Philanthropy Pt. 03

"Long story. Come on in. I've fixed you a little something to eat. I'll tell you all about it."

Amanda grinned. "I told you, Madison. Peter is a chef. The food here is amazing!"

In moments, Amanda was wheeled in and Madison carefully helped her out of it. Amanda walked with a slight limp and winced with some pain. She assured me she was fine and not to worry. We busied ourselves sorting everyone out. Dana went and made coffee and stole little bits off the charcuterie board. Under the wheelchair were two small carry-on bags and Madison emptied the contents in the dresser and closets of their rooms. I sat Amanda down in the sunroom and placed the charcuterie board and selected some of it for her.

"Wine?" I offered.

"No. I can't take alcohol with my pain meds."

"Oh. Coffee or tea?"

"Water would be nice."

"I got it," chirped Dana.

Madison came out of her bedroom and told me she was very pleased with her accommodations.

"Of course, Madison. Make yourself at home. What's mine is yours. You should know I have the main rooms monitored with cameras. But not in the bedrooms or bathrooms. Ha! Can you imagine? So, it's, um, it's a security thing. Everything is stored locally. But, if you decide to wander around naked, I'm going to see it."

Madison blinked her eyes in rapid succession and held a hand up between her small A-cups. "Oh, dear! I would never do that!"

I could see Shanti walk in and roll her eyes at me. "Okay, no worries then. Here, let Amanda enjoy her food. I'll show you around and explain the condo."

She nodded and Dana pushed past and handed Amanda a glass of cold water. "Hi, Amanda. You're looking better than the other day! You're walking fine! The bruises are coming down, too. How are the ribs?"

"Still sore. Thank you for the water."

Dana leaned in and whispered to Amanda. "I did it! I sucked his cock!"

Amanda looked up sharply at Madison and I. "Dana! There's a time and place for conversations like that!"

Dana plunked down beside Amanda and I saw Amanda wince. "Pfft. Its nuts over here. Sex, sex and more sex. Jesus."

I looked at Madison and her eyes were very wide. "It's not like that, Madison," I said.

"How old are you Dana?" asked Madison.

"Eighteen and a half, why?"

"Just checking."

I shook my head. "This is off to a great start. Come on, I'll show you around." Madison nodded and I explained the condo, the appliances, the voice activation, and had her download the condo app. We were in her bathroom, shared by two of the spare bedrooms, and I asked her what she needed to care for Amanda, and she said not much, she had what she needed. She handed me a small bag of meds she said should be refrigerated.

"How long do you figure you'll need to stay with her?"

"Only a few more days. She's recovering quickly. As soon as you offered for her to stay with you, she started improving. She's pushing herself to get better. She's strong and coping."

"Okay. Stay as long as you need. If you need anything, and I mean anything, just let me know."

Madison searched my face. "Betty spoke to me about you."

"She did? What did she say?"

Madison smiled at me and I watched her little mole join it. "That you were a nice man behind a façade of bullshit."

"Oh. Not what I expected to hear. But that's nice."

"Nice? I want to be clear, I'm not like Betty."

"Okay."

"I'm here for Amanda. That's it."

"Okay."

"What is this place and why do you have a bodyguard?"

"It's a long story and I'll share everything, once Dana leaves. You have a right to know if you are staying here. You've met Dana, the next-door neighbour. Her parents are the Carvers. They are very bad people. They were the ones behind the attempt on my life and on Amanda's. For nothing more than mouthing off to them. They are very nasty people. Shanti protects me from them."

"That's terrible!"

"Yes, it is. I'm taking steps to remedy the situation, but it will take time. You'll be safe here. Shanti is very good at her job."

"The bodyguard at the hospital spoke a little about her. He held her in high regard."

"I'm not surprised."

She looked thoughtful. "I saw him take out that orderly. I had no idea what was happening and thought he had just attacked him. It was sudden and violent. I'm not even sure what he did. The orderly was sudden down and out. Thank God, Amanda was asleep at the time. Then this bodyguard just looked calmly at me and said, 'This here bloke needs a little first aid' and started making calls.

"The hospital security and police showed up and it was so calm. They knew what had happened and why and they left with this guy who turned out wasn't an orderly. The bodyguard stayed and was joined by two more cops. I've never seen anything like it."

"Shanti knows good people."

"She's British like him."

"Yes, seems to be a lot of them around these days."

She looked puzzled.

"My lawyer is also British. Not a word of any of this to Dana, okay?"

"Sure thing."

I turned and left the bedroom and spotted Dana coming out of Amanda's bedroom. She hustled down the hall and out into the living room area. I frowned and followed. I found Dana mothering Amanda. She had Amanda's makeup bag and was pulling out coverup or lipstick or some other weird thing women use. Dana saw me and looked away quickly. Great. I'm sure she heard everything.

I went into the kitchen and thought hard. This could be a problem. Dana was my little lynchpin. I needed her on Team Peter. I poured a cup of coffee and looked out to the sunroom. Dana was talking excitedly with Amanda. I saw her hold her hands apart and then giggle. Dana shot me a look and I saw her falter for a moment. Yup, she heard me speaking to Madison. Fuck.

"Hey, Dana? Can you come here a moment?"

Dana looked up in fright at me.

"Like right now?"

She spoke to Amanda for a second and then slowly got up off the couch and slowly started walking toward me.

"Faster."

She frowned and walked a little quicker and soon stood next to me in the kitchen looking down at the floor.

"Look at me, please," I asked.

She looked up and then away.

I grabbed her chin and pulled it toward me. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

"Did you hear Madison and I speaking?"

I saw the look of confusion cross her face and I released her chin. Whatever was bugging her it wasn't my conversation with Madison. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then it dawned on me.

"What are you plotting with Amanda?"

Her expression turned to one not unlike someone getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Nothing!" Her demeanour changed and she thrust her shoulders back. "Just girl talk and none of your business."

"Whatever you are plotting it will not happen, clear?"

She looked at me defiantly and then spun around and marched away. She had her little fists down at her sides, with her arms straight, and stomped away. I admired her ass in her Lululemon pants. The pants filled the crack of her ass, and it looked almost naked. Jesus, she was a gorgeous girl. I sipped my coffee and adjusted my cock just as Madison walked in and caught me. She frowned and came over.

I poured her a cup of coffee and watched her fix it. She took a sip, mouthed an exaggerated 'wow', and took a larger sip. She looked at me over the cup before setting it down. I waited and then said, "Go ahead, ask. Say it."

"What kind of place is this? Betty warned me, but Jesus fuck. The hormones in here are off the chart. As far as I can tell you've had relations with Amanda and Shanti and Betty. And now I'm fairly sure that young, naïve, eighteen-year-old has been with you, too. This is weirding me out, quite frankly."

"All true. Shanti made me let Dana blow me. But that's all! I refuse to do anything else!"

"You refuse? What do you mean?"

"It's Dana! She hounds me. Tells me she wants me to fuck her! All the time! She's out there right now plotting something with Amanda. Look at them!"

Madison looked out at the sunroom and caught Dana looking over at us and then whispering to Amanda who laughed. "Holy shit."

"It's not my fault!"

Madison grinned up at me. "No, not your fault. Course not." She sipped her coffee. "What is this stuff?"

"Kona."

"Oo, I've heard of that but never had it. It's wonderful."

I smiled. Another happy woman in my kitchen. That's my happy place. "I need to ask you, what do you like to eat? I pride myself on preparing meals that put smiles on women. It can be anything. Anything at all. Just say it and I will deliver it."

She looked shyly at me. She was only a little shorter than me. "Betty said she gained ten pounds here."

"I also fucked ten pounds off her."

Madison gasped and held her hand to her mouth. "Jesus!"

"Believe me, I only flirted with her. She was the one that instigated everything. She's a wonder. I miss her. I really connected with her."

Madison searched my face. "She spoke a lot about you. She loved it here and being with you. She said she had to leave because it was never going to go anywhere. She was pretty messed up emotionally."

"I have that way with women."

"She said you would be all over me."

"Nope."

"No? I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Yes. You said no already. That you weren't that kind of girl. I totally respect that. Now, what do you want to eat?"

"Anything?"

"Absolutely."

She thought for a moment. "Caviar? I've never had it."

I smiled. "I know where to get some Petrossian."

"I was only joking."

"I know, but you thought of it because you wanted to try it. Don't worry about it, but caviar is an appetizer to me. I'm talking about something you've always wanted to indulge in."

She thought harder. "I'm not sure. My parents immigrated from Saint Petersburg in 1990, as soon as Gorbachev changed the world. I grew up with common Russian food. Borchst, bliny, kasha..."

"It doesn't have to be Russian."

"Can I let you decide? Anything would be fine."

I saw Shanti appear and stand nearby. I could see she wanted to speak to Madison. I nodded at Madison. "Sure. No problem. I'll surprise you. I think Shanti needs to speak to you about security."

Madison looked over at Shanti and then back at me. "She's so... strong. And beautiful, at the same time."

I saw Shanti roll her eyes. She has excellent hearing. "She is."

Madison nodded and went over to Shanti and they started speaking. I sat in the kitchen and nursed my coffee. I watched Shanti take her over to the table by the door and show her the Glock and mags. Madison didn't even blink at that, and soon the two of them were chatting up a storm and disappeared in the bedroom area. Madison was touching Shanti's lower back.

Then I got it. Betty had sent Madison to me knowing she was a lesbian. It was her little revenge. I smiled. I missed Betty.

I watched Amanda and Dana laughing out in the sunroom and felt peace descend. I truly adored my solitude, but at that moment, I cherished my full condo. I knew it couldn't last. Sooner or later, I would force them all away so I could go back to my fortress of solitude.

* * *

Everything went quiet for two weeks. Amanda grew stronger and Madison left after a week when she found Amanda making out with Dana. She declared her perfectly fit, mentally sound, hugged us all, kissed Shanti, and left happy, with the remains of the caviar, and weighing ten pounds heavier.

Dana came by most days for cooking lessons and Amanda joined in. Even Shanti learned something, and I had her fry up some eggs and she didn't do too bad. On some days, Shanti taught Dana how to work out and gain some strength and stamina after her parents refused to hire someone. I watched until Dana would start to get horny. Working out made her horny and so I stayed away after that.

Shanti slept with me every night and I learned everything there was about getting her to orgasm. She loved it gentle, which surprised me. She said she needed to look up into my face, as I buried myself between her legs and she wrapped them around me. I happily obliged.

But my condo was lovely and quiet. Dana and Amanda were still plotting something but hadn't hatched it yet.

I worked on my new code, updated the corporation version, and sat back and waited.

Shanti and I had a terrific laugh one day when Dana announced her parents were getting phone calls and junk mail and porn magazines all the time. Massive amounts of it. One day she came in almost retching as she described the most horrible dog shit smell in her parent's car. Good times.

One day I caught Amanda being pleasured by Dana in her bedroom. I watched Dana's ass up in the air with her face buried between Amanda's thighs. Dana's ass and her exposed completely hairless asshole and pussy had me hard as a rock. I found Shanti, told her what I had seen, and that I needed to fuck her ass hard. She had her pants off and a tube of lube out in no time. I hadn't fucked Shanti that hard since the gym. Shanti came hard and then made fun of me for getting turned on by an eighteen-and-a-half-year-old girl. I described what I saw in detail and then finger-fucked Shanti and showed her just how wet it made her. She snorted and then made me fuck her proper.

Turns out she comes equally hard with it being hard or gentle. She just comes a lot with me.

Fuck, I'm awesome. Or I fuck awesome. Both probably.

Did I say it was too quiet?

* * *

When it happened, it happened quickly. Everything went from calm and serene to insane batshit crazy in a heartbeat. I'm not sure of everything that happened. Afterward, I had plenty of time to ponder it. Shanti blames herself, of course. She has no sense of sharing responsibility. She also cursed herself for putting the Glock by the door. In hindsight, it was a pretty stupid place to put it. She said if it had been closer to her, she could have stopped the first bullets. I don't doubt her. Never again will I doubt her.

It was late evening on a Tuesday. How's that for a start?

I was sitting out on the balcony having a smoke and a toke. And a few scotches. Then my front door blew inward. Right off the hinges in a terrific blast. It landed four feet away from the frame. Then a massive bang went off and thank God I was outside on the balcony. It hurt my ears like crazy and I felt dizzy.

I had covered my ears and lowered my head after the bang and when I looked up, two men wearing balaclavas burst in, walking semi-crouched and with pistols in their hands. They scanned quickly and I sat there watching them.

Then they saw me and started firing. There's a strange fear that grips you when someone points a pistol at you. You can see into the barrel and you know a bullet will fly out of it and kill you. It's paralysing. I watched fingers squeeze triggers and then the glass of my condo shattered between me and them. I was moving without thinking. I dove to the side and something stung my right thigh. And it burned. And then it hurt like nothing I had ever felt before. I knew I had been shot but in the moment fear was making me try and squeeze into a flowerpot on my balcony.

I could hear shots being fired over and over and waited to feel another sting and burn. I was screaming. A lot. Then I heard two sharp pistol shots, and everything went quiet then two more sharp bangs.

"Peter, stay down out there. Don't move," commanded Shanti, and I almost sobbed in relief. "Can you see the building across the way?"

I looked but it was hidden from view. "No."

"Good stay there. Are you hurt?"

"Yes, I've been shot in the leg."

"Fuck. How bad?"

"I dunno?"

"Look at it! Tell me what you see? Is there a lot of blood?"

I looked and stared at the blood pumping out of my leg. It was like a regular little fountain. "It's shooting out of my thigh!"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Clamp your hand over it as hard as you can. Do you know how to tie a tourniquet?"

"Tourniquet?"

"Yes, tie your belt around your leg four inches above the wound."

"I don't feel so good."

"Stay with me, Peter. Take off your belt with one hand and cinch it tight. I'll be right back."

"Wh-where are you going?" My head felt dizzy. I felt cold all over. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. When Shanti didn't answer I thought hard about what it was she wanted me to do. My belt, right.

I undid the buckle and then whisked my belt free and then realised why women did it that way, too, and laughed. They were so anxious to get at my cock! I figured it out! Still chuckling I tried to put it around my thigh and tighten it. I couldn't manage and had to use both hands. Blood pumped and I cinched it hard and watched the blood slow to a trickle. I clamped a hand over the wound. I wanted so bad to just close my eyes and sleep. I felt so lethargic.

I heard a noise and looked up alarmed and then saw Shanti with a really big gun. It had a scope and everything. She crawled across the broken glass.

"Stay awake, Peter. Good job on the tourniquet. Keep your hand there and don't move."

"What are you doing?"

"Taking care of the sniper. There has to be one. They fucked this up. The sniper should have taken the first shot. He'll still be there. Watching. He's the damage check. Now stay still and don't move."

I watched her carefully position herself. She kept the rifle ahead of her and slowly moved it into position. She sidled up alongside it like a lover crawling into bed and took a quick look through the scope and then moved her head away. She repeated this three times and then settled in behind the scope. She reached up and adjusted something on the rifle and then I watched her finger caress the trigger. She was breathing in a slow fashion. She breathed in, exhaled a little, held it, and the rifle barked, not moving against her.

She kept watching for a moment longer and then rolled aside and looked at me. "Got him. I don't think there are any others. Ready to move?" I saw her eying the large volume of blood on the balcony and soaking my pants.

"Yeah, where are we going?"

She smiled. "Somewhere safer than here."

I remembered something. It was hard to think. "Amanda?"

"She's safe. Hidden in the storeroom under some shit."

"And the two men?"

"Down. Double tapped. We need to leave. This place is breached. You need medical care. We aren't taking an ambulance. We are talking your piece of shit Hyundai. I'm driving."

"You look so hot right now."

She did. She wasn't wearing any pants and she was on her back with her legs spread. I was staring at her little piece of heaven.

"And now I know you're okay," she sighed. I noticed she didn't cover herself. She shook her head at me and smiled.

She rolled over and checked the other building one more time with the scope, and then rose and shouldered me up onto my good leg. She hobbled me into the living room. I spied the two men right away. Both shot once in the chest and once in the head. It was not a sight I would ever forget. Its frightfully real and immediately personal. Thank God the balaclavas hid most of it.

Shanti ignored them. "Amanda? Come out! Now!"

We waited a moment and then saw Amanda peek around the corner of the wall. She spied the bodies and shrieked.

"Amanda! Quiet! Now!" barked Shanti. Her voice demanded it be obeyed and Amanda did, shutting her mouth with an 'eep'. "Come here and take Peter off me."

Amanda finally saw that I was shot, and she started making noises again. Shanti got her quiet and Amanda replaced Shanti in holding me up. Shanti picked her Glock off the floor and ran to the door and look out cautiously. She grabbed the extra mag and looked back at us, grabbed my car keys off the side table and beckoned to us. "Come on, coast is clear. Wait, Peter, where's your phone?"

"Out on the balcony."

"Great, wait here." She ran past us out to the balcony and come back with my phone and handed it to me. "Unlock it. Check the cameras."