?" he asked, flashing a smile. "Sure," she said. In her head, she continued with, "I'd love to give you a two-hour tour of my bed." She managed to keep from saying it aloud, but it turned her on fiercely just thinking it.

Cecilia heard them, and walked to her room. It was the closest bedroom, so she opened the door and turned on her light for them. Tom walked up to the door and looked in as Angela said, "This is Cecilia's room." He nodded. The furniture in that room was nice. The queen-sized bed looked new and it was made. There were more pillows on the bed than he would be comfortable with, but it looked pretty. Her bureau and chest-of-drawers matched, and there was surprisingly little clutter on the tops of the furniture.

Tom then followed Angela as she opened the next room. "This is my room," she said, turning on the light. This was much more in keeping with a college student's room, Tom thought. It was messy, and all the furniture looked alright, but inexpensive. The bed was a narrow twin. It had seen better days.

"I'm sorry it's such a mess," Angela said. She hadn't looked at him, only at the room. "Chris tore the place up when I said he couldn't stay here." Tom nodded, but inside he seethed at how badly Chris had treated his girlfriend.

They proceeded to the bathroom, which had also clearly been trashed. Angela bent to pick up makeup and other items that had been knocked to the floor. Tom couldn't help but notice that was an outstanding ass packed into those jean shorts. He forced his eyes from the sight, and slid over next to Angela to help pick up toothpaste, an electric toothbrush, and some foundation. He set the toothpaste and foundation on the counter, then turned on the water and washed the bristles of the toothbrush with soap and water before setting it on the counter. He noticed that a second door led from the bathroom directly into Cecilia's bedroom.

Angela was impressed at the way he had just stepped in and helped. She found herself staring at his butt while he cleaned the toothbrush, admiring the way his muscles flexed slightly as he leaned forward. She managed to avoid getting caught looking. Instead, when Tom turned around she was looking around the bathroom. You would never know that it had been such a mess just five minutes ago. "Thanks for that," she said, as she turned to lead him to the empty bedroom. "No problem," he replied, turning off the bathroom light and following.

The last bedroom looked like it had been stripped hastily. There were bits of paper, a candy wrapper and some paperclips on the floor. Two closets with sliding doors were on the far side of the room. One of the sliding doors was open, and a single hangar was on the clothes rod. Tom stepped in and looked it over. All three bedrooms were fairly good sized for an apartment, he thought. The room would easily accommodate a queen sized bed, dresser and a desk. He opened the other closet door and noticed that the carpet in the bottom of both closets needed to be vacuumed.

"Where do you guys keep the vacuum cleaner?" he asked. Angela showed him to the hall closet. In addition to an upright cyclonic vacuum, there was a mop, a broom, a few pairs of shoes and a half-dozen jackets and sweaters hanging in there. Tom nodded. "Okay," he said.

Cecilia said, "Bye, Daddy. Have a good night. I love you!" and hung up her phone. Tom led them to the dining area and took a seat, his outstretched hand indicating that the girls should sit. They did. Tom felt the chair shift a bit on a loose leg, but didn't acknowledge it.

"My insurance company has set up a line of credit for me to replace my lost furniture, so we can go and get some nice furniture," Tom started, "That is, if you don't mind going shopping with me. Obviously, we'll need a couch, and I'll need a bed and such for my room. Is there anything you can think of that you'd like to have?"

Both girls looked speculative as they thought about it. They hadn't really considered replacing any furniture. They had, in fact, been worried about losing the place entirely. Tom went on.

"No rush, it's just something to think about. I do need to buy some clothes this weekend as well. If you can recommend some places for me to shop, that would be great too." Tom suddenly felt exhausted. He had, after all, driven for ten hours before finding his house a disaster area. He stood up, stretched and yawned. His was the yawn of a great cat, his mouth opening and his head leaning back, tongue lolling out. "Pardon me," he said when he finally snapped his mouth shut, "It's been a really long day. I'm going to head back to my hotel room and crash out. I will see you ladies in the morning."

The girls stood up, and he gave them each a warm hug before leaving. They watched from the door as he made his way to his dirty SUV and drove away. Cecilia closed and locked the front door. She then leaned against it with a sigh. "Oh, my God," she said softly.

"Tell me about it," Angela said. "We should have made him stay."

Cecilia looked at her roommate. She saw in Angela's eyes the same hunger she felt at that moment. Driving to his hotel, Tom had no idea what he was about to move into.

Tom slept well that night. In the morning, his phone finally woke him. He had not bothered to open the thick hotel curtains, and he had slept hours longer than he would have otherwise. He blearily answered the phone. Then he sat up quickly when Cecilia mentioned that the apartment office would be closing in an hour. "I'll be right there," he said as he got out of bed and hung up. He quickly brushed his teeth and hair while pulling on a fresh shirt. He wore the same trousers and dress shoes. Shorts with that outfit would just look ridiculous. He was dressed and out the door in five minutes. Twenty minutes later, he took a seat in the apartment manager's office with the two young women.

He patiently explained his situation to the woman who managed the apartment complex. He even showed the pictures of his ruined house, which earned him sympathy. Since he had no recent rental history, it was problematic to add him to the lease. He explained that he was in no hurry on that front. He just wanted to make sure that the girls were not in jeopardy of losing their apartment. He presented the office manager with a pair of money orders for the next two months' rent and said, "Look, you can take as long as you need to get my paperwork done. This should cover the rent in the meantime. Will that work for you?"

"Most definitely, sir!" she replied. In a business in which tenants were so often late with their rent checks, Tom was a client you wouldn't want going anywhere else.

Back in the apartment after that meeting, Cecilia cooked some eggs for Tom's breakfast burrito. "So, how have you been handling the rent up to now?" Tom asked. Angela answered, "Cecilia had been taking our checks and depositing them in her account, then writing the checks for rent, electricity and cable."

"Okay. Well, now you've got a buffer on the rent, anyway. You won't have to worry about that for two months." Tom had a thoughtful look as he wondered how long the insurance company would take to get his claim settled. He might not need to stay a month, much less two. He rather hoped it wouldn't take that long. If it did drag out for months, the whole process just couldn't be pleasant. Angela and Cecilia had both looked sharply at him when he had spoken. He was really just giving them two months' rent? Wow.

Cecilia was a really good cook. Her mother thought it was vital for a family to enjoy good meals together, and had taught all her children to cook family recipes. The breakfast burrito Tom enjoyed was nothing special for Cecilia to whip up, but it was really good nonetheless. "Wow!" he got out between bites, "This is really good, Cecilia. Thank you so much!"

The girls had eaten earlier. They had not made any plans for the weekend, so they were happy to join Tom to go shopping. He called the insurance company, and they e-mailed him a list of retail outlets where he could use his line of credit to replace the lost items. He was a little stunned when he was informed the line of credit "is only fifty thousand dollars. Once we get your claim settled, we'll send you a check for the balance."

He had hoped to have ten thousand to spend. His insurance company was awesome!

"What's the matter?" Angela asked when she saw his stunned expression.

"Oh, nothing's the matter. I just found out they are giving me up to fifty grand to replace my shit." He realized what he had said and hastily apologized, "Sorry! I meant to say stuff. I have fifty grand to replace my stuff."

Both girls laughed. This guy was just too precious.

They took Tom's SUV to a car wash a few blocks away. The high school students who worked there looked horrified when they saw the mud-encrusted vehicle pull up. "Sorry it's so dirty," Tom apologized, and handed over a twenty. They got right to work, then, and Tom talked to Cecilia and Angela while the kids got his vehicle right into the cleaning port. The girls recommended a few places to look at furniture first, and then a trip to the closest mall to find him some clothes.

Tom's car emerged and it was absolutely gleaming. Tom saw that they had also completely cleaned out the carpets and seat, where he knew there had been bad stains. He showered them with praise and handed them another twenty. As they drove away, he commented, "It's not like I'm made out of money. I just can't believe what a great job they did cleaning my car. I would have paid an auto detailing place a hundred bucks, and I still wouldn't have expected it to look this good."

At the furniture outlet his insurance company had recommended, Tom was able to quickly find the exact bedroom set he had lost in the mud slide, and it was on sale. He also worked out a deal with the owner so that he got two queen-sized beds at a substantial discount. "I hope you're not offended," he said to Angela, "I just thought you might like a nice, new bed."

She jumped up to give him a big hug, and kissed him right on the lips. Tom was surprised, but laughed and said, "You're welcome!" He then extricated himself gently and took Cecilia's right hand and Angela's left hand. "Now, let's find some living room furniture."

They spent over an hour looking at couches, love seats, sofa sleepers and recliners. At one point, while he moaned in ecstasy in a recliner, Cecilia "jokingly" hopped into his lap. She wiggled her bottom around in his lap. Looking towards his feet, she pushed her big right breast right into his mouth and nose. She sighed, enjoying the feeling of that hardening cock under her. "You're right, this is comfortable," she quipped. Tom then pulled the lever, bringing the recliner upright in a snap and expelling her from his lap. He did hold her hand so she didn't fall down.

He shook his head and smiled. They moved on, and finally agreed on a sectional sofa set along with the recliner. He asked if they wanted to replace the coffee table and they said they didn't. It was a decent piece of furniture. Tom did see a dinette set he really liked. It was half off the original price, and he said, "Oh! I really want this. Would you mind if I have it in the apartment? If you're really attached to the one you have, I can put in storage until I leave."

They weren't that attached to the one they had. Compared to this set, it was rubbish. Tom picked out a light fixture for the dining room as well, and went with the store owner to fill out the paperwork and to arrange for delivery later that afternoon. Angela and Cecilia sat on a pair of comfy chairs while he was gone.

"Can you believe this? Like, can you believe any of this?" Angela said softly.

"You mean, that we're going to have actual 'grown up' furniture in our apartment, or that we've got a freaking god of a man moving in with us?"

"Exactly," Angela replied. "By the way, while you were in his lap...how's the package?"

"Mmm. The package felt like it would be very fulfilling." Cecilia had a dreamy expression as she thought about it.

"Isn't he your uncle, though?" Angela asked.

"No, but he is like a brother to my dad," Cecilia answered. "They were so close. I'm sure my parents will expect me to visit more often now, and bring Tom along."