Pasha on the Playa Pt. 03

She speeded up and raised her voice, finishing in a rush before falling full out on me. The three Petrovs were laughing a storm and pounding on both of us.

I groaned and they pounded harder. "Marty! You have a job. Russian engineer is being very kind. Are you not grateful?"

I pulled Alisa to my front, using teeth on her shoulder. I growled, "Tell them I am grateful and will apply severe punishment if there is any more teasing."

She wiggled and whispered, "Yes, master." I pinched both nipples and she choked out a volley of Russian.

Calm was restored. I turned Dancer's body over and kissed her delicately. She kissed back and hummed.

In my ear, in Russian, she said, "I love you." Our tongues played tag, and Maya said, "We are neglected tonight, but is ok. She has done much good for project."

I don't know whether it was the alcohol or not, but there was a lot of twitching and turning in the night. Faces appeared next to mine and wanted a kiss, or two or three. A partial moon illuminated the pasture and the long shadows cast by tall trees.

The librarians complained, at 3 am, that they were being frozen out, and demanded to be next to me. Loving was needed, they said, but not right now. I promised all sorts of loving, and said I would chase them naked in the woods. This got me kisses and tiny bites, and two sleeping beauties.

A light went on in the kitchen to announce that it was six am, even if still dark. Alisa cuddled with me and we organized the day. Maya and Elena would go with her, and Katarina with me in the pickup, which had a long list of materials to procure. Tomorrow was Friday, and Andrei would bring the excavator late in the day if he could. Otherwise, Saturday morning.

I got a sweet kiss and a question. "Are you really going to work with me?"

I pulled her muscled body close and made growling noises. "You dare to challenge your mate? You have been recruited to the Russian matriarchy? I am hearing echoes of Catherine the Great?"

Maya was watching out the window as I chased three naked bodies around in the grass, shouting wild threats. Finally, we dashed inside to find coffee mugs already on the table. It was dark and hot, just what was needed. I caressed the hips and behinds, applying kisses elsewhere until they complained, "Plumber, is work day. No fair hitting on your women."

There was a shortage of clean underwear. Elena volunteered to take dirty laundry baskets to the place in town. I asked if a washer-dryer needed to be added to the list for the pickup.

Maya lifted her eyebrows at me, "Trust fund?" I nodded and smiled. "We'll make a place on the deck for now."

And added, "Katarina will buy new undies for all the ladies to go with new washer."

A plate of eggs and bacon was thrust into my hands with orders to take it outside and stop obnoxious comments.

An hour later, Katarina and I were headed down the freeway toward Reno as the others drove to Truckee for their chores.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her make darting glances in my direction. Finally, I said, "You are a bad girl."

"Marty, you have to let us tease you!"

"I'll tease you! Where is the job, young one? You are just going to lie around?"

She stared at me, eyes stricken, "Marty, that is not nice! We are not lie around women!"

After a tense pause, she went on, "I was not supposed to tell you, but Maya is talking to librarian for county. They are thinking about second bookmobile. Is big secret. You can not spoil surprise."

I shouted, "Wonderful!" and she punched me.

After I calmed down and paid attention to the windy road in the canyon, she leaned over the console and whispered, "You have been neglecting us."

I moaned, "There is no justice. I take you out for a nice evening, and two days later I am neglecting you?"

The smile was back. "Bookmobile ladies need a lot of attention!"

Good spirits enveloped us as the truck coasted downhill into Reno. We traded off chores, using the phone for arranging dropoffs and pickups. At the lumberyard, I had a sudden thought and called Alisa.

"Marty, how are you doing?"

"Dancer, we will need sand and gravel for the septic."

"Plumber, you think engineers have no brains? Andrei is bringing with him. Do you have a real problem?"

"Katarina says they are neglected."

"Oh, these young ones. Never satisfied. Maya and I will deal with them!"

"Don't be cruel. I will see you tonight."

By four, the truck was filled to overflowing and we headed up the grade to the mess we called home. Katarina struggled to keep her eyes open and failed, leaving me with my thoughts about the project.

Soon, the hard work would see a house and not a cluttered construction site. Tonight, we needed a planning meeting to decide if it was time to place the order for the cabin and write the big deposit check. I should give Hank Schmidt at Superior an update and talk about production timing. We needed Doug to scramble and get his real estate venture out of trouble with the county and the title company.

It was Friday night and time for happy hour, but I was tense with worries about the big weekend of work to connect to the water main and get the septic hole ready for the prefab tank next week.

Kat and I were unloading the pickup as others arrived with their own armfuls of plans and materials. Maya shooed everyone out of the kitchen, invoking Russian mother privilege to work on dinner. I approached with an armlock, kiss and hug. "Hot stuff, I am going to sneak into the woods with you..."

"Oof, you are very bad boy, Marty. Mama will beat you." We fisted each other, laughing and I went outside to help organize.

Alisa had her transit out and was directing more stake driving to guide Andrei's excavator. I was not about to disturb three young Russian women working furiously, and took drink orders.

Inside, Maya refused an offer of help and said to pay attention to my women. My fine women, she said.

I delivered three tall margaritas and began scattering piles of pipe where they were needed.

It was almost dark when Alisa declared we were ready for an early start with Andrei, and we trotted inside, where the gimcrack shower held together for another washing of beautiful bodies. My efforts at molesting were deflected and my butt slapped as I wedged into the narrow stall.

The dinner entree was Russian style meatloaf. Maya said, "Is meatball recipe, but in American loaf."

Elena said, helping herself to seconds, "Mama, he is working us so hard, we will not get fat eating like lumberjack."

I insisted on clearing and doing the dishes, saying, "Someone make coffee, we need to have a conference."

The librarians were blowing off steam, hitting on me, snapping their dishtowels and making Alisa and Maya laugh. I wondered when their secret about the bookmobile was going public.

I sat and went over the notes on my yellow pad. "It's time to give Superior an order for the cabin. We also need a schedule which shows how all the pieces of the project come together. Since I am just a dumb plumber, I think the Professor will have to be the Project Director to keep us out of trouble. I will worry about all the in the ground work, Alisa will run interference with the county, and the librarians will look for jobs and take on special assignments."

I looked around and it did not seem that revolt was imminent. Maya got up and came back with the little glasses and her special bottle of icy Russian vodka.

She smiled and stuck out her tongue at me. "To Plumber, who has rescued Russian women!"

I was taken outside, stripped and stuffed into the nest of bedding, where four naked bodies took turns rubbing and teasing and accusing me of bad things at the same time they whispered sweet nothings in my ears. It felt like family loving, including the part about no sex tonight because tomorrow was going to be busy. Maya was pushed into my arms and we fell asleep together.

It was barely light when we heard honking from down at the gate, and I rushed there with a key for the lock. Andrei was in a large dump truck with the digger on behind. By the time he pulled up at the site, Alisa was ready with a hot mug of coffee and a sisterly kiss.

Her brother was lean and wiry, with a quick smile and a strong handshake. We did a fast walk around the site and were summoned for breakfast, which was enormous, with eggs, pancakes, juice, pastry and more. The two of us discussed that if he and I carefully uncovered the water main, he could concentrate on the septic work while I attached the saddle to the main, which would allow puncturing of the pipe for the service to our cabin. A tricky business, but I had done it many times.

Soon there was a five foot trench I could stand in, with the six inch pipe exposed. Alisa muscled in behind me and announced that she was my helper. "Besides, you need an engineer to keep watch."

I turned halfway around and told her, "If there is too much pestering, there will be trouble in the trench."

I emphasized the two t's and gave her one of my darkest looks.

She laughed, "Plumber, you cannot scare me any more. Remember, you have danced with your engineer, and made her very happy."

We fell into a warm kiss just as Maya peered down and asked, "That is part of getting water?"

We fisted each other and Alisa said, "Da. Very important for workers to get along in socialist paradise."

Maya groaned and said, "That is not funny, young one. Some of us have bad memories."

An hour later, our inch and a half tap was complete and we were backfilling the trench with compacted dirt and sand. The steel shaft from the shutoff valve was enclosed in two Christy boxes, and Alisa brought a hose for a test. I gave the handle for the shutoff rod to Maya and she cautiously turned it. Water shot way out of the end of the hose to cheers from everyone. Our own water was a major step forward.

Andrei waved and kept digging. By noon, the hole for the tank looked big and deep, with its beautifully carved bottom and shaped sides ready for a bed of sand to cushion the prefab.

In late afternoon, the network of trenches for the perforated pipe which would distribute the output from the tank was finished and ready for me to go to work. Andrei begged off from the drink I suggested and said he had promised his girlfriend, who was a single mother, to be back for dinner. He would return at noon on Sunday for backfilling.

After much needed showers, the Russians and I sat in deck chairs looking at all the progress and sipped our drinks. We were having leftover meatloaf, which was a fine idea for tired bodies.

"Marty, when we were at Burning Man, I was not sure you were a real plumber. American men tell so many stories and pound their chests and then don't deliver!"

Katarina giggled and said, "Mama, Marty delivers!"

My lover sat in my lap and kissed me to quiet clapping. "Yes, he does. He really does."

The next morning, after breakfast, I held a short class in cutting and gluing the plastic sewer pipe, followed by instruction in how to prepare the sloped trenches with sand, gravel and filter cloth.

By eleven o'clock, with much dashing around and complaining about the nasty ABS cement getting on their hands, we had more than a hundred feet of septic field finished and ready for Andrei. I kissed each one and said the cement stains were badges of plumbing honor. After grumbles, they were full of excitement about having worked on their own sanitary system.

I said, laughing, "You did good work. This is not the place to make mistakes. If you have to dig it up later, it is smelly bad mess! Worse than outhouse."

"Marty," Elena said, "your women will be very happy not to use portapotty too." This smelly but necessary facility had shown up a week ago to eliminate trips into the trees with a shovel.

Over lunch, we talked about sleeping arrangements. Soon, it was going to be frosty every morning. The women wanted to be together and said the singlewide bed would not do. "Marty, we are not baby squirrels, curled up with their mother!"

For six weeks, we needed shelter for a pile of bedding with five bodies in it. Alisa had the answer. "Tomorrow, Maya and I will go to the outdoor place in Truckee and buy the biggest tent they have. Marty and the twins will nail together a temporary platform. We will also buy one of those portable propane stoves for seriously cold nights."

I added, "And get two of the largest blowup mattresses you can find."

Eyes fastened on me. "Marty, you are getting considerate of your women? All of a sudden, you are being a proper lover?"

I made threatening noises and we all went back to work.

The following week was full of ups and downs. With Andrei's help, the septic was finished and stubbed out at the cabin foundation line. Doug was still making optimistic promises but showing no progress. The county was unhappy, and I complained to Doug, "Are you proving that amateur subdivisions are a disaster?"

"Marty, give me a break. It will all work out. You need patience."

I threatened, "Doug, our cabin is in production. If I have to buy a second generator to do the onsite work because your power is not installed, it's coming out of your hide."

Alisa dealt with my frustrations by giving me client assignments. Since the client is always right, I was forced to find smiles instead of frowns when bad ideas and dumb questions surfaced.

Every day, the marvelous team, chattering away in Russian to each other, chased problems and came home to the singlewide with smiles. I kissed them and asked for language instruction. My horrible accent got my ears boxed and ribs prodded. At bedtime, in the fabulous tent, everyone snuggled and the world's troubles went away.

I worried about virility and asked Maya, "Lover, it is ok that I am not attacking every morning?"

Her knee in my crotch was matched by a tongue in my mouth. Leaning on my chest, she said, "Plumber, first we need house, then loving!" The others heard us and giggled.

The day that the title company processed our deed, and the county issued a belated building permit, I declared a celebration. Maya and Alisa arranged a happy hour room at a neighborhood bar, with new and old Truckee friends invited.

Katarina announced she was the designated driver, so I was feeling no pain when her sister came over with a woman in tow. "Marty, this is Katherine Smith, the county librarian. She thinks there might be jobs for two librarians from Brooklyn!"

I smiled and shook hands, thinking we could now talk about the big secret. She said, "So you are the famous plumber they met at Burning Man?"

"Luckiest day of my life. Don't understand what they see in me."

Her eyes checked me out. "Hmm. They have been telling me about all the things you know how to do. They even complimented your loving skills."

I grabbed Elena, "You promised not to tell!"

Amid the laughter, I kissed Katherine on the cheek and said, "They are very smart and work very hard. You will be happy with them."

The middle aged librarian blushed and said, "Elena, he is a terrible flirt."

"Yes, yes, terrible."

I asked, "Did you tell her about driving the Pashamobile on the Playa?"

Katherine's eyes widened in surprise, "Driving on the Playa?"

"Yes," I said, "they built this amazing vehicle, shipped it to Reno, got it into a rented truck and brought it to Burning Man. It was sensational. You will have no worries about their driving your bookmobile after that."

With a big smile, she said, "Perhaps they will give me a ride next year?"

Elena had a fit when I said, "Absolutely. Of course, you have to be very relaxed about not having clothes on."

Katherine was even pinker, but laughed and said, "I suppose I have to take lessons? From Russian twins?"

Maya had heard the end of the conversation and cuffed me, "He is very rude. In Russia, we would make him sleep outside!"

I winked and said, "If you come to the new house, they will put the Pashamobile back together and there can be rides!"

I added, "And stories about Pasha. Very grown up stories..."

"Oh dear, you have me completely captured. The announcement for library grants is going to be this coming week. If we are lucky, I can make a job offer not too long after that."

I put my arm around her shoulder and whispered, "We will have a grant party. You will be the honored guest."

I was pushed away as Maya explained that Plumber was not really obnoxious.

In the truck going home, I was punched and then her soft voice said, "You made a new friend for us, Marty. She has that look in her eyes. The bedroom look..."

"Hey, I was just trying to help!"

I was required to deal with a tipsy professor who laughed about her Marty hitting on the county librarian and held me tight.

At breakfast the next morning, I was asked, "We are really going to make Pashamobile run again?"

"There has to be a redesign for next year. We now have a real engineer, and she needs to drive it before she can design. Can't you see Alisa with the sound system turned up, scaring the deer on our road?"

Maya pulled my hair and said, "Marty, you are terrible man."

Alisa frowned, "Plumber, you can weld?"

I waved my arms, "Is dangerous to let Plumber have welding torch. Sparks everywhere..."

"Andrei is very good. You will take lessons."

The twins clustered around. "We can watch videos on the Internet of vehicles on the Playa. Get ideas."

I gave them a sinister look and said, "Andrei and I will design the new propane system to fuel the torches. On the Playa, fire in the night is important."

Maya added, "And better lights. We should find a lighting designer..."

The wave of enthusiasm was gathering force, but I said, "A mutant vehicle is not roof over our heads. We have only three weeks to be ready for the logs."

It was time to call in a chit from Doug's friend Charlie, the foundation guy. I phoned on the way to town, and he actually answered.

"This is Marty, about the log cabin foundation. We need you. The site is ready. The logs are coming in three weeks."

"Marty, it's good to hear your voice. Business has picked up and I can get to your job in a month."

"Charlie, there are four Russian women counting on that cabin for shelter, with winter coming. They are currently sleeping in a tent and it is colder every night. They have big, tough men friends..."

"I was just kidding, buddy. The crew for doing the footings will be there Wednesday."

"I'm pleased you are so flexible, Charlie. My partner, the Professor, has a supply of special vodka that appears when good work is finished."

"My guys will be happy to hear that. See you soon."

The twins jumped out at the library, where they were making new friends by volunteering. I continued to Alisa's office, where I got a special hug and a hot kiss.

"What's going on?"

She pushed me down and cuddled in my lap. "Oh, we have much work, but I have to tell you I am so excited by the house project. Never in my life before, have I gone to bed smiling, and woke up smiling."

I whispered in her ear, "Never in my life before have I had a sexy woman with curves and muscles and terrific smarts..."

She leaned back with a wide smile. "Marty, you are an awful man. You melt us every day!"

"I suppose I have to stop this silly kissing and hugging and do some work?"

"Yes, yes. That horrible Mrs. Wilson called again about the sewer replacement. Had another backup and wants to know when the county is going to approve my design and issue the permit. You had better go out there with your truck and tools..."

I got into my roughest field clothes, grumbling. Fixing backups was not in our scope of work, but the client is always right.

"Plumber! Wait!" She came racing out with a big kiss. "You are an angel. I love you."

The curmudgeon actually thanked me for getting her toilet back in service, and I promised a special trip to the Planning Department to light a fire.